#and coughing all over the place meanwhile my dad's been coughing for weeks and is like 'this is fine no need to check it out'

[weepingactorsoverpopmusic]

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[paxtonbirthstory]

June 23rd -- Car Wrecks and Covid

What a week we've had.

We moved to the 3 bedroom apt in our complex on June 12th - a Sunday. We're optimistically putting a crib in that third bedroom and adding $900 to our rent. Worth it!

Since I am almost 7 months pregnant, I keep getting yelled at for helping. We get all our stuff over to the new place, finally, on Monday. I can't hold my tongue enough about the way men pack and unpack, so I decide to go get a sandwich down the street. I go to take our blind left out of the neighborhood and get hit -- slowly, almost missed completely -- but it's a wreck.

Because I'm pregnant, my dr wants me to go to the hospital, so i go in for about 4 hours all plugged in to monitors and beeping things. It sucks, my phone almost dies while sitting there, but at least I get to listen to my son's heartbeat for 4 hours.

Meanwhile, Frank is driving Quinley home and she pukes all over the car seat. So he has to go home and throw her in the tub -- while trying to find where we packed the soap and towels. I got home at 8:30pm and the apt smells like puke even though Frank's been trying to wash it out for hours.

On Thursday, Frank wakes up with a sore throat and ends up testing positive for Covid. 2 years. We've lasted 2 years being cautious and now it's hit our family.

We start quarantine -- Frank moves to the guest room and basically sleeps all day Friday. Quinley is now home all day because we don't want her getting daycare sick, so it's kind of just me and her. We hang with Frank outside and on walks. It's so hard.

Saturday -- the day they approve a Covid vaccine for kids under age 5 -- Quinley tests positive for Covid. My poor baby.

That night she has a 103.6 fever and we're panicking, but motrin is helping and her fever is going down. It's just all scary.

I'm still testing negative, so now her and dad get to quarantine together....on Father's Day. Happy Father's Day!

***

I ended up getting Covid, so we're all stuck at home, staring at the same 2 faces for 10 days. Frank and Quinley felt better after 2 or 3 days and I just had a cough and runny nose. I had to have a very quick, sneak in and sneak out, drs visit because we needed to be seen. The nurse literally came to get me in a side door and didn't ride the elevator with me so I could get to the high risk OBGYN. Everyone was decked out in their finest PPEs just for me! I felt like a leper, it was so weird.

I was prescribed Paxlovid, a new drug the FDA made available for "emergency use". It's basically a Z Pack for Covid. I was terrified to take it, just because I have no idea what kind of effect it might have on the baby. No one really does yet. But the reward out-weighed the risks we know of. I can't risk a bad case of Covid.

So I held the first two pills in my hand for a bit and cried and crossed my fingers and took them. Five days later, I was done with the pack and nothing seemed to go wrong....

[xoxo-teddybear]

Disappointments - Bakugou Katsuki

Dad!Bakugou x f!Mom!reader ft. Katsumi and Katsuo

Warnings: angst, fluff, cursing, crack, comfort

Summary: Bakugou always wanted a son and was extremely happy when his firstborn was Katsuo. Unfortunately, Katsuo didn’t have a quirk like he expected, but he still loved him nonetheless. Besides, his second born and first daughter, Katsumi did have his quirk! However..things are still kinda rocky

BAKUGOU’S MASTERLIST

“AH!”

You screamed as you dodged a fast attack from your 16 year old daughter. Katsumi was blessed to inherit Bakugou’s quirk and she was truly a master with it already. At least, in your eyes and everyone else’s. To Bakugou, Katsumi wasn’t quite there yet.

You were currently sparring with your daughter as Bakugou was examining her progress. You both were about to meet in the middle with your own attacks when the timer went off, indicating the match was over. You both stopped your quirks and looked to your husband, waiting for his analysis.

Katsumi looked to her dad with a happy and excited face. This is the best she’s ever done! This is sure to impress her father! “Well Dad! How was that?”

“Katsumi…your movements are sloppy.” Katsuki said with a blank face. You stood with a confused face and watched as your daughter’s face fell in disappointment. “You’re hesitating too much and your blasts aren’t strong enough.”

“Well I’m fighting against Mom and I don’t wanna hurt-“

“You’re training and Mom is your sparring partner. You only get better if you do your best when you’re practicing. Clearly, you don’t get that.” Katsuki said, interrupting his daughter. At his words, the 3 of you were at a standstill when suddenly the back door opened and out came your 17 year old son, Katsuo.

“Hey guys! Check it out! I got accepted into the police academy! I’m gonna be a future officer!” Katsuo exclaimed with excitement. Katsuki smiled with a proud look for his son as he walked over and gave him a pat on the back.

“Nice work, Katsuo. I’m proud of you. Even without a quirk you still seem to be surpassing your sister.” Katsuki said with a quick hug, releasing awkward tension in the air.

“Uh..thanks Dad,” Katsuo said as he looked to his younger sister with a sorry look. You walked over to your two boys and smacked Katsuki’s arm as you gave him an angry look. You quickly changed your expression once you faced your son and gave him a hug.

“Congratulations baby, I’m so proud of you.” You said holding him tight.

“Thanks Mom.” He said in reply. You finally pulled off him before looking to Katsumi who had a sad look but still smiled nonetheless as she walked over to her older brother.

“Congrats Katsuo, you’re gonna do great things in the future.” Katsumi said with a quick hug.

“Yeah? Well so will you.” Katsuo said, reassuring his baby sister. You smiled at how close your two kids were. It was something every mother would dream to have. The moment was beautiful until Bakugou intervened with a cough.

“Alright, well. Now that you’re gonna be an officer, we should continue and advance your combat skills. Let’s go, son.” Bakugou said as Katsuo nodded. The two blondes then went inside the house to surely go into the underground level where combat lessons took place in your household, leaving you with your daughter in the backyard.

You looked to the 16 year old girl and saw her look of sadness. “Katsumi…”

“Mom, what am I doing wrong?” She asked you as she took a step on the stairs. You took a seat next to her and rubbed small circles on her back.

“What do you mean Katsumi? You’re not doing anything wrong.” You said in a soft tone.

“Then why is Dad never proud of me for what I do? I’ve improved so much this past week and all he has for me is harsh criticism.” She exclaimed.

“Sweetie, your dad just wants to make sure that when you do become a hero, you can handle yourself.” You said trying to defend your husband and his rash thinking.

“Mom, I’m not trying to be needy, but he’s never proud of me. Ever! Like when you guys found out what schools we were going to? Katsuo gets into UA for general studies and Dad jumps for joy. I get into UA for the hero course and Dad tells me I might not be able to handle it! What’s up with that?!” Your daughter shouted.

“Katsumi, it’s just-“

“It’s just that he hates me! And for what?! I thought he’d be proud to have a kid with his quirk and who’s going to be a hero just like him but instead I’m casted away!” She shouted again.

“Katsumi, your dad doesn’t hate you. He loves you.” You calmly say with compassionate eyes.

“You’re lying!” She screamed at you. At that, Katsuki opened the back door when he heard all the yelling.

“Katsumi! What the hell do you think you’re doing yelling at your mom like that?!” He shouted. Katsumi turned to her dad with an embarrassed look as he reprimanded her. “C’mon, you get into the hero course, you get my quirk, and you get our time to help you train and you’re treating your own mother like that?! Talk about undeserving.”

“Katsuki!” You scolded your husband. Meanwhile, Katsumi’s mouth fell open in shock and as she tried to form words, only muffled struggles could be heard. Eventually growing frustrated she gave out a shout of anger and fury.

“UGH!” She cried out in angst before pushing her father out of the way and running up to her dorm.

“Hey! Watch it you brat! I’m your dad for crying out loud!” Katsuki shouted at her as she ran. You sighed before standing up and walking into the house.

“If you’re her dad then why don’t you start acting like it, Katsuki.” You said as you walked by him and up the stairs to enter your shared bedroom. Katsuki looked at you in confusion before shaking his head and going back to help his son with training.

—

It was late at night when you finally stepped out of your room. Katsuki had been in and out of it for multiple reasons, mainly to try and speak to you, but when you only gave him brief responses, he eventually just gave up and allowed you time to yourself. You walked out your room and went down the hall to your daughter’s bedroom.

“Katsumi?” You asked softly while knocking, no response. You tried once more only to wake up the other sibling by accident.

“Mom?” Katsuo asked as he yawned and opened his bedroom door. It was clear he was sleeping and you felt sorry for disturbing his peace.

“Hey, Katsuo, I’m sorry for waking you. I just..I just wanted to..”

“To check on Katsumi? Because of the way Dad treats her right?” Katsuo asked. You looked to your son with a hurt expression, saddened at the fact that both your kids were aware of the supposed favoritism.

You walked to Katsuo and kissed his forehead. “Go back to sleep, hun. I’ll take care of it, okay?”

“Why does Dad treat her like that?” He asked.

“….I wish I could tell you. But that’s what I’m going to figure out right now. Go back to bed, okay?” You said as you began walking down the stairs. You heard your son’s door shut as you traveled the house to look for your husband. You eventually stumbled upon him sitting at the island with a cup of tea and book in hand. “Katsuki?”

“Hey, there you are. You finally ready to talk to me?” He asked with the smallest smile, happy that he finally gets to see your face after a few hours. You walked to him with a quick smile and pecked his cheek before taking the seat next to him and putting on a serious face. “What’s up?”

“…Is..is there something wrong with Katsumi?” You asked your husband hesitantly. He looked at you in confusion and pushed his book away.

“No. No, Y/N, why would you ask me that? There’s nothing wrong with Katsumi.” He said softly.

“So then why do you treat her like that?” You asked. He tilted his head as he made a face.

“What do you mean?”

“Katsuki..you treat her like she’s only second best. And considering she’s only 1 of our 2 kids, you treat her like she’s..well, last. The worst.” You explained as Bakugou’s face began to fall and stiffen. “….When she and I were talking outside, she said you didn’t love her.”

“Y/N, I love Katsumi. I love both of our kids equally-“

“So then why don’t you make that known to Katsumi? Ever since her quirk kicked in, you’ve barely even smiled at her. Yet you praise Katsuo like he’s our only child.” You stated.

“Because Katsuo is….he’s Katsuo! He’s a great kid-“

“And so is Katsumi.” You said interrupting him.

“I know she is but Katsuo is just a perfect prodigy. He’s smart, diligent, strong, quick on his feet, and flexible in any situation. He’s going to be an amazing her- ..officer.” He said, going on about how his son was so great. At his last words, it was obvious what your husband really wanted to say.

“Katsuki, I know you better than anyone else in the world. We’ve been together since we were 14 years old and I know that for the longest time you wanted a son so you could raise the next generation ‘Bakugou Katsuki.’” You said, urging a small smile out of Katsuki. “But Katsuo isn’t the one in the hero course like you were. Katsuo isn’t the one training to be a future pro like you did. Katsuo isn’t the one with your quirk. Katsumi is.”

“…But she shouldn’t be. That quirk should’ve gone to our son.” Bakugou said with a stern voice in a gentle manner.

“Katsuki, how could you say that?” You asked with a cracked voice.

“Because Y/N! Katsumi is a great kid and all..but she’s not ready for the power of my quirk.” Your husband exclaimed.

“She’s been training with it for 12 years! You’ve been training her and teaching her how to use her quirk, so does that mean you’re failing as a mentor?” You asked.

“No, it means Katsumi is failing as a mentee! Katsumi is smart and she has all the qualities to make a fine hero! But she’s wild and reckless and lets her emotions get the best of her. Unlike Katsuo! Katsumi’s attitude mixed with the quirk could get her into serious trouble! Trouble she wouldn’t know how to get out of! Unlike Katsuo!” Bakugou ranted until a voice came through.

“So that’s what this is about?” You both looked behind you to find a disappointed Katsumi standing with teary eyes, holding in her sobs and refusing to allow water to pour from her ruby eyes.

“Katsumi..” Bakugou began.

“This isn’t about me at all. This is about you thinking Katsuo should’ve been the one to get your quirk.” She let out with a broken voice.

Katsuki bit his tongue and thought about his words wisely. “Sweetie, it’s not like that, and I’m sorry if it sounds like that’s the case but-“

“But you just think I’m not good enough for your quirk.” Katsumi said with a sad smile as she walked closer. “You think I’m a failure….there’s nothing more that you could teach me Dad.”

“Katsumi, your dad-“

“Mom, I love you and I respect you so much but there’s nothing you can say that could make up for what he’s said and how he’s treated me for the past 12 years.” You daughter said to you kindly. She then turned to Katsuki who’s chest was aching as he held in a nervous breath. “I’m sorry I’m such a disappointment.”

With that, your daughter ran back up to her room and slammed her door shut, leaving you two in guilt and silence. Katsuki got up to try and go after his daughter but your soft and gentle hand stopped him. He looked down to you with sad eyes and watched as you shook your head.

“We should give her some time to cool off…let’s just..we should just get to bed.” You said walking off. Katsuki followed you up the stairs and into the master bedroom but not before looking at his daughter’s door. He released the tense breath he was holding before shutting his own door and climbing into bed, already thinking of ways to make it up to his one and only daughter.

—

Sadly, when you woke up at such an ungodly hour in the morning, it was because you had work. You wanted to stay and help your daughter with her recent discoveries but you just had to hope your husband would be able to handle it.

With Katsuki now being a pro-hero and a dad, he’s allowed himself to sleep in every now and then but today seemed to be different. Once you were done getting ready and all dressed, Katsuki had awoken from his slumber.

“Suki, hey, what are you doing up?” You asked as you took a seat next to him in the bed and kissed his cheek.

“I was gonna get a head start on a big breakfast for the kids. I really need to make it up to Katsumi.” He admitted as he rubbed his face to try and wake himself up.

“Yeah..that..” you said as you looked down. You turned to your husband again and held his hand. “Please..let Katsumi know just how much you love her..because I know you do..and she needs to know that too.”

Katsuki nodded at your words and you gave him a small smile before you both leaned in for a kiss goodbye as you finally walked out of the room, out of the house, and went on your way to work. Back in the house, Katsuki allowed himself to get ready and shower before heading into the kitchen to make Katsumi’s favorite breakfast. Chawanmushi. Oh wait, that’s Katsuo’s favorite breakfast meal. That was when he realized he didn’t know what Katsumi enjoyed for breakfast. The father cursed at himself before banging his head into the refrigerator multiple times. Coming up with an idea, he went to find his son for some help.

“Katsuo..”

“Mmm…”

“Katsuo! Wake up!”

“Five more minutes…”

“Get up!” Katsuki said, tugging at his son’s blanket causing him to flop to the ground.

“Woah!” Katsuo shouted as he fell. He popped his head back up over the bed as he finally opened his E/C eyes. “Ow, Dad! What the heck? It’s Sunday! Why are you waking me up at 6 in the morning?”

“What’s Katsumi’s favorite breakfast meal?” Katsuki asked in a hushed voice, trying not to wake the teenage girl in the room over. At his father’s words, Katsuo finally woke up from his daze and looked at his father in slight and subtle shock.

“Why?” Katsuo asked.

“I need to make up the past 12 years. I’m going to make this the best day Katsumi’s ever had.” Katsuki promised. His son smiled at his Dad’s new point of view and happily stood up.

“She likes tamago kake gohan. With extra seaweed and a side of pickled daikon.” Katsuo said. Katsuki nodded and began to walk away while his son got back in bed. “Oh and Dad?”

“Yeah son?” Katsuki said, turning around at the doorway.

“Don’t let this be the only day you’re nice to Katsumi.” Katsuo said as he rested his head once more. Katsuki once again nodded with a look of disappointment before shutting his son’s door and heading back to the kitchen. On his way there, he couldn’t help but think about how bad of a father he’s been. He had to make it up to his daughter.

—

“Katsumi…hey, Katsumi. Wake up.”

As the 16 year old girl opened her eyes, that were puffy due to last night’s crying, she took notice of her father hanging over her head. She looked at him with a full stare as he furrowed his brows at the sight of her.

“Have you been crying?” Katsuki asked in a gentle tone. Katsumi sat up and wiped at her eyes before replying.

“No, I did that last night after I found out I was a disappointment.” Katsumi said with venom. It made Katsuki wince but his daughter didn’t react the slightest bit.

“Katsumi..I know a lot of miscommunications happened last night-“

“Miscommunications?!-“

“But I want to make it up to you. Because you’re right. I haven’t been the greatest father to you. So if you’ll let me, I wanna start fixing my mistakes now.” Katsuki said as he stood a little straighter and offered his hand. Katsumi hesitantly took her Dad’s hand and followed his lead as he led her to the kitchen. “And I’m going to start with this.”

Katsumi looked at the kitchen island covered in her favorite breakfast meals and sides. The sight made her smile softly as she spoke aloud. “You..know my favorite breakfast?”

“Well actually-“

“Of course he does, sis. He’s always known.” The two looked to Katsuo who was making his way down the stairs as he walked to the table to sit for breakfast. Katsuki looked at his son with thankful eyes as his son sent him a subtle nod. Katsumi excitedly joined her brother along with Katsuki as the three sat and ate breakfast together. They sat and ate their meals with smiles on their faces as they held lighthearted conversations, a familiar happy vibe filling the air. The last time Katsumi felt that way around her dad was about 12 years ago. “So, I’m gonna be heading out today. I made plans with Ichiro and his family.”

“Really? You’re gonna ditch us to hang out with Deku and his family?” Katsuki asked sarcastically with a raised brow.

“No. I’m gonna hang out with Ichiro, who yes happens to be Uncle Izuku’s son, and leave the two of you. Alone. All day. While Mom’s at work. Leaving you two. Alone. All day.” Katsuo said with a forced smile trying to give his dad a hint that he thankfully got. Katsuki looked off to the side and sucked at his teeth.

“Well kids should still ask instead of just telling their parents what they’re gonna do.” He said and took a bite of rice.

“If I ask are you gonna say no?”

“…No.”

“Alright then.” After that, they three continued to eat while Katsuki silently thanked his son for this opportunity to make up with Katsumi. Finally, when they were done, The two teens left to their rooms to get ready for the day while Bakugou stayed behind to clean up. He planned the entire day in his head with Katsumi, already having booked appointments, reservations, and rented places to go to.

Finally, his son was the first to come down. “Alright Dad, I’m heading out. Ichiro’s here to pick me up.”

“Alright and uh, hey! Katsuo,” Katsuki called, causing his son to turn back at him before leaving. “Thank you..for helping me with Katsumi. I really appreciate it.”

“Of course Dad. Nothing’s better than a happy family,” Katsuo said with a smile before stepping out. Man, that kid was raised right. Katsuki gave himself a little pat on the shoulder for Katsuo’s turnout before waiting for Katsumi to come down to the living room.

—

Katsuo ran outside to see his best friend and the rest of the Midoriya family in their large car waiting for him. They happily opened the doors for him as they all began their journey to head out to the carnival. They were about half way there when Katsuo spoke up, sparking a new conversation.

“Thanks for letting me join you guys. I know Sundays are usually lazy days where people hang out at home but it’s really cool you guys are heading out.” Katsuo said as he sat next to his friend in the backseat.

“What are you talking about? Sundays are lazy days.” Ichiro said. Katsuo looked at him with a confused face and laugh.

“Yeah…today is Sunday.” Katsuo said.

“Uhh, Katsuo. Today is Saturday,” Deku said upfront as he drove the car. Those words made Katsuo pull out his phone and checked the date. When he saw it was Saturday, he slumped in his seat.

“Is everything okay, hun?” Ochako asked as she turned around.

“No. I left my dad alone with my sister.” Katsuo said as he leaned back with his hands on his face.

“Why’s that a problem?” Ichiro asked.

“He doesn’t know that Saturdays are Katsumi’s ‘leave me alone, it’s at-home spa day’ days.” The blonde said. Izuku laughed upfront at the new information.

“Oh, I’m sure it’ll be fine. Kacchan’s always known how to adapt in tough situations. He never struggles with anything.” Izuku said, complimenting his childhood friend.

“Umm, dear? Don’t you remember when Y/N was treating herself to a spa day because she was on her period and Bakugou tried interfering?” Ochako reminded her husband. Izuku’s eyes popped open wide at the memory of Devil-Y/N and quickly made eye contact with Katsuo through the driver’s mirror.

“Hey, Katsuo. Do you happen to know if it’s that time of month for Katsumi?” Deku asked. Katsuo’s eyes popped before he groaned and smacked his forehead, causing Ochako to follow, and then Deku. Ichiro, not really understanding the situation, looked around at his family and friend and followed their lead with a smack to his own forehead.

—

“Man, what is that girl doing up there?” Katsuki asked as he sat on the couch. After waiting about for about an hour and a half with no sight of his daughter, Katsuki decided he should go and look for her. He went up to his daughter’s room and opened the door.

“Hey Katsumi what’re you- AHH!” In a panic, Bakugou aimed a small blast at the thing he saw in front of him with no hesitation and shot at it with his quirk.

“Huh?” Katsumi silently asked as she took off a cucumber from her eye and saw the blast coming her way. “AH!” She screamed as she jumped to dodge it. “DAD! What are you doing?!”

Katsuki watched as his daughter peeled off the other green slice on her eye and looked at him in shock and confusion. “Katsumi?”

“No Dad, the president. OF COURSE IT’S ME, KATSUMI.” His daughter said sarcastically. “Why did you blast me?”

“Why do you look like that?” Katsuki asked in a shocked tone as he pointed to the mint green sludge around his daughter’s face.

“It’s a face mask! You never did one with mom before? Geez, what kind of significant other are you?” His daughter asked, standing up.

“Well what’s with the cucumbers?” Her dad asked. Katsumi rolled her eyes before answering.

“They’re to reduce the puffiness around one’s eyes,” she said and gestured to her face. Shaking off the thought of a creepy monster in his daughter’s room, Bakugou got his head back in the game.

“Okay, well I came up here to ask if you wanted to have a Daddy-Daughter day? I made a few plans already. We’ll head out to-“

“Umm, Dad. That sounds really nice but it’s Saturday.” Katsumi said as she sat on her vanity chair to fix her face mask.

“Yeah..I’m aware?” Katsuki said with a raised brow. His daughter looked back at him with the same look.

“And Saturdays are my at-home spa days. Remember?” Katsumi asked with crossed arms.

“O-Oh! Yeah, psshhhh, I knew that. Feh, duh.” Katsuki said trying to sound convincing.

“You had no idea, huh?”

“Not a clue.”

Katsumi rolled her eyes once again before standing back up to walk to her dad. “Look. It’s sweet of you to want to spend time with me after so many years, but after everything that just happened I just want to unwind by myself. I mean, unless you want to do these face masks with me.”

“Why would we need to do a face mask? Our quirk gives us perfect skin.” Bakugou said, looking down at the bowl of paste in his daughter’s hands. Katsumi looked at her dad in confusion.

“Wait..you’ve never done a face mask before?” She asked to which Katsuki shook his head. Katsumi’s face lit up at that fact. “Then you have to stay and do it with me, Dad! This’ll be great! I’ve always wanted a spa buddy and my friends are never interested and Mom’s never really had time. Of course, Katsuo’s not into it but you and I could totally do this together!”

“Uhhh, I don’t kno-“

“This could be the perfect Daddy-Daughter day!” Katsumi said, turning on a lightbulb in Katsuki’s head. The thought made him smile as he looked down to the bowl of cucumbers on his daughter’s vanity table and rubbed his chin.

—

And now Katsuki and Katsumi both sat on the living room recliners in their robes with head bands pushing back at their soft locks. Mint green facials covered their faces as cucumbers sat upon their eyes. Black paint adored their nails as the pink foam dividers kept their fingers separated. Their toes sat in foot baths as Katsumi used the TV to play relaxing music. In between them sat a bowl of water that Katsumi would drop hot rocks into every now and then to create a calming steam. Katsuki was not going to lie. This is the most relaxed he’s felt in awhile.

Katsumi peeled off one cucumber slice to take a look at her father who was laying back with a smile on his face. She giggled at the sight before leaning over. “Isn’t this great?”

At her words, Katsuki turned to her but refused to take his cool slices off his eyes. Katsumi continued on as if it was the most normal sight in the world. “The steam, the song, the spa! Everything’s so zen.”

“Zen?” Katsuki asked, finally raising one cucumber slice. “The hell does that mean?”

“You know, zen! Calm, relaxing, peaceful. That feeling you get when..” at that, Katsumi dropped another hot rock into the water to create steam.

“Ahhhhh,” the two sighed in zen as they leaned back in their chairs. They were definitely a calm duo at the moment. Before this, they had already sat in the sauna room, took a mud bath, got wrapped in seaweed, chilled in the jacuzzi, and painted their nails. This was the final step before their upcoming massages.

“Oh! And look!” Katsumi said and peeled off both cucumbers and pulled out various scented essential oils.

“What’s all that?” Katsuki asked.

“Essential oils! They’re for our massages. And look! My favorite, coconut!” Katsumi excitedly squealed. The two let out a small fit of chuckles before replacing their slices with new cold ones. After about 10 minutes, they didn’t even notice the front door opening.

“What the heck is all this?” You asked as you pulled off their cucumber slices.

“Heyyy!” The two whined. They looked up to see you standing with a small smile on your face as you examined the two.

“What’d I miss?” You asked before looking to your husband. “Hehe, Suki, this is a good look for you.”

“Shitty woman..” Katsuki grumbled as he attempted to cover himself even though he was already covered in the robe. “If you really wanna know, it’s spa day.”

“Yeah. Katsumi’s. Since when do you ever kick it at the spa?” You asked.

“Ever since my daughter invited me for a Daddy-Daughter day which you’re currently interrupting, so if ya don’t mind,” he said and tried to snatch back his cucumber slices before you tossed them aside. “Y/N!” He whined

“How long as this little spa day been going on?” You asked.

“Ever since 9 in the morning so abouttttt 10 hours already?” Katsumi said as she relaxed in her chair.

“Hm. Well, Mommy’s had a pretty tiring day so, why don’t I have my loving husband go and get my robe so I can join my daughter for a spa day.” You said taking your husband’s hands and dragging him to his feet.

“But it’s Daddy-Daughter day.” Your husband whined again.

“That’s cute, but I know Daddy-Daughter day is also an excuse for you to be avoiding the talk you need to have with her.” You whispered after pulling him in. “You can do this Katsuki.”

Your husband looked at you with worried eyes before throwing his head back and sighing.

“Fineeeeee,” he whined. “You can relax, I’ll be back with your robe, and I’ll even run you a bath afterwards because I’m that great of a husband. And..here,” he said and gave you Katsumi’s clear bottle of coconut oil. “Have some coconut water while you relax.”

“Wait- Mom-“ Before Katsumi could warn you, her dad held out a hand to signal her to quiet down.

You took the bottle with an appreciative smile as Katsuki pecked your cheek and walked on with a smirk. You happily took his seat as you took a sip of the ‘water.’ “Umm, Suki this coconut water is a little..thick?” You said and took another sip.

“That’s because it’s massage oil,” he said as he walked into your shared bedroom while you spit out the liquid as if it were a spit-take. You could hear his deep chuckle all the way from the living room and placed the bottle down in disgust.

—

You had your spa day with Katsumi and Katsuki had felt mildly accomplished with his goal. However he knew you were right. He had to speak to his daughter to clear the air. As he looked at the clock, he realized it was now 10 and the stars were bright outside. You were resting from your long day so he took the opportunity to think in peace by himself as he stepped out onto the patio. Once he opened the glass door to the backyard, he noticed his daughter sitting at the edge of the little stage and looking up.

“Hey Katsumi.” Katsuki greeted his daughter as he stood behind her. The girl looked behind her to see her father standing there with his hands in his pockets as he looked down to her with a simple smile.

“Hey dad.” She replied. “What’re you doing out here?”

“Sometimes I like to just come out here, stare at the stars and just enjoy the peace. Your mom and I used to do this a lot back when we were in UA. Before I knew it, it became one my favorite things to do.” Katsuki explained, taking a seat next to his daughter.

“..yeah..same.” She replied. He smiled at Katsumi, glad to know they had something in common. The two stared at the stars and watched as they shimmered like diamonds in a Black Sea. Some glowed brighter than others and some had little tones of color. It was beautiful and so scenic.

As the two sat in silence, Katsuki felt the guilt slowly creep up to him. The guilt of how he had been treating his daughter as of late and so he realized this might’ve been the best time to have that important talk with her. “Katsumi?”

“Yeah?”

“You know I love you right? Just as much as I do Katsuo.”

His daughter broke her gaze from the sky and directed it towards the ground. She scrunched her brows as she thought about it and hugged her legs a little closer. “Honestly, it doesn’t feel that way.”

Ouch. That broke Katsuki’s heart. Here was his precious baby girl who felt her own dad didn’t love her enough. Trying to find the right words, Katsuki too looked down as he fumbled with his hands until he could form a sentence. “Do you remember how I said you were wild, reckless, and allowed your emotions to get the best of you?”

Katsumi nodded before Katsuki continued. “Well…you’re just like how I was back when I was in UA. Wild, reckless, and I allowed my emotions to get the best of me.”

Katsumi looked to her dad with a tiny gasp as he continued to go on. “Being like that got me into all sorts of trouble with my teachers, with villains, my family, everyone and everything. I had issues with the media and how they saw me and I had issues with myself.”

Katsuki then turned to Katsumi as he went on. “Katsumi, the reason why I’m so proud of Katsuo is because he’s everything I could never be at his age. I admire him for that. And you? You’re just like me…and you have no idea how much that terrifies me.”

“What?” Katsumi asked in confusion. She didn’t get it. She thought her dad would want a child to be just like him. Instead, he wanted the opposite?

“All the trouble I got into for being the way that I was…I don’t want any of that to happen to you. If Katsuo got my quirk, he’d be handling it a completely different way. With his attitude, it’d be easier for him to not look like such a villain, like I once did. Heck, people still look at me in caution as if I’m gonna turn evil or something. I don’t want tabloids and social media to have my daughter’s face set up to be some criminal when I know you’re not.” He explained.

“So..do you want me to change my attitude or something? Be more like Katsuo?” She asked.

“No! God no, Katsumi, I love you for who you are. I would never ask you to change yourself especially when I didn’t change all that much. I’m still wild and reckless and sometimes I still let my emotions get the best of me but I can handle it. I’m not saying you can’t, but I would much rather prefer it if you didn’t have to.”

As Katsumi took her father’s words in, she came up with a question she’s been dying to ask for the longest time. “Dad?”

“Hm?”

“…Are you proud of me?”

Katsuki softened his look as he sat closer to his daughter. “Of course I’m proud of you Katsumi. Always have been and always will be.”

“So then why don’t you ever tell me that? Why do you only degrade me and tell me I’m in the wrong?” She asked. Katsuki took a breath before explaining his wrong doings.

“Well, there’s actually two reasons for that. I wanted you to be prepared and be at your best but that was only a partial fact. You can call me a terrible father for this and you can call me selfish, but I did it because as horrible as it sounds, probably because it was horrible of me to do, I did it because I wanted to hold you back.”

“What?” Katsumi gasped.

“Katsumi, I didn’t want you to be in the hero course. I didn’t want you to hurt yourself or for something bad to happen to you.” He explained.

“But it’s okay for Katsuo to become a hero?” She asked with a hurt tone.

“That’s different.”

“Because he has a better attitude than me or something?!”

“No!”

“Because he can handle the media and quirk better?!”

“Katsumi, that’s not it either!”

“Then what is it?! Why won’t you let me grow?!”

“BECAUSE KATSUO IS KATSUO, YOU’RE MY LITTLE GIRL!”

Katsumi stared at her father with softer eyes as he waited for an explanation.

“…You’re my little girl, Katsumi. I can’t even imagine the pain I’d feel if somebody were to hurt any of my family, but you?” Katsuki sighed as Katsumi settled down. “From the moment you were born, I made a promise to myself I would never put you in harm’s way. When I first held you, you tried your hardest to open your eyes and when you slightly did, and you saw me, you smiled. I vowed to keep that smile on your face for as long as I could. Because you’re my little girl.”

“Dad..”

“And then you got your quirk. Not just any quirk, but my quirk. I was so happy that day. I knew you were going to want to do great things with your power and I knew that with me being a pro, you’d want to do the same. And I was right. But then I realized with you being a hero, you were going to be hurt, you were going to put yourself in danger. Whether you could handle it or not you’d still be in trouble. I couldn’t let that happened.”

After Katsuki’s confession, the world went still and silence filled the air. The two sat, deep in thought, until Katsumi spoke up.

“Dad..I want to be a hero because I want to be like you.” At his daughter’s words, Katsuki snapped his head towards her. “You’re my idol. Everything I admire. That’s why I train so hard. So that I can be like you and win battles instead of losing them. I know I’m going to get hurt on the field but I’d rather get hurt doing what I love than get hurt being some protected and secluded princess. Besides, I know you’ll always save me when the time comes. You’re my hero Dad.”

Katsuki felt himself tear up at her words and allowed himself to quietly cry. “Dad, stop crying.”

“I’m not!” Katsuki growled as he wiped the obvious tears away and looked off to the side. Katsumi giggled at her father’s antics before pulling him in for a side hug. “Somehow you grew up when I wasn’t looking…I’m so proud of you Katsumi.”

“Thanks Dad. And I may have grown up but I’ll always be your little girl. I promise.” Katsuki smiled at that and kissed the crown of her head.

“Thank you Katsumi.”

Tag list: @sxcker4you @aomi04 @tessabrown101 @ebiharachan @is-this-ash @iris-shihabi @sxturn-stars @isolight @lanantoine @whatdidshesayyy

[raibebe]

Simple Lessons

Genre: fluff Words: 3.200 Prompt: 90s grunge boy Jeno x female reader

Warnings: smoking, mentions of food

A/N: Literally no one asked for this but this just poured out of me the other day... EVERLONG JENO IS MY COMFORT CHARACTER OKAY??

Everlong masterlist

“Do you want to go out to grab lunch? You don’t have classes until later as well, right?” Your best friend asked as she dragged you out of the lecture hall. “Sure,” you smiled, basking in the rays of the sun for a while after being stuck inside an auditorium with barely any daylight for two hours straight. “There is this cute new diner a little off-campus and a little birdie told me there is this super hot guy working there,” she wiggled her eyebrows to which you could just groan loudly, making her giggle in return. Mimi had talked you up during orientation days and you two hadn’t seperated since. Sharing majors surely helped with that and soon you had found a small group of girls to call your friends. While she was very much the flirty, extrovert in your group, a crush on a different boy each day of the week, you couldn’t not be fond of her shenanigans when it made all of you laugh out loud whenever she told stories of yet another drastically failed date. “Not everyone can still be with their Highschool boyfriend like you,” she accused, slapping your arm before tugging you in the direction of the diner. “Are we really going to this diner just because someone told you that one of the waiters is hot?” “Listen. This was a very trustworthy source,” Mimi pouted, “I’ll pay for your meal, just come with me please.” “How can I say no to free food?” You laughed loudly, letting her pull you along while complaining about all the assignments your professors had given out.

You had to admit that the diner was really cute. It had this old-school look inside with the red, big sofas and a variety of license plates decorated the walls and the female servers even wore cute puffy skirts. “This is so pretty,” you said once Mimi had chosen a booth, the leather of the sofa squeaking while you sat down. “Yeah, yeah,” she waved it off, looking around the place, “Now where is this hot waiter?” “You’re hopeless,” you giggled, picking up the menu that was already laid out on the table to look at their food options instead of helping your friend. “Shut up,” she grumbled, copying your action, “You also still haven’t introduced us to your boyfriend.”

“Yeah,” you sighed, “He’s...” Well, what were you supposed to say now? If it were to go how you had wanted, your friends would have already met Jeno at the first party you were invited to but he had declined the offer, only sweetly kissing your head and promising to pick you up at 2 am from the adress you had given him. Which he had done but by that time everyone was so wasted that they couldn’t remember a thing. Which had become a reoccurring theme, no matter how much you’d bribe them to not drink to finally catch a glympse at him. “If you all would stop drinking yourself into a coma every time we go out, you’d have met him already.” “I am beginning to think you’ve made him up,” Mimi grinned, “He seems way too perfect. Letting you go out and party on your own and picking your drunk ass up after but then he never shows up to your classes to walk you to the next one.” Well just maybe you hadn’t gotten around to telling your friends that Jeno in fact wasn’t even studying but working different part-time jobs to help finance your apartment until he had figured out what he wanted to do in the first place. They had just assumed he was studying something way different than you hence why you wouldn’t meet up during your breaks. “Well he is real,” you sighed, “He’s just... Different?” “Oooooh, I get it,” your friend grinned, “He’s older than you. Oh my god. Do you have a sugar daddy?” At that you let out an embarrassed screech which made her double over with laughter. “Why would you say that?” You whined, “He’s the same age as us, for real.”

“Hi ladies, I see you’re already having a great time. I’ll be your waiter for today, have you already decided what to get?” A deep velvety voice interrupted. You didn’t need to look up to know who the waiter was or what he looked like because his voice was almost as familar to your ears as your own was and you knew his body inside and out. Smiling brightly, your eyes met Jeno’s who was also smiling, throwing you a little wink. You had known that he had been working in a diner for a little while now but not this specific one so it was a nice surprise to see him here clad in a neat button-down and pants that for once weren’t ripped to shreds. Meanwhile, Mimi was stunned in silence, her mouth parted in what must be awe. “Hi,” you kept smiling at Jeno, “Anything you can recommend?” “Our burgers are pretty good,” he shrugged, “But what’s really good are our milkshakes.” “Then we’ll take that, right?” You asked your friend, kicking her shin beneath the table to get her to snap out of it. “Y-yeah sure,” she stuttered, still blatantly gawking at Jeno. “Great, I’ll be right back with your drinks,” Jeno smiled before walking off again.

“Girl he’s so hot oh my god,” Mimi exclaimed as soon as he was out of earshot, dramatically flopping down onto the table. “He’s really good-looking,” you admitted, a big grin on your face. “Better than your boyfriend?” “I wouldn’t say that,” you laughed, awkwardly shuffling in your seat. Was this the right time to tell her that the waiter apparently a lot of girls were thirsting after was in fact your boyfriend and probably not at all like they thought him out to be? “God, I bet he looks so good out of his uniform as well,” she groaned, “Just the thought of him in light washed denim.” At that, you had to mask a burst of laughter with an awkward cough. You had tried times and times again to convince Jeno to swap out one of his dark jeans for light-washed ones but he wasn’t budging, only in turn challenging you to wear one of his many black baggy T-shirts instead of your brightly colored spaghetti tops. “Sure,” you giggled instead, kicking your friend’s shin again to alert her when Jeno came back with your drinks. “There you go, food will be out in a bit,” he smiled politely. Not the kind of smile that turned his eyes into beautiful crescents but a more reserved one.

“Hey, uhm,” Mimi suddenly spoke up when Jeno turned around to walk away again, making him halt in his steps. “Have you been working here for long?” Oh god. You had to physically keep yourself from cringing at her awkward try to rope him into a conversation. “Just a handful of weeks, so not that long,” Jeno shrugged, “Looking for a job as well?” “Oh no, we both work part-time at a clothing store downtown,” she waved it off, “I was just wondering because I had never seen you around before.” “Well yeah, makes sense I haven’t been here for long.” “So you recently moved here? I’m sure I would have remembered a handsome face like yours,” Mimi now blatantly flirted, twirling a dyed strand of hair around her finger and just slightly leaning forward on the table to give Jeno a better view of her cleavage in her white cropped top. “Yeah, I’m not from around here,” he shared, his eyes firmly staying on her face but the redness of his ears and how his fingers were fiddling with his little notepad betrayed his cool facade. Was this the time where you should end this to save Mimi and Jeno from further embarrassment? Or should you enjoy this for a little longer? “Are you also a student?” She asked next, “We both go to university here.” “Oh god no,” Jeno exclaimed and this time you couldn’t hold in the little giggle that slipped past your lips, noticing that your boyfriend’s lips twitched into a little grin as well. The more Jeno saw you struggle between classes, essays and study sessions, the more sure he had become about his whole decision to not do the whole university thing. Just when your friend wanted to ask the next question, a loud voice interrupted: “Jeno, I am not paying you for flirting with customers! Get back to work!” Rolling his eyes at his boss, Jeno shot the two of you an apologetic look before quickly walking to the register where his boss was waiting.

“God, even his name sounds good,” Mimi groaned, returning to her former position, sprawled out over the table. “You sound like you’re in love with him,” you giggled, “You don’t even know him.” “Listen. This is love at first sight. Do you not watch romance movies?” You did in fact. Even though Jeno would complain throughout the whole first 30 minutes of the movie until he’d either accept his fate in favor of cuddling and letting you pet his hair or actually get invested in the movie as well, cursing the characters for being so stupid and not talking out their problems. “I do, dummy,” you rolled your eyes, taking a sip from your milkshake that didn’t disappoint after Jeno had praised it so much, “But don’t you need to get to know a person before you can love them?”

“You’re the one with a boyfriend,” she mumbled, collecting herself from the table to take a sip of her drink as well, “Tell me about him.” “My boyfriend?” “Yeah, you never speak much about him and don’t let us meet him either. Convince me he’s not made up.” “Well we know each other since childhood,” you shared, feeling heat creep up your cheeks and neck, knowing how cliche your story sounded, “He lived in the house next to ours so we played a lot as children but then my family had to move away when I was in like elementary school or something because of my dad’s work but eventually we moved back for my last year of highschool.” “Oh wow, that must have sucked to leave all your friends behind twice.” Sighing, you ran your hands through your hair. “It wasn’t easy to just leave everything behind, but I managed. We moved back into our old house and he was also still living in the house next to us with his family. His mom made him take me to school every day and we shared a lot of classes and then it just went from there,” you smiled, blatantly leaving out the part where you had to basically force Jeno to speak and open up to you at nights on his rooftop beneath the moon and the stars. That was a private matter you didn’t want to share without his consent.

“That is so wholesome,” Mimi cheered, “What’s he like?” “Different?” You tried to explain, swirling your straw in your milkshake, “Like different than you’d expect him to be. When you see us together, you’d probably say we don’t match.” “Ooooh,” she nodded, her eyes wide, “So you’re like opposites?” “You could say that,” you smiled, “But when you get to know us, we’re not that different.” Before she could ask more questions, Jeno interrupted you again, hands full of your plates. “And that’s your food girls. Please enjoy,” he smiled, placing the plates down, “If you need anything else, I’ll be around.” “Actually,” Mimi began and you had to hold yourself back from interrupting her, “I was wondering when your shift is ending.” “My shift?” Jeno repeated, his eyes shortly drifting over to you. “Yeah,” she smiled, waiting for his answer. “I’m off in a bit,” he said slowly after checking the time on the neon clock hanging over the counter. “So you’re free after we’re done with our food?” She pressed on. “Probably?” “Would you like to hang out after? We still have some time until our next classes start. “Hang out. With you two,” he repeated, still dumbstruck by her boldness. “I mean you don’t have to if you really don’t want or have something to do,” she shrugged but you knew that look in her eyes. She was determined to have him hang out with you. “I was just going to go get groceries and go home,” Jeno shared, “Listen, I gotta go back to work or my boss will literally fire me because he already hates me.” With an apologetic smile, he quickly walked down to another table where a couple was seemingly done with their meal.

“You’re so shameless,” you accused your friend, finally digging into your meal. “Listen. I see a hot boy and need to talk to him, it’s as easy as that,” Mimi giggled, taking a bite from her burger. “Now tell me more about that boyfriend of yours.”

Once you were finished with your meal, Jeno already wasn’t there anymore to take your bill, instead, a cute girl with a big puffy skirt handed your friend the bill. “But half the stuff is missing,” Mimi asked, “I’m paying for both of us.” “Oh, my colleague took care of one of the meals,” the waiter smiled, “He must like one of you.” “I told you my flirting was worth it,” your friend smiled, handing over the money. You really didn’t have it in you to tell her that Jeno most likely covered for your half of the meal when she seemed so genuinely happy about it, so you swallowed the words back down even if it was going to come out sooner or later when you’d finally get Jeno to meet your friends.

Apparently, the universe wanted it to be sooner because as soon as you stepped back out of the diner and into the sun, a boy clad in all black caught your attention. He was leaning against the little railing around the diner, a cigarette between his lean fingers. “Hey,” you nudged your friend, nodding towards Jeno. “Huh?” “It’s the waiter,” you explained, looking over at him. By now it looked like he was trying his hardest to hold back his grin while taking another drag. Shocking people with his looks still was one of his favorite things to do if they only knew him from one of his jobs where he had to wear a uniform. “No way,” Mimi whispered, “He looks like a completely different guy.” “You’re not in love anymore now?” “He’s just so…” “Different?” You helped her out, rolling your eyes. Why could no one see past the dark clothes, chains and the cigarette and made the effort to actually get to know Jeno? “I don’t think he’s my type.” “You’re ridiculous,” you snorted, leaving her behind to walk over to Jeno.

“Hey bubblegum,” he smiled, curling an arm around your waist like it was second nature already, “Fancy seeing you here.” “You didn’t tell me that was the diner you applied to,” you pouted, scrunching your nose at the smell of smoke. “I didn’t know it was close to your campus,” he shrugged it off and stubbed out the remainder of his cigarette after taking a last drag, making an effort to blow the smoke away from you, “Your friend tried really hard to flirt with me.” “She’s an idiot,” you rolled your eyes, looping your arms around his torso to hug him close, “I missed you.” “I made you breakfast literally this morning,” he laughed but pulled you closer to him anyways. “If you work this close you could have come to visit.” “Bubblegum…” Jeno sighed, tucking a wild strand of hair back into place. “My friends think I’ve made up my boyfriend,” you pouted. “You want to show your friend back there how real I am? I think her eyes are already very close to falling out of her head.” “What’s going on in that head of yours Jeno Lee?” “Let me show you,” he grinned, cupping your face with one of his hands before pressing his lips to yours in a languid kiss, the taste of smoke on his breath familiar by now. “You really need to quit,” you grumbled against his lips. “I know,” he sighed but kissed you again anyways, “Wasn’t expecting to see you this soon.” “So you smoke in secret?” “Stop arguing when I’m trying to kiss you,” he grumbled, playfully biting your bottom lip. “Stop kissing me when I’m trying to safe your lungs,” you pouted, slapping his chest for emphasis but didn’t protest and insted kissed you again, languid and deep.

“Are you two done making out now?” Mimi suddenly interrupted you, making your face heat up as you took a step back from Jeno who was having nothing of that and pulled you back against his side by your waist. “Yeah, all done,” he grinned, holding one of his hands out for your friend to shake, “I’m Jeno.” “I figured from your boss screaming at you,” she mumbled but shook his hand anyways, giving him her name as well, “You made me look like a fool. Like you could have told me you were the infamous boyfriend refusing to meet us.” “It’s not like I was refusing.” “You totally were,” you butted in, pinching his side. “Listen it doesn’t sound as appealing to spend my evenings with a group of all girls as you think it does,” he defended himself, “And now you have a witness that I am in fact real.” “You’re not getting out of his now, Jeno Lee,” you grinned, lacing your fingers together. “And if I told you I had this really important thing to do?” He tried, throwing you his best puppy eyes. “We can go grocery shopping after my last class,” you rolled your eyes, “You’re walking back to campus with us now.” “Yes, ma’am,” he rolled his eyes, “Let me carry your bag.” “Oh god, you’ll make me feel so single,” Mimi groaned when you handed Jeno your backpack to carry. “You wanted this, I can leave any time,” your boyfriend shrugged, “Do you have like stones in your bag or something?” “It’s called books, you should try it,” you said, playfully sticking out your tongue. “Why am I even dating you?” Jeno just rolled his eyes. “Because you love me,” you smiled brightly. “Yeah, I kinda do,” he confessed, squeezing your hand.

“No need to make me feel even more single,” Mimi groaned again, “Do you have any hot friends to introduce me to, Jeno?” “I don’t think they’re your style,” he shrugged it off, motioning at his attire of ripped black jeans and dark shirt. “So you do have some hot friends that are also single?” “You almost fainted when you saw me, I don’t think you could handle them.” “Don’t judge a book by its cover, babe,” you smiled, leaning into his body. “Sure, bubblegum,” he gently smiled back.

Because if you had judged him by his cover, you’d never be as happy as you were right now.

[narutogwriting]

18

⋇✦ Pairing: Shikamaru x Reader

⋇✦ Genre: smut; NSFW; oneshot

⋇✦ Synopsis: You just turned eighteen and are rebelling against your dad and his new wife. Good thing Shikamaru finds you before some douche can take advantage of you

⋇✦ CW: DARK CONTENT!! NSFW; statutory mention; mean shikamaru; dirty talk; anal mention; slight dacryphilia; cheating mention; anal mentions drugs?

⋇✦ Length: 2.3k+

⋇✦ Inspiration: 18 by Anarbor

“That’s it, baby. Just like that,” Shikamaru praised as he shoved your head further down on his length, hissing in pleasure as you gagged around him. He had your hair bunched up in a makeshift ponytail in one of his hands, using it to work you back and forth on his cock. In his other hand, he held a cigarette between his fingers. Holding you down, your nose nuzzled in the trimmed pubes at his base, Shikamaru took a long drag. He yanked you off of him, causing you to cough and splutter as your lungs sucked in greedy gulps of air.

It didn’t last long before Shikamaru was bending over, blowing his smoke into your face. You inhaled in straight, coughing as it burned your throat.

Shikamaru only snickered as you blinked up at him through bleary eyes. “Don’t cry, baby. I help you out, you help me out, remember?”

You did remember. Part of you was starting to wonder if it was all worth it, but you shook the thought away as you licked at the head of his shaft again. A sharp tug of your hair made you yelp. “What are you, a kitten?” Shikamaru jeered. “Put it back in your mouth.”

How had you gotten here? Well, alcohol had been involved, of course.

“Wanna know a secret?” You giggled from behind your glass as you swirled your finger in your drink. It was only your second one, but it was already going straight to your head, making the room spin. You weren’t much of a drinker, afterall. It wasn’t like you could hang with the big boys, though you were doing your best to.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes as he lifted his own glass to his lips, knocking it back and wiping at his mouth with his sleeve. “Sure,” he agreed, deciding to play along.

The two of you had met at this same bar a week prior and ended the night with a drunken quicky in the bathroom before closing.

If he was being honest, Shikamaru didn’t even remember your name. He hadn’t expected--or cared, really--to see you again, but when he walked in that night, there you were, already drunk. So if he had to put up with your blabbering for an hour or so before he could bury himself in your cunt again, well, that was a price he was willing to pay.

Placing down your drink, you leaned over to Shikamaru unsteadily, placing your hand on his thigh for balance as you grinned stupidly up at him. “Okay, but you can’t tell anyone.” You slurred.

“That’s what makes it a secret, isn’t it?” Shikamaru couldn’t help but roll his eyes; god you were dumb. If he hadn’t already seen how pretty your pussy was, he wouldn’t even bother talking to you right now.

You nodded, gripping his leg. “Okay… My secret is that I’m not even supposed to be in this bar!” You began to laugh like it was the funniest thing in the world, but Shikamaru stared at you a bit dumbfounded as he felt a sense of nausea turning in his stomach.

“I hope you don’t mean what I think you mean…” He muttered, straightening in his seat. In your drunked state, you were oblivious to his clear disdain.

So you just pushed yourself up, bringing your drink to your lips and taking a sip. “I’m only seventeen… I borrowed my friend’s ID to get in here.

And that was what Shikamaru had been hoping you weren’t going to say. You were a minor. At seventeen, that put Shikamaru seven years older than you. You were still in high school; meanwhile, he’d graduated from college three years ago already. All of this to say that your inebriated hookup in the bathroom was statutory.

Shikamaru felt sick with anxiety wondering who you told, if anyone. Would he get caught? Did it matter than he didn’t know you were a minor when he'd fucked you?

And yet, even in the midst of his worry, the words went straight to his cock. You were clearly in some kind of rebellion, probably a daddy’s girl who was trying to revolt against the good girl image you’d grown up with.

Shikamaru wanted to help with that; he would absolutely ruin you given the chance. Take this good girl and turn you into his little toy.

But Shikamaru wasn’t an idiot; he wasn’t going to risk jail time or the words “sex offender” on his record just for an easy, gullible lay.

So he brushed your hand off of him, pushing himself to his feet. Pulling out his phone, he called you an uber. Shikamaru wouldn’t call himself a good guy, couldn’t care less what you did on your own time, but he figured that maybe if he got you home safe, you wouldn’t retaliate against his rejection and turn him in.

“Come find me when you’re eighteen,” he muttered before shutting the car door behind you.

Lucky for him, that was only a week later.

You’d walked right into that bar clad in little red heels and a tight black dress that had him drooling. All eyes were on you, but yours were only on Shikamaru as you sauntered up to him and his friends.

He was leaning back in the booth, eyeing you expectantly as his friends drooled by his side. You reached into your purse, pulling out your ID and tossing it to him. It slid across the table in front of you, and he picked it up, eyeing it curiously before a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

“Well, well, well. Look who’s eighteen.”

You dangled your keys in front of him, the BMW logo on the remote visible to the whole ground. “My place or yours?”

That was how you ended up in Shikamaru’s bed, face down and ass up as he pounded into you from behind. He pushed your head into the mattress as he battered your cunt with his large cock. He hadn’t even taken time to prepare you, not that it mattered much. As soon as he rubbed his tip against your pussy lips, you were practically dripping.

“Couldn’t even wait for this cock, could you?” He taunted as he placed a hard smack on your ass before rubbing his hand over it delicately. “What is it, baby? Those high school boys weren’t satisfying you? You needed a real man?” As if to punctuate his point, Shikamaru pressed his thumb against your tight, unused hole, making you squeal as he pushed it inside. Yeah, he’d definitely be using this hole at some point, too.

You were blabbering incoherently, the noises muffled into the bed as his cock dragged deliciously against your walls. You’d never been fucked like this before.

Shikamaru was rutting into you without rhyme or rhythm, chasing his own high, but you were already coming around him, making him laugh. “And I wasn’t even trying to get you off,” he ridiculed. “You’re just that desperate for me, huh?”

After hammering into you for god knows how long, he pulled you back up, using your hair as leverage to ride you even harder. “Shikamaru!” You cried out, clenching around him again. You’d lost count how many times you’d come.

“That’s it, baby… Say my name…” he grunted, smacking your ass again. “Fuck, I’m gonna fill you up. You want that, baby? Want me to come in this stupid little cunt?”

You really were stupid because you were nodding, squeezing around him harder, practically begging for his load. You hadn’t been sexually active long enough to realize you should be on birth control, hadn't even bothered to make sure he was wearing a condom.

A string of curses fell from Shikamaru’s mouth as his grip on your hair tightened, and his hips began to stutter into yours, and then he was cumming, shooting his load deep into you as he bottomed out. His fingers went to your hips, gripping so hard you were sure they’d bruise. He held your hips tightly to his as he rolled back into you, pushing his cum deeper inside.

“Fuck,” he breathed before pulling out, collapsing down onto the bed. With shaky legs, you flipped yourself over to lay next to him, trying to cuddle into his side, but Shikamaru just shrugged you off.

“So, tell me…” He cocked an eyebrow as he looked over your naked form. You tried to pull the blanket up over yourself, feeling suddenly vulnerable under his gaze, but he yanked it off. “Don’t. I want to see you.”

Reaching into his night stand, he pulled out a blunt and his lighter. Placing the smoke between his lips, he lit it and took a deep drag. “I know that’s not your car you pulled up in. Who’s is it?”

He blew out the smoke, and you wrinkled your nose at the smell. He smirked. “Never smoked before?” You shook your head and then wished you hadn’t as he shoved the blunt between your own lips. “Suck,” he commanded.

You did as you were told, your eyes watering as you held the smoke in your mouth before releasing it, making Shikamaru laugh at your patheticness. “No. Again. All the way into your lungs.”

Again, you did what he said. Your lungs immediately began to burn as you inhaled the smoke, making you cough and hack violently. It seemed like every time you did, it only made you have to cough more.

You were light headed as you watched Shikamaru shake his head as he took another hit. “I asked you a question.”

“It’s my dad’s,” you managed between coughs.

He’d figured as much. You looked like you came from daddy’s money.

Shikamaru was able to coax your situation from you with fake niceties, how your parents had divorced because of your dad’s affair. He’d married the lady not a month after the divorce was finalized. She wasn’t even thirty yet.

So that was where your rebellion had come from. Probably the first hard thing you’d ever experienced in your life, and you couldn’t handle it. You were so pitiful, so clearly lost.

Well, lucky for you a guy like Shikamaru found you. Who knows what kind of creeps were out there just waiting to take advantage of a sweet, vulnerable girl like you?

Shikamaru was your boyfriend now. You couldn’t have been more thrilled. With his smoking, his long hair, his tattoos, he was your father’s worst nightmare. And there was nothing your dad could do to stop you. He’d already hurt you so much, broken all your trust. He was desperate to get back on your goodside.

So when you showed up to dinner one night with Shikamaru in tow, cigarette still tucked between his teeth, your dad nearly had a fit. It was clear by the look on his face; you’d never been so delighted before. But he sucked up it, sticking out a hand for Shikamaru to shake.

Your boyfriend only stared at it.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t smoke in my house.” Your father said.

“Sure, no prob.” Shikamaru dropped the cigarette on your front porch, crushing it under his heel before pushing past your dad into the home. You just smiled up at him sweetly before following behind.

“Nice place you got here,” Shikamaru said, cocking an eyebrow.

Dinner was awkward at best and everything you’d wanted. Shikamaru didn’t mind either. He was more than happy to play along with your antics for a fancy meal. You were so focused on how uncomfortable your dad was with every question Shikamaru answered that you didn’t notice the way your boyfriend was eyeing your new stepmom.

Later, when he had you on your knees in the bathroom as you father and his wife sat in the living room, it was her he was thinking of as he shoved his cock down your throat over and over again.

“Cmon, take it baby. You know you want it,” Shikamaru moaned, head thrown back in pleasure. “You owe me, don’t you? Using me to make your daddy mad. Such a bad girl, huh? Well, I held up my end of the bargain, sweetheart. Now you’re gonna hold up yours. Gonna let me use you to dump my cum in whenever I want, aren’t you?

He took the gurgled moan against his cock as confirmation.

It was a few more minutes of using your mouth before he was cumming long and hard to the thought of bending your stepmom over the bathroom counter. His load spilt down your throat before he pulled out slowly, making sure to fill your mouth before pulling you off him completely and finishing over your face.

He groaned at the sight of your tears mixed with his cum, making your makeup run and smear. The sight was almost enough to get him hard again.

“Better clean up, darling.” He jeered as he rubbed his cock over your messy face. For good measure, he smacked it against your cheeks a couple times.

Nodding and sniffling, you took him in your mouth again, cleaning the cum off of him so he could tuck himself away. “Don’t be too long,” he told you as he left you alone in the bathroom, a mess and covered in his cum.

He wasn’t too worried. He knew that you wouldn’t be dumping him any time soon. Then you would have to go running back to daddy, and he knew you didn’t want that. So you’d put up with just about anything he did.

Including when, a week later, you would walk in on him in his apartment, balls deep in your stepmom’s ass.

Through tears, you would just nod in agreement as he insisted it wasn’t cheating if it was in the ass.

He was nice. He even let his friends fuck you in the ass whenever they wanted, and he didn't get mad at it, so how could you?

Shikamaru loved eighteen year olds. They had so much to learn.

And he was willing to teach.

[codenamed-queenie]

#BatsInQuarantine

I am going insane. So I poured my restlessness into one long and very detailed post and got super into it. Please enjoy this hot mess.

The Justice League, being the well-meaning virus-proof Super Friends that they are, took one good look at the news, one good look at their non-powered friends Ollie, Bruce, and their families, and collectively decided that these normal humans must be Protected At All Costs.

Now, keep in mind, Bruce is never one to roll over when it comes to being benched. 

However, he understands the importance of social distancing. He knows he needs to set a good example for his kids, and keep up appearances as Gotham’s Most Responsible Multi-Billionaire. 

So. Quarantine it is. 

But how are his kids handling it?

Dick - 

100% on board in the beginning. Gotta do the Responsible Thing. Gotta set a Good Example. Besides, guys, this is gonna be Fun. Quality Family Time is always a Must.

He lasted 2 days. 

Then he started to get twitchy. 

And as everyone knows? A Trapped Dick Grayson is a Feral Dick Grayson.

He bounces off the walls.

Literally.

“I have to climb.” 

“Dick, no.”  

“I have to climb everything.”

Has scaled the manor 16 times already. Has climbed the chandelier. The banister. Bruce. The roof. The Cave. Anything in the house that’s been bolted down and especially anything that hasn’t. 

Duke found him clinging to the wall 10 ft off the ground like Spiderman and screamed so loud it shattered glass. 

Desperate for news of the outside. 

He thrives off of it like a starving man. 

Was the one to suggest he and Barbara take a break to Social Distance from each other (”Sorry, babe, kissing spreads germs”) and experienced Instant Regret(TM) approximately 5 minutes after. 

The Family has labelled him a Flight Risk Level 1 (Most likely to say f**k it and make a break for the outside world)

Jason - 

Accidentally got trapped inside the manor with the others when Bruce called Shutdown. If he had his way, he’d be chilling in his favorite safe-house right now, binging The Witcher with Roy and Artemis, and not worrying about finding a stray brother in his sock drawer.

But he’s nothing if not an opportunist. 

The way he sees it, Jason has 3 options:

Self Improvement

Self Isolation (See Duke, Cass, and Damian)

Descension Into Madness (See Dick and Steph)

And, well, he always wanted to try a few things. Now he’s got the free time to do it.

So he settles on baking. 

Alfred’s got enough food and raw ingredients stored up to feed an army. (Not because he’s a Panic-Buying-Hoarder in times like these. But because he’s a Panic-Buying-Hoarder all the time. Just try feeding 11+ teenagers sometime.)

Uses recipes he finds off Google.

His first few attempts are, in a word, ‘tragic’.

Alfred slips him a few of his recipe cards, and Jason suddenly starts seeing Results. 

Turns out he’s pretty good at this baking thing once he gets the hang of it. 

Hope everyone’s okay eating nothing but pie, macaroons, biscuits, and whatever else Jason whips up. 

Cause that’s gonna be the only food left by the time he’s done. 

Barbara - 

Self-quarantined with her dad. 

They’ve been binge-watching classic black and white movies together.

It’s a fun time, but she’s started to get a little antsy. Loving her dad and wanting to be around him 24/7 are, understandably, mutually exclusive. 

Calls the manor to video-chat every day.

For her sanity just as much as theirs. 

Gives everyone little challenges to film on their phones and send in. She makes compilations of everyone’s submissions so they can all watch and laugh together. 

Bonus points for Creativity

One comp shows the family trying to drop Mentos into coke bottles. 

Dick did a handstand, and dropped his Mento from the second story balcony. 

Tim did it wearing the Batman cowl. The soda exploded into his face, and the rest of the video is just Bruce’s Shrieking.

Stephanie tried it, but the bottle tipped. Everyone on camera screamed as the bottle rocketed through the front window. 

She spends most of her calls having one-on-one convos with Dick.

They’ve come up with little code phrases so they can be Cheesy even with family members lurking in the background. 

She thinks the way he clings to the monitor is cute. 

Almost like he’s giving her a hug through the screen. 

(It’s easier than letting herself worry about his mental state, at least)

Tim -

Oh this boy.

Freaked out for the first five minutes before he decided ‘hey wait, Bruce is letting me stay in my pajamas all day? Noice.’ 

Now he’s just vibing.

The rest of his family is Low-Key shielding him.

He Has No Spleen, you see.

Steph: “Someone could cough on him and he could die!”

He just goes about his day, playing Animal Crossing like there’s no tomorrow, tinkering on projects, taking naps, etc. Living his best life.

Meanwhile there’s always someone lurking behind him, keeping watch, keeping him safe. 

Dick sneezed within 5 feet of Tim once (the fact that he was on top of the dusty bookshelf Tim was perusing is irrelevant)

Jason still full-body tackled him the second Tim’s back was turned. 

No one with any symptoms--

Like, any symptoms. They don’t even have to be Corona-related.

--is allowed within 10 feet of Tim. 

Tim has been wandering the manor for weeks, now, without seeing another human being. 

(He sees Dick on the ceiling sometimes, but that doesn’t really count)

He’s been trying increasingly drastic pranks and shenanigans to draw someone, anyone, out. 

But it doesn’t matter how many times he steals Damian’s sword, or sets fire to Jason’s brownie bites.

Nobody wants to risk it. 

Cass - 

No one has seen her since quarantine started.

Everyone is approximately 87% sure she’s somewhere in the manor though

Because she does eat the meals Alfred leaves out for her.

Or at least someone does, at any rate. 

(Jason and Santa top the running suspects list)

Santa was Steph’s suggestion. For some reason it snowballed. 

It’s assumed that Cass misunderstood the meaning of ‘social distancing’ and took it too far. 

But no one knows for sure. 

She is Tim’s Guardian Angel. 

People who so much as clear their throats a little too loudly anywhere near him suddenly wake up on a different floor of the house four hours later. 

Duke came closest to spotting her while he was up in the attic. 

Either that, or there’s another Creepy Sister everyone forgot to tell him about living up there.

She is silent, and watchful, sticking to the shadows, but she does leave the occasional note out to brighten her siblings’ day. 

Things like ‘helo i love u’ and ‘hop u ar ok’  mostly. 

She is bound and determined to protect her family from this invisible threat, no matter the cost. 

Steph - 

Like Dick, she was Super Pumped at first. 

(Just kind of showed up at Wayne Manor before quarantine was enacted. The original purpose of her visit is unclear, but regardless, she’s Trapped.)

Also Like Dick, her descent into madness was swift.

She is impossible to pin down. 

Not like Cass or Damian, who’ve stayed off the grid, and are therefore Untraceable. 

No. She’s impossible to pin down, because she never stops moving. 

Switches seamlessly between Zumba on top of the Giant Dinosaur in the Batcave, and furiously knitting Alfred (the Cat) a sweater with a pair of Tim’s used chopsticks. 

Braided everyone’s hair while they were asleep.

Even Bruce’s. 

She tried to do Tim’s, but somehow blacked out and regained consciousness in the attic. 

When she woke up with a scream and a furiously twitching eye, she startled Duke out of his Makeshift Fort he built out of old cardboard boxes and antique furniture. He’s had to resort to finding a new hiding place. 

Sometimes, on the rare occasions she does sit still, staring off into the distance, she’ll suddenly start laughing hysterically. This may last between thirty seconds and thirty minutes, depending entirely on how long it’s been since she’s knitted a cat sweater or done cartwheels through every room in the house.

Blew up the greenhouse out back, somehow.

Everyone has agreed not to talk about it.

Some people were built to handle prolonged time inside their homes.

Stephanie Brown is not that way.

Damian - 

Damian Wayne Cannot Be Contained.

At least not inside the house. 

He took off thirty-six hours into quarantine. 

Thanks to the security equipment around the borders of the Wayne Estate, he can’t escape the grounds. 

(He’s tried and failed multiple times. Jason and Bruce have a running bet on how many times the perimeter alarms will go off per day.)

(Jason is winning.)

He wanders the grounds with Titus as his only companion. 

The two of them run laps, practice drills, and find ways to occupy their time. 

No one’s entirely sure what those ways are. 

In fact, nobody knows exactly where Damian is at any given time. 

Only that he is Out There. 

And he’s the best security system Wayne Manor’s ever had. 

So far, he’s stopped five groups of civilians scaling the perimeter walls before the lasers and electric nets even have a chance to deploy.

They were trying to break in and steal supplies. 

(Even ones they already had in surplus. Like Toilet Paper.)

He’s also stopped Dick from escaping twelve (12) times.

Drags him back by his shirt collar and deposits him on the welcome mat. 

Usually with a note for Alfred/Jason, requesting more fruit tarts. 

Duke - 

Did not leave the attic for two weeks. 

Then Steph discovered his hiding spot (read: was dumped there by Cassandra) which forced him to relocate to the basement. 

Yes, it turns out Wayne Manor does have a basement. 

This was a surprise to Duke, who always thought that the Batcave was Bruce Wayne’s basement. 

Alfred keeps him supplied with all the necessities:

i.e. food, magazines, assorted pastries from Jason’s latest batch, usually straight out of the oven.

Duke also snagged the Manor’s Alexa. 

She has become a sort of ‘Wilson’ to Duke’s ‘Chuck Noland’.

She is his only comfort. His only ally. 

He’s determined to wait out this quarantine, doing his best to avoid the others. 

Duke has seen these people under pressure. 

He knows exactly what he’s dealing with. 

Duke: “Alexa is the only motherf****r in this madhouse I ever respected.”

*offended butler noises from the other room*

Duke: “And also Alfred.”

[peakywitch]

Little Hands - Michael Gray

PART TWO

MASTERLIST

word count: 2k

warnings: none (i think this one has angst?)

gif: @oberelias

It had been a year since Henry had told Y/N that he loved her.

It had been a year since they had kissed for the first time.

But a week had passed since his disappearance.

"He left." said Rosemary, her mother “And I don't know if he will come back, Y/N. I'm sorry, but I only know he's in Birmingham…” she sobbed “In a town called Small Heath.”

Y/N knew Henry would be back.

So every night during the rainy month of November she waited for him. In the afternoons she was with Rosemary, trying to calm the sadness of his mother and his little brother. At night she would stay up late, looking out the window of her room with cup of tea in her hand, waiting to see her boyfriend return from another town. To which, he had left without giving explanations. He disappeared in the middle of the night, leaving a simple note:

“I went to Small Heath. -Henry"

No goodbye, no explanation.

In the morning, Y/N woke up before the rooster from the neighboring farm. And by the time the rooster crowed, the tea was already poured into two cups. One for her, one for him.

 Meanwhile, Y/N did not lose hope. Henry wasn't like that, he was coming back. She was sure.

When the thirty days of her departure were marked on the calendar, Y/N had her birthday. She turned 17 on a beautiful sunny afternoon, it was the only day in November without rain or clouds. Her family, the Johnsons, and some of her friends filled her with happiness when they gave her a new dress. They had all collaborated. Y/N was the soul of the town, always giving smiles and taking care of flowers. So her relatives wanted to give her back a bit of that happiness.

The day was beautiful, laughter, cake, some flowers and the dress.

But when the day was done and her parents fell asleep, Y/N waited by the fire, with a slice of the cake for Henry. She had saved the center, the sweetest piece. Wrapped in a blanket, the fire burned in her eyes, as tears fell and she realized the truth: Henry would not return again. He was not there for her birthday, he would not return again.

When she opened her eyes, she saw that the fire was dying; giving her to understand that she had to go to bed. With rage in her soul, she threw the slice of cake into the fire.

“Burn in fucking hell, Henry Johnson. Burn for breaking my heart.”

When the calendar marked ‪January 16‬, Y/N opened her eyes, feeling worse than ever.

After a sleepless night from throwing up, her body was taking its toll.

"Honey?" her dad asked, knocking on her door "It's late, are you okay?" He was still behind the door.

"No." His daughter whispered, it hurted her to breathe.

"Eve!" the alarmed cry of her father was heard, calling for her mother "You have to come, Y/N is feeling bad!"

There was agitated little chatter, and then her mom peeked through the slot left by the open door.

"Sun? Are you okay, love?" Her mom asked curious and concerned.

"No..." Y/N cried.

Her parents entered the room, after asking permission. Her mother sat next to her, touching her forehead, and her father stood in the doorway, nervous.

“You don't have a fever, darling. What do you feel? What’s hurting? "

Y/N recounted the horrible night she had just had, her pains and asked if she was dying, worried.

"Will, would you leave us alone, please?" asked her mother.

He left the room, leaving his daughter and his wife together.

"Y/N, did you sleep with Henry?" her mother asked, concerned.

"No!" she blurted out nervously.

Yes. But she was afraid of punishment.

“Y/N, you don't have to be afraid. It is something natural and normal, as long as you wanted and he did not forced you, your father and I will be fine. "

Y/N sighed.

"Yes."

"When was the first time?" her mother was a teacher, but sometimes, if she tried hard, she could guess things just by looking at a person. She was trying now.

"I don't know..." she thought "A year or so ago."

"And when was the last time?" she asked.

“A few months ago, Mom. Before…” she couldn't finish the sentence. First it was out of sadness, but she realized it was out of fear.

His mother closed her eyes and exhaled.

Shit.

It was ‪January the 18‬, and it was ten in the morning.

Y/N was standing in front of the Small Heath Police Station.

She was showing off her new dress, as she hadn't had a chance to leave her small town.

She took a deep breath and coughed a little as she exhaled. The smoke was disgustingly heavy. She entered the station and found only one man, asleep. Well, apparently it was a quiet city if a policeman was sleeping.

What I do? Do I wake him up? Do I let him sleep?

Among so many doubts, a robust man with a gray mustache appeared.

"Are you lost, miss?" the lord spoke, presenting a strong Irish accent.

"Oh, excuse me, I..." Y/N whispered, doubtful and nervous.

"Let me introduce myself, I'm Inspector Campbell…and you are?" smiled the man.

"My name is Y/N, Inspector." She smiled.

"Well, Miss Y/N, what is a young lady like you doing at the police station in such a dark area?"

"Do you know Henry Johnson?" she blurted out, no introduction.

"Henry Johnson..."

"Yeah… um… He has dark blue eyes, a freckled nose, brown hair…" she tried to describe Henry.

"Does he have a mole on his forehead?" asked the inspector.

"Yes!" Y/N smiled excitedly. Then sadness washed over her: she had slowly forgotten how to describe Henry.

The inspector laughed.

"Don't you mean Michael Gray?" he asked.

"Pardon?" she asked, oblivious to the name.

"Watery Lane, house number 65." He said, while he wrote the address on a small piece of paper.

After a thank you and a goodbye, she heard the man scream:

"Stay away from the Shelbys, princess!"

 Y/N walked aimlessly for a few minutes, passing houses, horses, and drunken men in the street. Watery Lane seemed never to appear. And she was getting tired.

It was official, after wandering for ten minutes, she was lost. Her feet ached and she felt like she would never find Henry. Y/N looked around, she was in the middle of the street trying to get help. At the end of the street, there was a bar: "The Garrison" read the sign. Being eleven in the morning, how many people would be inside? Sure was closed. But she would loose nothing if she tried. Determined, she walked over to that dark bar and knocked on the door. She waited a few moments, since she did not want to annoy by entering as if it were her home. A tall man opened the door for her.

“Did you knock on the bar door, love?" asked the man, with curiosity and amusement in his voice. Y/N looked him quickly up and down, it was the bartender.

"Yes, I didn't mean to disturb, sir..." Y/N smiled, making the bartender laugh.

"Do not worry, love. Need help? I'm sure you're lost "

"Am I so obvious?" she asked embarrassed, the bartender laughed “Actually, I do need help. Where is...” she looked at the paper the Inspector gave her "Watery Lane? "

“You're on Watery Lane, miss. What number do you have written there? "

"Sixty..." she looked at the paper to corroborate "sixty five"

"Oh." The man became uncomfortable, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. His voice cleared "It's at the end of the block, on the right side, has the number on the door."

"Thank you, Sir." She smiled.

“Harry, miss. Harry." Smiled.

They said goodbye, and Y/N went to Henry's house. In a minute, she reached the black door, which featured two clean numbers. The knot in Y/N's stomach intensified, she was afraid. Because she knew the two results of this visit: either Henry stayed with her, or he left her alone. Again.

Determined but scared, she knocked on the door. Stepped back and waited a few seconds.

“Well, well, well..." smiled a boy "Did all my wishes come true?" the stranger's flirtation made her uncomfortable.

"Excuse me, is Henry Johnson here?" she asked, exasperated and almost hopeless.

"Oi, Michael, a damsel in distress is waiting for you." the boy yelled, without taking his eyes off the girl.

There was that name again. Michael. Y/N had too many questions.

"John, fuck off. I don't have any..."Henry appeared, pulling “John” out of his place at the door "Y/N...”

Henry paled, and Y/N looked closely at what he was wearing.

He had a perfectly pressed white shirt, a blue tie and a vest that matched his pants.

Henry closed the door behind him, leaving the house.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

Was it disdain and disgust, what Y/N perceived in that question? No, impossible. It was Henry.

"Why did you left?" she answered with a question.

"I asked you first."

"Has your question been in your head for months?" Y/N asked angrily.

"No but..."

“You left us. All of us." Y/N spat with pain "Your mother cried every day, your brother...Henry, your brother...!"

"My name is not Henry, Y/N!" he yelled out of the blue.

“My name is not Henry, she is not my mother and he is not my brother. My name is Michael Gray, my mother's name is Polly and I have a sister who died in Australia. I...”he tried to continue to expand angrily, but Y/N cut him off.

“You, fucking idiot, you had a girlfriend. A girlfriend who waited for you every night with your favorite tea, waited for you every morning with fresh toasts and all afternoon hugging your crying mother. I waited for you until my birthday. I had saved you cake, your favorite part. I went to bed at three in the morning and got up at five everyday, so I could be attentive in case you arrived. But you never came, Henry."

"I am Michael!" he screamed, his voice raised with every letter he said.

"I'm talking to who my boyfriend was!" Y/N yelled in response “I don't know who the fuck is Michael Gray. But I know that Henry Johnson left me alone, and that he got pregnant. So I'm talking to Henry Johnson, not Michael Gray."

Michael clenched his jaw, and Y/N wiped away his tears with his shaking hand.

"What?" Michael asked.

"Four months. I thought you should know, Henry...Michael...whoever the fuck you are."

Adrenaline rushed through Michael's body, everything was shaking. Y/N saw in her boyfriend's eyes how he didn't know what to say or what to do.

"Get rid of him." he said.

"What?" Y/N asked, flustered.

“I won't be with you, get rid of him. It would be easier."

Nausea invaded the girl's body, making her dizzy.

“Everything is so easy for you. If you don't want something, you run away, right?" she laughed sourly, through tears of hatred.

They were both silent.

"Why did you left without saying goodbye? Or a letter...Michael.” the name escaped the girl's lips nervously.

"I didn't want to hurt you..."

Y/N laughed. While Michael was being honest, she couldn't help but get even angrier.

“So you decided to disappear. Disappear from the life of a seven-year-old who sleeps in one of your sweaters so he can stop crying to you. Disappear from the lives of your adoptive parents, regardless of all the effort they put into raising you. Disappear from my life, the person who loves you. Like nothing in the world."

"Y/N..." Michael began.

"No, you don't get to say anything. Because there is nothing to say anymore. Except I'm sorry, but you're not sorry. Everything is perfect now for you. Look at you." She smiled wistfully “You have the perfect outfit that you always wanted, so I imagine you have a job. And a good one, as you always dreamed of. "

"But you..." he began.

“But I” Y/N interrupted again “But I'm going to have a child of yours. As we always dream." Y/N laughed “I dreamed, actually. Because you had other dreams."

And just like that, she began to walk away.

"No, Y/N, wait..." Michael yelled, starting to run towards her.

“I already waited too long for you. I won’t wait for you anymore, never again.” she sentenced, without looking at him as she continued walking.

Michael's chest sagged as he watched her walk away. He entered his house again, with a heavy heart.

"Michael" said Tommy, Michael looked at him heavily "A word?"

Both men locked themselves in the major's office, Tommy stood still and Michael sat in one of the chairs.

“Arthur had a girlfriend, before he went to war. The day before...” said Tommy, lighting a cigarette" The day before our departure, they fought. Shit, it was hell for him. They were so, so angry about something that I can no longer remember, that he went to France without saying goodbye. You know how much of an arsehole he can be." Tommy was going through a drawer, took out a sepia photo.

"She died within two weeks of smallpox, he never forgave himself." Tommy handed him the photo as he sat down in his chair across from Michael.

“We kill men, bad men. Hell, we even torture some. But we never break women's hearts, Michael. Because it is dying in life. So bloody go, and fix all the shit you've done." Tommy said, with an angry tone in his voice, but still not yelling.

"She won't even want to think of me, she'll kill me with her little hands..." Michael smiled sadly, remembering how Y/N's hands looked like baby hands compared to his.

“If she kills you, she will bring you back. Or have you not heard how she waited for you? Go, bloody idiot. Go and don't come back until you come back with her smiling and on your arm.”

PART TWO

[unmaskedagain]

No, Bruce! You can’t Adopt her.

This isn’t salt, Cupcake. But I’m going to do a quick drabble of this anyway because it’s an awesome idea.

The suit was a deep dark red. Darker than it used to be from what they had seen saw from the previous news reports reviewed. Her mask was black. Her eyes a startling blue and her hair a shade just touch short of being as dark as night. The girl looked to be no older than thirteen or fourteen.

Somehow she had shown up on the scene just before any of the batfamily could and immediately solve the riddles, freed the innocent civilization, dismantle the bomb with rubber duck and a hair pin, dodged the trap, and was now fighting off the Riddler and his men.

And as they watched her kick the Riddler in the face and then yo-yo away, only to spin around and do it a second time, all the batkids knew they’d have to step in.

“You can’t adopt her, B-Man,” The Redhood pinched his nose.

           Robin opened to his mouth his defend his father but quickly shut it. His four adopted brothers, an adopted sister, one sort of adopted “cousin”, and the hardcore way his father had been pushing Luke spend more and more time at the manner to the point where Lucius Fox had taken to glaring at the Dark Knight.

“…She needs a mentor,” Came Batman’s gruff response.

“You need a therapist.”

           They winced when Ladybug broke the arm of a 300 pound bodybuilder and slam him on the ground.

           Nightwing gave his dad a grin, “I’d love a new sister, OUCH!” His hand went his thigh and saw blood. He glared at Robin. “Did you stab me?”

           Robin slowly sheathed his sword. “…No.”

“Let go!” Riddler screamed as he clawed at the floor as the red menace dragged across the floor by his legs.

“Stop squirming!” Marinette barked. “You’re going to jail!”

           Somehow the Riddler managed to free himself. Then it was Ladybug chasing the Riddler around the tower.

“Come back here, you fashion disaster.”

           The caused the Riddler to pause and give the hero the most hurt look anyone of the batfamily had ever seen on him.

“Black Bat would love a sister.”

“Leave me out of this,” Cassandra’s voice rang in their ears. She was patrolling with Batwoman across the city.

           The fight ending with The Riddler hogtied, and dangling from the ceiling, while Ladybug chastised him on the rudeness of strapping people to bombs.

           Batman smirked.

“No!” Red Robin decided to step in, “She probably has parents. You can keep doing this B.”

“And another thing,” Ladybug hissed. “I’ve seen Disney villains with more style than you; you walking neon glowstick.”

           That was when Batman decided to step in. The Riddler visibly brightened at seeing him, “Bats, I don’t like this Robin. She’s mean. Bring back the boy Robin”

“That one lit you on fire.”

“…She made me cry.”

           Ladybug glared at the bad guy.

           Oh yes that was it, Batman was going to adopt Ladybug.

           Bruce Wayne was going to adopt Marinette Dupain-Cheng. The girl and the rest of her class had taken the Wayne internship program that lasted a little more than a month a half during summer.

           Marinette was the star. Unlike the other interns, Marinette was never late. She never complained. If someone needed research done, she was the first to volunteer and was exceptional at it. Tamara, Tim’s assistant, swore by her. The girl took to assisting the assistant to the CEO like fish to water. When they need a big name to perform at the Waynes’ annual charity Gala, after theirs backed out on short notice, Marinette had saved the day.

           She didn’t interrupt. She had merely leaned down and whispered in Tamara’s here, who then addressed the rest of the room.

“My assistant Marinette,” Tamara nodded with a relieved smile at the young girl. “Would like us to direct our attention to the front screen.”

           They all did. A few months later, the screen split and Clara Nightingale was on the screen, looking as glamourous as ever.

“Marinette,” She beamed. “Love, you are as gorgeous as ever. Now what’s this about a party in Gotham?”

           Before she could answered, there was a beep on the screen as another call came in. Marinette scrambled to disconnect it, “One moment. Sorry.” Tamara got up to help, only for the call to connect anyway.

           That was when Jagged Stone appeared on the screen, “Marinette, how’s it rocking? And Clara, I didn’t know you were on the line too. Penny!” He yelled. “I’ve facetiming Marinette and Clara. How you doing, loves?”

“Jagged,” Clara beamed. “I’m great. Xy’s been bugging me to lay vocals on his new tracks. I’ve heard better from my nephew’s garage band; and his nine.”

           Jagged winced. “That’ll tank a career. Dude’s a sound biter.” He turned his attention back to his favorite bluenette. “Marinette, what’s up? What’s with the stiff in suits?”

           Marinette blushed, “I’m Gotham working as intern for Wayne Industries.” Marinette said. “We’re in a meeting.” The young girl smiled prettily. “This is my amazing boss, Tamara!” She introduced the older black woman, standing between her and Tim. “And we could use some help with a Wayne charity event, on the 19th of this month.”

“I’m there!” Jagged grinned. “Hey! Penny, we’re going to Gotham. Marinette invited us to a party. We’re rocking out!”

“I’d love to come,” The brown-haired superstar clapped her hands. “I have been to Gotham yet. It will be an experience. I can write a song about Batman!”

“Well, we only need one of-” Marinette started but stopped herself as someone, Tim, jabbed her in the side. The only give away that something had happened was the slight widening of her eyes and then cough from Tim, when Marinette stomped on his foot. “Maybe, you guys can perform together.”

“YES!” Clara screamed excitedly. “A duet. A clash of natures.”

“Rock and Pop,” Jagged grinned his approval.

“The fans will love it,” The singer looked at Marinette. “Send us the deets. Jagged, I’ll call you in five to start composing our song.”

“Rock it out, talk later Marinette!”

           Then the calls disconnected.

“Clara Nightingale and Jagged Stone,” Bruce leaned back in his seat. “Well done, Marinette.”

           The Asian girl nodded, “Thank you, sir.” After the meeting let out, Tim, Bruce, Tamara, and Marinette remained behind as they finalized the information to send to the singers.

Bruce noticed Marinette give Tim a dark look, and then were was a huff and Tim winced in pain.

“Stopping fight with your brother,” Slipped from the billionaire’s mouth before he could stop it.

           The room froze. Tim’s face morphed from shock to understanding to an incredulous expression, “No. I’m telling, Alfred.”

           Bruce crossed his arms and pouted. Pouted. Marinette make an excellent additional the family.

           Her and Ladybug.

           He wondered how well the two would get along. If only he could get the two in a room together.

           Meanwhile…

           Lila had been feeding the class lies about her time in Gotham and living with the Wayne family. Alya believed every word, and had requested an interview with Lila’s Dami-bear.

Somehow she’d gotten stuck working in the mail room with Alya and Kim; neither were happy. She didn’t even know where Marinette ended up so she could spin a tail about the other girl threatening her to switch assignments.

           The only bright spot was the Damian Wayne frequently visited Wayne tower to learn about how the business works. However, whenever she tried to get close to him, he’d give her a look of disdain.

           That didn’t bother Lila though. As soon as he got to know her, or rather the her she’d tell him she was, Damian would fall head over heels.

           However, as the weeks went on in Gotham, she found all her plans to get close to the Wayne heir failed. She even tried visiting his home, feigning being lost, only for the Butler to send her packing. Lila didn’t even get a chance to look inside.

           When she learned about the gala, she upped her game. She found herself just “happening by” whenever Damian just happened to be walking by. One time, Lila even pretended to trip and hurt herself; only for Kim to “rescue” her and Damian to walk on by like she didn’t even exist.

           On the night of the gala, she sat in her hotel room with her adoring classmates, watching it on TV, “I’d have gone of course but Dami-bear didn’t want me to get attention from any Gotham villains.”

           Alya nodded sympathetically.

           Lila opened her mouth to regale another tale about her and Damian love affairs when Sabrina cut her off, “Hey, that’s Marinette!”

           And sure enough, the girl they had all froze out and declared their ex-friend was on screen walking with Jagged Stone, Clara Nightingale, a beautiful black woman, Damian Wayne, and Tim Drake. Marinette wore a stunning sliver dress that made eyes stand out even more.

“Who are you wearing, Clara!” A paparazzi called.

“MDC,” The superstar answered and placed a hand on Marinette’s shoulder. “This designer here. Marinette Dupain-Cheng; she designed all of our looks tonight; including her own. Doesn’t she look wonderful?”

           More questions were thrown out.

“Jagged, why a crocodile? Why not a dog or a cat.”

“Damian, who are you dating?”

“Why is MDC with you, Tim?”

           Jagged answered first, “Well I wanted a dog. But I’m deathly allergic to fur. Found out when I was a kid. Can’t get near it. Dogs are cool but cats aren’t rock and roll enough for me.”

“I am dating no one,” Damian answered. “Any rumors that say otherwise are lies. Anyone that says otherwise is lying, and should keep in mind I will sue for defamation of character.”  

           Tim grinned at the crowd, “Marinette is Tamara’s intern. She helped organize this wonderful event. She did such an amazing job as an intern that I’ve had to stop my dad from trying to adopt her.” There were laughs from the crowed.

           Damian snorted as they walked inside, “He is not joking.” He was the one who found the adoption papers.

[soshesighs]

Fic: Careful

Fandom: @mindblindbard

Pairing: Gray/Button

Word Count: ~6,200

Summary: Soulmate!AU in which when two fated people first touch, their names appear tattooed on the other person's wrist. In five years, Button and Gray have never come in contact with each other, until one day... they do.

Note: In this story, Nick and Sally are already in a relationship/are soulmates. Also, my (f!)Button goes by Stevie (her full name is Stella Verbena Wiseman, because I had to follow the flower middle name Nick got; she's not crazy about her full name, though, so she uses a portmanteau of her first and middle name together), though Sally has been known to shorten that even further to just V. There's a longer note at the end, explaining why one aspect of this might seem familiar, if you're so inclined to read it!

---

(11:48 am): STAY AWAY FROM 7TH AND ELM.

Stevie blinks down at her phone. It isn’t unusual to get random warning texts from Sally whenever the two are apart - eventually, after being away from the mental shielding that Stevie grants her, Sally’s visions always return with a vengeance - but usually there’s a bit more to go on, some follow up texts that explain a bit more about whatever it is that Sally has seen. But not today, apparently.

Cocking her head to the side, Stevie types her reply.

(11:54 am): I thought your dads said no phones on vacation. Did you get it back?

As she sits there waiting for a reply, Nick plops down on the couch next to her with a groan, dropping his head into her lap and following it up with an (overly-dramatic, if Stevie has any say on it) hacking cough. “Button, I’m dying.”

Stevie almost manages to avoid rolling her eyes. Almost. But she still starts stroking her hand through his hair in what she hopes is a comforting way anyway. Her brother may be an absolute dork, but he’s her dork. “You’re not dying, Saint Nick,” she says fondly. “You have a cold, which I tried to warn you was going to happen after your last mission left you drenched, but did you listen to me? Of course not.”

Her phone buzzes where it sits on her thigh. She swipes to unlock it, glancing down to quickly read Sally’s latest text.

(11:56 am): NO, I STOLE IT BACK. THIS IS IMPORTANT.

Her brow furrows, and she stops petting Nick long enough to grab her phone and reply once more.

(11:58 am): Okay, okay, I’m listening. Any more you can give me to go on?

(12:01 pm): NO DETAILS, JUST STAY OUT OF THE STREETS. BE CAREFUL, V.

(12:01 pm): P.S. IS NICHOLAS OKAY?

Nick’s heard the last bit of their conversation in her mind as she thinks over the texts, and he looks up at her with trademark puppy dog eyes. Tell her to stop worrying, I’m fine. Or, alternatively, let me talk to her and I’ll tell her myself?

She frowns, hating to be the bearer of bad news. She technically can’t have her phone yet, sorry. She snuck it from her dads to give me a head’s up on something.

Nick’s sighing really becomes dramatic then. Apparently a week away from his girlfriend, even with his sister and best friend there to keep him occupied, is too much for him to handle. Stevie decides to answer quickly so that she can go back to giving him her full attention.

(12:05 pm): He’s a bit worse today, but nothing awful. A bit of a temperature and a cough that doesn’t want to go away. Gray and I are keeping an eye on him. And by that I mean that Gray forced him to take some PTO, and I’m keeping him fed and hydrated.

(12:06 pm): He, however, claims he’s dying, so if you have any last words…

Sally’s replies arrive almost instantaneously, and Stevie can’t help but chuckle to herself.

(12:08 pm): TELL HIM TO SHUT UP AND TAKE CARE OF HIMSELF

(12:09 pm): ...ALSO TELL HIM I MISS HIM

Nick cranes his neck over to see what his sister seems to find so funny that it steals her attention from his complaining. “Tell Salome that I-” he begins, only to end up with a face full of throw pillow.

“Tell her yourself later, you nerd. I’m your sister, not your secretary!” Stevie quips, following it up by sticking her tongue out at him. (Nick responds immediately in kind.)

One final text comes in from Sally, letting them know that her dads found her and took her phone back. Stevie hopes she doesn’t end up in too much trouble for texting her; after all, she was only trying to help her and keep her safe.

Before she can decide if she should call Sally’s dads to explain and plead on her behalf, a voice drifts in from the living room doorway, making both her and Nick sit up straighter to turn around and see.

"Is Nick being demanding again?"

Nick flops back into her lap as Gray walks over, putting his hands on the arm of the couch and leaning in as he talks to them. He makes sure to still stay a safe foot or so away from Stevie so as not to invade her personal mental space - so careful, always so careful. (She wishes he weren’t, has tried to tell him so, but he always smiles his careful smile and stays a few steps away.)

His presence interrupts and breaks apart the ridiculous fight between the siblings, and he knows it. He quirks an eyebrow, waiting for a reply. Stevie says, "Always" at the exact same time that Nick chimes in with a faux offended, "Never! And aren't you supposed to be on my side?"

He tries not to smile at their lovable bickering, but Gray’s affection for them both wins out. He shakes his head fondly at their antics, a common expression for him; the movement jostles a strand of his hair free, and he reaches up to attempt to push it into place, off his forehead and behind his ear. (It’s short enough that it won’t really stay, though, almost immediately falling back down. He tries twice more in vain to fix it before eventually accepting his fate. Stevie tries not to notice. Nick’s quiet snickering, complete with projected cartoon eye roll, in her mind tells her she fails.)

"Sorry, not this time, Nick,” he begins. “Stevie's only trying to help you get well, you know. You should be thanking her.”

Nick mumbles out something that sounds very distinctly like ‘Of course you take her side.’

“What was that?” Stevie asks, poking him in the side. Gray, meanwhile, has taken another step backwards, hands off the couch, which makes her prod Nick even harder in frustration.

Don’t say things like that! You make him even more distant.

Her brother looks up at her, genuine apology written clear across his features. Sorry, Button. There’s only so much pining a man can take in silence before getting lost in the woods! If you’d just tell him-

I tried that, remember? He very gracefully turned me down.

Because you were a kid, and he was in his 20s! You’re on an even playing field now! Wait, I lost the forest metaphor somewhere along the way...

With a sigh, Stevie tries to push the memories away before a flush can creep onto her cheeks. And I’ve told you a million times before, it’s not worth messing up what we have now. I’m glad he and I are good friends. Besides, Gray keeps his wrists covered for a reason, Nick. There’s probably already a name there that he’s trying to keep safe.

Nick begins to make a mental noise of protest, but Stevie quickly cuts him off by blasting the first song that comes to mind in her head, effectively screaming ‘We’re not talking about this anymore!’

Gray clears his throat, nervously shifting his weight ever so slightly on his feet as he realizes the siblings had been talking telepathically, and tries to make a graceful exit. “Well, I should start getting ready to go. I have to report in for a meeting at 2.”

“Sorry,” Nick says, between more coughing fits. Stevie hands him her bottle of water from the coffee table, which he drinks from gratefully. “You know how it is; it’s just faster sometimes.”

His partner nods, but still takes another step backwards as he makes to leave, one hand idly twirling the cuff on the opposite arm. Nick’s eyes dart down, clocking the action, and he frowns.

“Grayson,” he starts, his full name use and serious tone somewhat belittled by the fact that he’s still lying down with his head in Stevie’s lap. “I’ve told you a million times that you don’t need to wear those here. Nobody in this house - and nobody who Button and I would let in this house - would betray you.”

Gray sags a bit, exhaling a small frustrated sound. “And I’ve told you a million times that it isn’t either of you or any of our friends that I don’t trust, it’s myself. The second I start taking them off is the second I forget to put them back on.”

Stevie swats at Nick’s chest, scowling at him a bit when he looks up at her in mock anger. “Leave him be, Nick. You of all people should understand why he doesn’t want to risk it, what with both of you having some... slightly overzealous fans.”

“That’s putting it mildly,” Nick says with a groan. “But Salome and I have managed fine! Sure, it was breaking news for a while when we decided to stop hiding our marks, but people got over it.” He rubs a hand over his chest, pretending to massage away the ache of his sister’s (very light, she thinks pointedly at him) slap, then grabs her arm and gestures at it. “Look, Stevie doesn’t cover her arms!”

“I’m not in the public eye anywhere near as much as you two are,” she protests, snatching her arm free. “Besides, it’s... different for me. People have other things to try to use against me besides my bare wrists.” Stevie taps the side of her head with a wry, sad smile.

“And you think people wouldn’t focus on other things about Gray? His devilishly good looks? The oh-so-charming accent? The way his-...”

Holding up a hand, Gray cuts off the conversation there. “We’ve talked this over in circles, Nick. I’m afraid you won’t change my mind. Public marks are dangerous in our line of work.”

It feels like a punch to the gut to Stevie, like someone reached their hand straight into her chest and squeezed her heart tight in their first, like someone stole the breath straight from her lungs. So he does have a mark, she thinks, squeezing her eyes shut tight. I should’ve known.

Nick blindly grabs her hand, giving it a squeeze that one might even generously consider a death grip, though his eyes are locked with Gray in a silent (intense, from her observation of their expressions) conversation. She has no idea what they’re discussing, but it clearly doesn’t involve her. She returns Nick’s squeeze, but then carefully begins to pry her hand free and shift out from underneath him, needing to extract herself from the situation. She needs air, fresh air - maybe someplace far away where she can let out the pained scream wanting to burst out of her; she needs out.

Her movement seems to break into their conversation, and Gray shifts his regard to her. “Heading out? I thought one of us was staying with Nick.”

“I don’t need to be babysat,” the aforementioned sick man protests. “I’ll be a good patient, I swear.”

“He’ll be fine,” Stevie says, voice wobbling. She pulls herself up straighter, as if her posture could hold her together entirely. “I’m just going to go for a walk, get some fresh air. We’ve all been cooped up in here for the last few days.”

She can actually see the moment that a lightbulb goes off in Nick’s head, making him sit up quickly from the couch. But the sudden change in equilibrium seems to leave him dizzy; he brings a hand up to his forehead with wide eyes, causing both Stevie and Gray to reach out towards him should he start to fall. Nick shakes his head after a second, though, and rights himself. He tries to reassure them that he’s fine, but his sister and Gray both wear twin expressions of concern. At least now her focus is back on Nick and not on her own crushed heart.

Stevie sets her hand on his shoulder once he seems to finally be steady. “You should lay down. You need to rest, Saint Nick - and really rest, not stay up all day and night playing video games. You’re sick, not on a vacation.” She bites her lip before quietly confessing, “I’m worried about you. Do it for me, okay?”

Nick looks over at her and moans. “You know I can’t resist that face, Button.”

A smile tugs at the corner of her mouth, an uneven, tilted smile. It’s a small thing, her own feelings and worry still winning out, but it’s there. “I know. So what do you say?”

“I say… if you’re already going out, can you guys do me a favor?”

---

Within a few minutes, Stevie and Gray are on their way to go pick up a takeout order for Nick - some soup that, hopefully, will both fill him up and bring him some comfort. But Nick, being as particular as he is about foods and flavors, wants them to pick it up from a specific deli on the other side of town. Stevie hasn’t been there before, but she’s grateful that she at least won’t have to find it alone.

The fresh air does wonders to calm her down as well. She takes in big gulps of it, arms spread wide to feel the sun and wind on her skin, and gives a small twirling hop step as they start heading out. Sure, her heart feels like it’s been shattered into tiny pieces and is rattling around freely in her chest, but at least now she doesn’t feel trapped and contained. Besides, if Stevie Wiseman has gotten good at anything over the years, it’s burying her emotions and putting on a brave face - and she knows if she wants to retain her friendship with Gray, she needs to act like she’s fine around him.

Gray, on the other hand, looks outwardly uncomfortable. He keeps tugging on the brim of his hat, pulling it further and further down over his eyes (which seem to be darting around constantly to keep an eye on their surroundings, if his ever-moving head is any indication). He’s also making sure to stay on the far opposite edge of the sidewalk, giving her most of the pathway to herself. She can’t help but wonder if it’s lingering discomfort from whatever that last conversation with Nick had been.

“You didn’t have to come,” Stevie finally says, breaking their mutual silence. “That is - I mean… not that I don't want you here! I just mean, well... I know you have a meeting soon, so if you don’t have the time, I understand.”

Smooth, Wiseman. Real smooth, she thinks. He’ll never notice a thing.

He freezes mid-step and looks over at her, and she wonders exactly what expression he’s making under that cap and sunglasses, what’s going on in his head - one of the many times she’d kill for Nick’s abilities. “I wanted to,” Gray replies, voice barely audible over the busy sounds of the surrounding Chicago streets.

She turns away before (she hopes) he can see her blush. He doesn’t mean it like that, she tries to remind herself.

“Well, thank you for the company, then,” she settles on saying, trying to remember how to convince her feet to start walking again. Hopefully her voice sounds more calm and collected than she feels. “And thanks for the help keeping Nick contained this week. I know it’s hard for him to step away from work and rest, and I also know enough to recognize that he wouldn’t listen to just me about it.”

"For a man who constantly proclaims you the smartest person he knows, he doesn't listen well, does he?" Gray teases.

Stevie can’t help but groan. “You’re telling me. It’s not like I know him better than anyone else or anything,” she says sarcastically, then immediately shooting a glance at him and wincing a bit. “Sorry, I didn't mean-"

He holds his hands up, shaking his head. “No offense taken. I’m sure you do. I can’t compete with a sibling bond, or certainly not like the one you two have, at least.”

They pause at a light, waiting for the sign to give them the okay to cross. Stevie can feel Gray’s eyes on her back, and it leaves her itching to turn around. If the world were slightly less cruel, if the physical space between them weren’t a constant upkeep and if fate had consented to match them together, she might dig deep within herself and find the bravery to reach out and finally grab his hand, thread their fingers together, tug him out onto the crosswalk with a teasing smile and a playful “Let’s go, cookie monster, we’re running out of time.”

But that’s not them. He has someone, she has to remember that. And the two of them? They’re a constant mindful dance around each other, a deliberate six inches at least (usually a foot, if not more), always careful.

(She hates that word.)

Stevie glances back for a split second. “Fidgeting,” comes the mumble, and she doesn’t even fully realize that she’s spoken aloud.

Gray makes a questioning noise, immediately bringing his gaze to meet hers.

The light changes, so she steps out to continue their journey and tries to keep her voice even. “When you’re nervous, you fidget, especially if you’re all… incognito. When you're uncomfortable, I should say. You tend to readjust your hat, push up your glasses, fix your hair. ” She clears her throat, suddenly nervous. “Rebuckle your cuffs, whether that’s these separate ones or your shirt sleeves. Twist them around, like earlier."

The deli that they’re heading to is at most only a couple of blocks down now; Stevie can see the sign from here, a bright neon thing blinking in perfect rhythm. She times her breathing to it in an attempt to quiet her pounding heart.

He tries to smile, but Stevie knows by now what a real smile from Gray looks like and what his plastered-on media smile does, and this is most definitely the latter. She took it too far, she knew the moment the topic changed to even skirt the edges of his mysterious marks that she’d said too much, but something about being around him makes her lose her filter.

“Well,” he begins, clearing his throat around that fake expression, “You’re quite observant. But unfortunately, not all of us are as brave as you are, Stella.”

Her head whips around then, because Gray never uses her full first name - nobody around her does really, aside from her parents - and she finds herself frozen right in front of the door they should be entering.

“You called me Stella.”

He rebends the brim of his hat. “Apologies, Stevie." Shifts his feet. "I know you don’t prefer it.”

"It's okay," she hears herself saying, so soft even to her own ears that she thinks the words may have been lost to the wind. "From you, I don't mind."

Stevie winces internally; it’s going to take a while to build up a better filter around him. She tries to meet his eyes, but only sees her own (bright red) face in his mirrored lenses; she dimly hopes that he might not notice, or perhaps chalk it up to the day's warmer weather. After a moment, she shakes her head, breaking free of whatever spell hearing Grayson Black quietly say her full first name had put her under. "Anyway, this is the place. Shall we?"

---

Gray follows behind her, having held the door open to let her enter first, and it closes behind them both with a soft tinkling of bells. The first thing Stevie notices is that it isn’t an incredibly busy place; there’s only two tables occupied out of the entire restaurant floor, both up against the windows on the other side of the room and seemingly taken up by one big group. The second thing is that it smells amazing. Her stomach growls in agreement almost immediately, and she throws her hands over it as if that could make it quiet down.

She chuckles, trying to downplay her own embarrassment. “I think I’ll grab something while we’re here to take home for myself as well.” Glancing back at him over her shoulder, she asks, “What about you? Going to grab anything to-go before your meeting, or did you already eat?”

He opens his mouth to reply, but instead seems to quickly glance past her, a frown forming. Stevie’s about to ask what’s got him so upset when someone slams into her with a shoulder check, making her stumble backwards - almost right into Gray, but not quite, as he manages to bounce back a step in time.

“Out of the way, freak,” the person mutters at her, before shoving past her again and immediately out the door.

Gray acts like he’s going to follow, pivoting on the spot, but Stevie tosses a hand out towards him. “Don’t,” she pleads. “They’re not worth it. It’s fine, Gray. I’m used to it.”

He turns back toward her, and his anger softens in a second, seeming to fade off his features the moment he looks at her. “You shouldn’t have to be.”

Stevie swallows hard, fingering the strap of her crossbody bag, readjusting it very deliberately and meticulously to avoid meeting his eyes again. “I know. But it’s how it’s always been. Can we just… get the food and go?”

It takes him a second to answer, and Stevie knows he’s still considering going out after the guy and - and what? He wouldn’t ever retaliate against him; Gray’s too good a guy for that. Maybe give him a stern talking to? But that would give him away entirely, ruining his already flimsy disguise. He’d be surrounded in minutes; Stevie’s seen it happen enough times to know it’s true. They both know that no good could or would come from it.

“Okay,” he finally agrees. “But I’m walking back with you. I’ll leave for the meeting after.”

She won’t admit it outloud, but the relief that floods through her knowing that she won’t have to make the walk alone is palpable for Stevie. What she said is true: she’s fairly used to people making comments under their breath at her, but it doesn’t often escalate into anything physical. And while Nick, Gray, and all their friends had made sure that she knew how to defend herself if push comes to literal shove, she’d always rather not fight. Admitting that the (fairly innocuous, she realizes) interaction has shaken her up a bit (she blames her already fragile emotional state) isn’t something she’s keen to do. So she just nods in reply, grateful, before turning to walk up to the deli counter.

“Picking up an order for Nicholas, please? I have the order number and confirmation right here on my phone. And I’d like to get a second entrée while I’m here as well.”

---

Stevie leaves the restaurant before Gray. While he’s still waiting for his order, she grabs the bag with her food and Nick’s and says she’s going to wait outside, that she needs the air. She can tell that Gray is uneasy about it, but he relents and nods, saying he should be out in a minute or so. She gives him what she hopes is a reassuring smile, and pushes out the door.

But the moment she steps outside, she knows something is wrong.

A shadow blocks her path, despite it being midday, and a pair of shoes is suddenly right in her line of sight. Recognizable, perfectly shined, name-brand dress shoes.

Shoes she’d just seen as her classmate shoved into her and left the restaurant in a huff. Shoes that had just as often tried to trip her up in the halls of Aeon.

“Going somewhere?”

She snaps her head up, and - in the most deadly calm voice she can manage - says, “Move out of my way, please.”

The guy pretends to think, tapping his fingers on his chin, before a wolfish grin starts to spread on his face. “You know, I don’t think I will.”

“What’s your problem with me?” Stevie snaps, rolling her eyes. “If I bother you that much, then leave.”

“Like your little boyfriend did? Not here now, I see. Who is he?” he asks, taking another step closer to Stevie. She knows she can’t let him box her in, so she fakes to his left before pivoting around his right, trying to get around and away from him. Her momentum, however, is slowed due to the weight of the bags of food in her arms. Before she knows it, he has her backed against a streetlamp. “Obviously no one important, since he didn’t stick around. He sick of your noise already?”

His eyes glance down at her full hands, noting her empty wrists. “Or maybe he got tired of playing pretend? I notice his wrists were covered. He kick you to the curb to go after his real soulmate?”

Stevie grits her teeth, turning her head away; she doesn’t want to rise to this asshole’s provocation, doesn’t want to give away how painfully close to the truth he might be.

“Even fate doesn’t think anyone could put up with you forever, Wiseman.” He reaches out then, making to wrap his hand around her wrist, and on instinct she kicks her knee up - and she knows instantly that she’s accurately found her target as the guy stumbles back and doubles over.

“You’ll pay for that,” he pushes out past a groan.

Four things happen then in quick succession:

The first being that the door to the restaurant pushes open with a light chiming of bells, a sound far too cheery for Stevie’s current situation. She snaps her head up, meeting the fixed, shocked stare of one Grayson Black, just as he tucks his sunglasses onto the neck of his shirt.

The second thing is that the guy - who also glanced behind him quickly to see whether the newcomer to their situation was one of his friends or someone to worry about - mumbles a shocked, “Oh shit,” before turning back around towards Stevie with wide eyes, realizing that Gray is indeed ‘someone to worry about.’

The third is that he shoves at Stevie as hard as he can before making a beeline out of the situation, running off down some side alley and disappearing almost as quickly as he’d slid into Stevie’s line of sight earlier.

And the fourth and final thing is that she goes tumbling back - arms still full and totally unable to stop her fall - causing her heel to slip off the curb and sending Stevie sprawling into the intersection at the corner of 7th and Elm Street.

---

Stevie’s heart drops.

Her arms pinwheel as she tries to regain her balance, the takeout bags flying somewhere off to her sides, and after a second she squeezes her eyes shut tight, resigned to whatever serious injury is about to befall her. Somewhere in the distance, she hears someone laying on their horn, blaring down Elm towards her.

But the impact never comes.

Before she stumbles completely, before she can fall flat onto her back, before the oncoming traffic can slam into her flailing body, Gray crosses the concrete path between them, grabs her arm, and pulls. Her center of gravity flips on a dime, sending her instead tumbling forward to crash hard into his chest; the impact knocks them both backwards, but he immediately wraps his arms around her and spins them around on the spot, baring his back to the busy street to take whatever blow might come in her stead and placing her once again on the relative safety of the sidewalk.

Both their eyes are still clenched tight, breath coming in ragged, choking gasps, as some random pedestrian comes up yelling, asking if they’re okay.

She manages to nod, but she’s not sure it’s very convincing, given that she’s still attempting to stave off the panic threatening to overtake her and sucking in huge gulps of air.

“Careful! Breathe, Stevie,” a calming voice says. She’s fairly certain she recognizes the voice, but right now the only thing she registers is the slamming of her own heartbeat in her own ears. “Try to match me. You’re okay, look at me - look at me, okay? You’re alright. It’s okay.”

Someone lowers her to the ground, the two of them falling into a graceless heap of tangled, trembling limbs. Gentle hands smooth down her hair, pulling it back from her neck and helping her lean forward as she continues to hyperventilate. She vaguely registers someone asking if they should call for paramedics, another quiet voice saying no, disclosing that she doesn’t like doctors.

She covers her eyes with her shaking hands, trying to block out the chaos around her so that she can focus on calming down. Usually by now, Nick would’ve interrupted her panic attack with a series of unimportant, unrelated questions, but he must have finally fallen asleep.

Good, some tiny part of her mind chimes, but her focus can’t remain on her sick brother for long before another tidal wave of adrenaline crashes over her, taking any and all external thoughts with it out to sea.

A hand rubs up and down her spine, silently reassuring her that she’s not alone. Somewhere, a voice - the same person? - is counting softly into her ear. It takes her a moment, but in time she realizes they’re counting breaths.

She struggles to fall in line with their tempo, but little by little she does. The edges of her vision start to clear, the gripping sensation around her chest starts to loosen, and her limbs become stiff and heavy as she slowly, so slowly, stops shaking like a leaf.

“Are you with me?” the kind voice asks, and her mind finally reconnects that it’s Gray - that he’s the one that pulled her back, that he’s sat with her in the middle of a busy sidewalk for the last five minutes as she comes back down, that somehow he’s gotten the tiny crowd they’d gathered to disperse and give her air.

Her forehead comes to rest on her knees, but eventually she nods. She mumbles out a continuous stream of thank yous, seeming to be the only words she can form at first.

At long last, she croaks out, “You saved my life.”

Gray’s hand still massages up and down her back, trying to help her stay grounded. “It is kind of my job,” he jokes, though his voice is strained with the attempt to turn their afternoon into something lighthearted.

Stevie leans back, resting her head against his chest with a soft chuckle. “That it is, superhero.”

It takes a moment for his words to fully sink in. A couple of deep breaths later, though, and she springs back from his hold, eyes wide. “Your job! The meeting, you were supposed to-” she starts.

He holds his hands out towards her, like one might in an attempt to comfort a startled animal, obviously hoping she doesn’t work herself up into a frenzy again. When it appears she’s not going to run at his touch, he sets his hands on her shoulders. “It’s okay, Stevie, don’t worry about it. Unity will have already heard what happened by now. I’d be surprised if someone hasn’t contacted Nick as well.”

She groans at that, dropping her head into her hands again. “Great, now he’ll never let me out of his sight again.”

“That’s what you’re worried about right now?” Gray asks around a deep laugh, sounding utterly disbelieving. “Nevermind that you only narrowly avoided falling victim to a pedestrian accident, of course.”

“You know how overprotective Nick is. Of course that’s what I’m wor- ahh!” she cuts herself off with a hiss of pain, pulling her arms close to her chest with a wince.

Gray’s hands tighten on her shoulders as his eyes dart over her entire form. “What is it?” he asks. “Are you hurt?”

But Stevie doesn’t answer, she just stares down, eyes growing wider by the second. Gray pleads for her to answer him, asking again if she’s okay, but she can’t find her voice to respond. Her breath feels caught in her throat - not dissimilar to how she was previously feeling, but for an entirely different reason.

This can’t be happening, she thinks, mind racing at what feels like a million miles a minute. It’s not possible. There’s no way.

“What’s not possible, Stevie?” he finally asks, voice desperate, neither of them acknowledging that he reads her mind before the question.

Slowly - and looking back, she’d genuinely say it feels like the tiny movement takes her a lifetime, as if the moment stretched itself to encompass its enormity - she lowers her arms from her chest, holding them out in the space between them. His hands wrap around her forearms, desperately trying to find the source of her injury, before he freezes; she feels his heart skip a beat through the tight grip he has on her.

Staring back up at him is his own name, written plainly across both her wrists, raw as a new tattoo.

He blinks. Blinks again. At first, he doesn’t manage to say anything, just rips the cuffs off his own arms, right there in the middle of the sidewalk - and sure enough. Her name is there in the same small writing as his own was, bright red, inflamed skin around it. As if in a trance, he brings his fingertips to the writing, mouth silently forming her name.

“It’s you,” he whispers reverently, looking up to once more meet her gaze. The look on his face is pure adoration and… relief? A shaky hand comes up to rest on her cheek, as if he can’t quite believe she’s really sitting there in front of him still.

Stevie swallows hard, leaning slightly into his touch. “I - I thought… I always assumed you already had a name,” she confesses. “You made it sound like you did. In interviews. At home even.”

“I wanted the questions to stop. To have more of a sense of privacy, to stop answering the same question over and over again,” he says, shaking his head. “I eventually realized that if I was vague enough, people would make their own assumptions and run with them.”

“Well, it worked,” she jokes weakly. “I had no idea.”

The light behind them turns green, and someone honks at another car in annoyance when they don’t start moving fast enough. As if whatever spell they were under breaks at the sound, Gray looks around and seems to finally realize they’re still just… sitting in the middle of the sidewalk in front of the deli. He stands, dusting off his jeans, and offers a hand out to her.

Stevie starts to bring her hand to his, but stops halfway, hand halting in mid-air. “Are you sure?” she asks, hating how small her voice sounds. He’d been casually touching her ever since the almost-accident, yes, but emotions had been running so high that neither of them had really noticed in the moment. Doing it on purpose would be - should be - different. “You’ve always kept your distance, for as long as we’ve known each other. It’ll be… loud.”

He nods - a subtle, gentle thing - but he brings his hand no closer, leaving the ultimate decision up to her. It’s her mental privacy that’s in question, after all.

Who knew your whole world could change in one afternoon, she thinks.

And then, she takes a deep breath and slides her hand into his: a leap of faith.

---

They arrive back at the house right as Nick is flinging the door open, shoving his arms into a jacket, keys dangling from where they’re stuck between his teeth.

“Excuse me, I have to - Button!” The keys clatter to the ground, and he barely manages to stop his down-stair momentum before slamming into her. As it is, Nick’s hands fly up to cup her face, wide worried eyes looking into hers.

It’s okay, Nick, I’m okay. She thinks rather than says the words out loud, not trusting her voice. Tears pool in her eyes, and she gives him a watery smile. I almost wasn’t, but I’m okay.

Nick looks her over, as if he needs to see for himself that she’s in one piece and whole to believe her, but freezes suddenly in his mother-henning when he spots it.

Stevie and Gray’s hands are clasped between them still, Gray standing a step down behind her, no wrist cuffs in sight.

And Nick? Nick just rolls his eyes, falling into an exhausted slump on the stairs.

“Well it’s about damn time!”

---

Later that afternoon, Stevie takes a picture of her hand intertwined with Gray’s, both of their marks fully on display, and sends it off in a text to Sally.

(4:43 pm): Thanks for the warning, but everything turned out better than expected.

(4:47 pm): (p.s. I’m sure it goes without saying, but please don’t tell anyone else yet!)

Two days later, when Sally apparently gets her phone back, Stevie receives six straight texts in a row full of exclamation marks, the messages only seeming to stop when her phone begins to ring.

---

End Author's Note: Fun fact! This was supposed to be around 1,500 words, and that's it. Turns out, Stevie's an anxious worrier like me and had a lot of emotions to work through in a short period of time. Anyway, speaking of being a worrier, part of this might seem vaguely familiar. I fully recognize that Gray's route in the Cupid Calamity side story involves a "moment" between Button and Gray in which one of them keeps the other from being hit by a moving vehicle. (If we're counting a Segway as a vehicle, that is.)

I in no way intended to copy anything from Jo's story or step on any toes or anything. I've had this story in the works for over a month now - in fact, it's just been sitting there untouched for the last week or so because I was considering scrapping the whole thing, because all I could think about was if using a similar plot device was too similar. I hope it isn't and that this was enjoyable all the same. My sincerest apologies if it comes across as anything other than me attempting to express my pure love and adoration for Jo's story and characters!

(Also, apologies for the sheer amount of italics in this fic, haha. Between texts and telepathic communication and emphasis, it feels ridiculous even to me.)

[rebel-without-cause-x]

My Everything

Angel Reyes x Reader

A/N Okay so I saw this GIF and this whole fic was born 

Mayan Tag List: @chibsytelford​ @briannab1234​ @starrynite7114​ @minnicelli​ @woahitslucyylu​ @whyisgmora​ @talicat713​ @trulysuccubus​ @everyhowlmarksthedead​

*** GIF NOT MINE CREDIT TO @stilinski-ortiz-dolan ***

You were still amazed at how you had managed to keep your relationship with Angel a secret for so damn long, no one had found out about you yet, especially your dad and you wanted to keep it that way seen as at the moment they weren’t seeing eye to eye and who knows what your papa would do if he found out it was Angel you was dating. 

Strolling into the yard, you saw your man standing on the front porch smoking, a smile instantly formed on his face as he saw you arrive, tossing the half smoked cigarette to the ground he made his way over to you. Instantly his arms wrapped around your middle pulling you into a tight hug, kissing the top of your head, wanting to be able to kiss you whenever he wanted. But he understood your reasons why you kept things hidden. 

“Can I get one little kiss mami” He whispered brushing his thumb over your lips “Everyone is inside” Giggling at him, you stood on your tip toes giving his a quick kiss before heading inside. 

“Princesa” Bishop grinned as he saw you walk in, standing up he pulled you into his arms “What  you doing here?”

Rolling your eyes at him, he always forgot, every single week. 

“It Thursday papa” You glared just like you did every week “you know the day we go for breakfast” 

A chuckle escaped Bishop’s mouth as he kissed the top of your head. “Come on then” He smiled letting you go “Lets go get some food I’m starving” 

Angel watched as you disappeared with your father, a small sigh left his lips, he knew what would happen if Bish found out about the relationship and he knew it wouldn’t be pretty. But he wanted the world to know you were his lady, he hated how everyone would try and flirt with you but a small smile would appear when you put them in their place. 

- - -

It had been a couple of days since you was at the yard and you were in a frisky mood, knowing Angel was working you pulled one of his shirts on, laid on the bed, pulling it up slightly to show your lace thong. Snapping a couple of pictures you sent them to your man. 

You waited hours for a response, but non came, normally he would reply instantly, however what you didn’t know was it was all kicking off at the yard. Because of the picture you sent. 

Angel ran his hand over his face as he heard the cough of Bishop[ stood behind him, he knew this was the end for him, seen as he sat at the bar staring at the photo you sent. 

“Why they fuck do you have a picture of my daughter barely clothed on your phone pendejo” He spat, the venom in his voice made Angel shiver as he locked his phone screen forgetting he changed his lockscreen to you and him and snuggled up with you asleep on his bare chest. 

He was fucked, the secret was out and he didn’t even have time to warn you. 

“Because I do” Angel said, standing up so he towered above Bishop, even though he knew intimidation wouldn’t work with him. 

“How fucking long have you been corrupting my daughter” Bishop said through gritted teeth. 

“Coming up to a year now” Angel grinned knowing it would wind him up. 

“I cannot believe this” He roared glaring at Angel “As your president you will end the relationship with her” 

“Not club business, so you cannot tell me what to fucking do” Angel spat shoving Bishop hard just as you walked in. 

You couldn’t believe what you were seeing, this was the day you were dreading. 

Both men froze as they saw you standing there with tears in your eyes, these were the two most important men in your life and they were literally about to kill each other. 

“De todo el mundo, tuviste que elegirle a él”(Out of everyone you chose him) Dad spat, his expression filled with disappointment “And behind my fucking back as well” 

“Papa” You whispered but he cut you off. 

“No I don’t want to know” He hissed “I told you from the start that I didn’t want you dating anyone from the club, yet here we are” 

“Bishop” Angel spoke. 

“You can shut the fuck up as well” He spat “Thats my little girl, my princesa do you fucking hear me Reyes”

“I’m not going to stand here and watching you make her feel like shit” Angel said standing his ground “This is why we didn’t tell you, because we knew this would happen but what I never expected was you to look at your daughter with disgust and disappointment” 

“Baby just leave it” You mumbled placing your hand in the middle of Angel’s back “Its okay” 

“It’s not okay querida” Angel sighed pulling you into his side, kissing the top of your head “I’m not letting this slide” Angel turned his gaze to Bishop who was glaring at the both of you. 

“Yes Y/N is your daughter and I respect why you feel how you do, I know I’m not perfect, I’ve done things I regret but one thing I will never fucking regret is falling in love with Y/N.” Angel said squeezing you tight “This girl has saved me, helped me rebuild myself and become the man I actually want to be, she is my everything, mi reina, mi vida  and I don’t care if you don’t like it because it will not change how I feel about her, not today, not tomorrow, not ever” 

You swore your heart was about to burst with the words that flowed out of Angel’s mouth. Meanwhile Bishop stayed silent. 

“Come on babygirl, lets get out of here” Angel said lifting your chin so you were looking at him. 

- - -

It had been days since your relationship got outed and in a way you felt relieved, it was like a weight had been taken off your shoulders, but was replaced by the weight that you thought your own father hated you. 

“Listen to me querida, Bish will come around” Angel said as he ran his hand through your hair as you laid against his chest on the sofa. 

“What if he doesn’t” You sighed as you played with his chain. 

“Honestly I don’t know” He sighed knowing how close you were to your dad “But we will deal with things together” 

The sound of the doorbell ringing moved your attention, deciding to ignore it as you didn’t want to deal with the outside world right now. But then your dad appeared at the end of the sofa. 

“Knew I should have moved the spare key” You huffed not moving from Angel’s embrace. “What do you want?” 

“I want to talk” Bishop sighed running his hand over his face as he crouched in front of you both. 

“Maybe I don’t want to talk to you” You said with no emotion in your voice “I mean why would you want to talk to me, I’m a disappointment remember”

“Just hear me out princesa please” He pleaded. 

“Fine” You mumbled pushing yourself off Angel’s chest. 

“I’m sorry” Bishop sighed “I over reacted when I saw him staring at that picture of you and the protective father in me kicked in. I just saw red and then to find out you have been seeing each other for so long behind my back, that just hurt”

“Because I knew this was how you would act” You mumbled. 

“Do you love him?” He asked looking between you and Angel. “He makes you happy and protects you?”

“With all that I am” You smiled looking up at Angel as you tangled your fingers between his “Yes papa he does” 

You saw the thought process as he fell quiet as if he was trying to decide something. 

“Who am I to stop you, if you both love each other” He whispered. “But if you ever do anything to hurt my princesa I will cut you into fucking pieces, bury you in a fucking hole and piss in it” 

Angel knew he was being serious as when it came to you Bishop didn’t fuck around. 

“You don’t have to worry Bish, if I ever did hurt Y/N somehow I’d do it to myself before you even had the chance.” 

[angellissy]

the stars that lit up the sky

Based on this lovely request> Would you do another Cameron sibling one with rage and Sarah? I really loved the first one!

Thank you!! Means the world and I am so sorry it took so long. 

Rafe Cameron x Sister Reader

AN> Sorry for my lack of writing but I will try to get more fics up. I am graduating tomorrow so hopefully, my first two weeks of summer will be spent writing outer banks fics for you guys. Shoutout to my bestie Ellie, who helped me come up with a concept and who also just exists. I love u @myjjbaby . Enjoy!

Tossing and turning, seemed to be the only thing you had been doing for the past hours. The white linen sheets always seemed to find a way to tangle themselves with your limbs, making sleeping impossible. The sun had gone down hours ago, bringing all the sound that usually echoed throughout the house, with it. The clock ticking on your wall served as a constant reminder of the hours of sleep you lost. Unintentionally causing your breath to quicken, the fear of never falling asleep had always been a factor of stress. You were unsure why, but it always lingered in your mind. Sometimes making it even harder for your mind to relax and escape into another world, which usually caused you to stay in this one.

As a child your mind would be restless, you could lay awake for hours. Your eyes would often be looking at your ceiling, at the bright yellow stars that your older brother had glued there. Using the stars, he had created yours and his zodiac sign. The two of you were not only bound together by blood, but also by the same stars. So when the sun went down, the stars lit up and gathered your attention for the next hours. It helped calm your mind and whenever your older brother opened the door to your room and peeked inside, you would be laying still, holding a teddy bear close to your chest.

And as a child, those illuminating stars would be enough to lull you to sleep. But when you had reached a certain age, your dad had them removed, arguing that stars were for children and that you no longer, in his opinion, were a child. So the stars disappeared, ending in up in some charity box that your dad gave to the less fortunate. From that day on, you had to find new strategies. One included not sleeping at all, and as you got older another one meant partying all night to avoid having to deal with trying to fall asleep.

Tonight it looked like you would be choosing the first option, so you sat up, pushing the countless blankets off your exhausted body. When your father removed the stars from the ceiling, your brother desperately tried to come up with a new idea that would lull you to sleep. His solution was to build something similar to a bed on your windowsill, making it possible for you to watch the stars once again, though this time they were real and sometimes covered by clouds. So that was where you went whenever your brain failed to relax. You brought one blanket with you as you climbed up on the windowsill. No stars were in view tonight, the only thing that lit up the sky was the white moon. But still, it was not as bright as it usually was. Sometimes you couldn’t help but wonder if your mood was reflected in the weather, it always seemed to be that way at least.

You furrowed your brows when you saw two shadows reflected on the ground beneath you, the porch light was giving them away. With quick finger movements, you pushed the window open, making it possible for you to lean out. The beats of your heart quickened as the adrenaline rushed through your veins. What if it was a burglar? Or one of Rafe’s peculiar friends? Nevertheless, you would probably not dare do anything about it, but maybe if you did your dad would finally give you some credit. Or even better, maybe your older brother would start paying more attention to you than those bags of white dust in his pockets. You leaned further out, this time the sound of hushed voices reached your ears. 

“How are we supposed to get inside?” The only thing you could make up was that it was the voice of a female. It did sound pretty familiar, and you understood why when the second person opened their mouth.

“Well Sarah if you weren’t such an idiot and dropped the keys, we would’ve been fine.” That was the sometimes infuriating voice of your older brother, there was no doubt about it. You would have known that voice anywhere. When you were younger it was his voice that guided you away from the sadness that engulfed you whenever your father yelled at you, blaming him for mistakes that weren’t even yours. It was also his voice that managed to say something that would draw out a big laugh from you.

“Can you‐” Sarah sighed, breathing in and out. “Can you keep it down?” You heard Rafe mutter something in response and decided that it was your turn to shine since you also were their only way inside.

“You need some help or something?” They jumped at the sound of your voice, seemingly startled. Rafe was holding one of his hands against his chest, trying to calm his heartbeat into a normal rhythm. Meanwhile, Sarah was looking relieved by the sight of your face, as she also knew that you were their savior. Hoping to freak them out a little more you hopped down from the window on the floor without a word, quickly making your way down to the front door. As quietly as you could, you unlocked it and opened it, letting in both of your older siblings. Both reeking of alcohol and other substances, but you were used to it. Particularly the way the smell of alcohol had intertwined with Rafe’s perfume, it seemed to never leave. Always a lingering smell, no matter how hard he tried to hide it on those days when being intoxicated was not socially acceptable.

“Thank you very much.” Sarah gave you a small hug and a kiss on the cheek before dashing up to her bedroom, most likely to talk to that boy she just met. As soon as she was gone it was just you and Rafe. The sibling that constantly seemed to avoid you, always coming up with excuses not to hang out. His hand flew up to his hair, scratching it ever so lightly. You coughed a little, unsure of what to do.

“Yeah well uh‐” His eyes darted between you and the staircase behind your body “I should probably head up, but thanks.” He was about to walk past you when you stepped in front of him, blocking his way and making him look at you through furrowed brows.

“Why do you not wanna hang out with me anymore?” He gulped and backed a few steps away from you. “Um, come with me.” He turned around and walked towards the kitchen, even though you were confused you followed him. Not wanting to miss out on the opportunity to hang out with your older brother. He gestured for you to sit down on a barstool, and you did, watching him as he started to get things out from the refrigerator.

“What are you doing?” He gave you a small smile as he shrugged his shoulders. “ Well, I suppose you were too young to remember this.” He paused while he turned on the stove and placed a frying pan on it. “When you were younger and were upset with me or Sarah you would make us or the nanny make you a grilled cheese, it was the only way for us to be able to talk to you.”

Your lips parted slightly as you dug inside of your mind, trying to find this specific memory. “I don’t remember that.” You mumbled, feeling slightly ashamed that such a sweet memory could have disappeared. He nodded, stumbling a bit as he turned around to put the sandwiches in the pan. “So that’s what you are doing now then?” He gave you a small smile and nodded.

“Never been very good with expressing stuff.” You snorted and he furrowed his brows at you, but his smile did not falter. After a couple of minutes, he put the grilled cheese on a platter and served it to you. You took a bite, the taste instantly melted in your mouth, it was so good that you could have cried. You put it down and wiped your mouth with the back of your hand before asking him once again, why he had been avoiding you.

He rested his head in his hands, looking down at the countertop. “I am supposed to be your big brother, a role model of some sort. But I am not exactly suited for that role anymore.” A bitter laugh escaped his lips and you swallowed hard, surprised that he was actually telling the truth and not some half-hearted lie.

“But I don’t need you to be a role model Rafe, I just need you to be my brother.” You paused, searching his eyes for some reaction, but he still looked down, making it very difficult. “You are going through some shit but that’s exactly the time when you shouldn’t push me away, just let me be your little sister again. And let me help you.” He looked up, a small smile on his lips as he walked around the kitchen isle just to wrap his arms around you.

“I don’t need your help, but I’ll try to regain the best big brother title you gave me as kids.” You nodded against his chest, that promise would be enough for now. As long as you got your best friend back.

“Care to tell me why you were still up at this hour?” He said when he let go. A small sigh escaped your lips “Couldn’t sleep.” He nodded, then gestured for you to follow him once again. This time you ended up in his room, you had not stepped foot in here for ages and you felt like neither had he since he looked a bit confused. After a bit of thought, he opened the door to his clothes, walked inside and asked you to follow.

“Turn the off the lights.” You did as he asked and the second you did, the room became illuminated by a different kind of light. The on that had adorned your childhood bedroom for several years.

“You kept the stars.” You whispered, astonished over the fact that he had done that and that he never told you.

“Yeah, I didn’t want dad to know so I kept them here, I should have told you sooner.” You brushed him off with a little wave, your eyes were still glued to the ceiling. You moved closer to his side and let him pull you into his chest, both of you were starving for hugs. The two kids that barely received any from your parents, that was why it was so important that you two were on the same side. If you were, you could dismiss the cold gazes and angry remarks from your father, together. So side by side you watched the stars, and side by side the two of you helped each other survive. 

[the-creative-lie]

Friday Nights

pairings: steve harrington x reader

genre/warnings: friends to lovers. idiots in love. some curse words?

word count: 2k

summary: every friday night Y/N helps steve get ready for his dates. what are you talking about of course she’s not jealous

notes: just a small cute fic for my man steve

  You watch amused as Steve fidgets with his clothes, his hair, everything. He keeps his gaze fixed on the reflection in the big mirror in the hall, and you can help but wonder how many days could he go without looking at himself. Maybe you should turn that into a bet.   “Can I ask, once more, why am I here?” you let your head hit the pillow, dropping yourself unceremoniously on his bed and grabbing an old magazine from his nightstand. He turns to you and scoffs when he notices you’re not paying him attention.   “Because,” he sprays some more Farrah Fawcett around, making you cough, “you’re supposed to be helping me get ready for my date with Allison.”   “I still can’t believe you’re going out with Allison Daniels. She 's so boring.”   “She’s not boring. She’s nice,” he complains, the bed dipping down when he sits next to you. He starts putting on his sneakers, the nice ones.   “I’m not saying she’s not nice. But last time I tried talking to her in Math it was like speaking with a piece of wet cardboard.I asked her what kind of music she liked and she said she doesn’t like music. Like, in general. She only listens to the radio because of the weather. The weather, Steve.” 

  “Whatever. At least I have plans. What are you gonna do on this lovely Friday evening, huh?” he finishes tying up his shoes and gives you a pointed look.   “I’m, huh. I’m hanging out with the kids.” You lied. Well, he kinda had a point but he didn’t need to know that. Steve gets cocky when he knows he’s right. Because it never happens.   “Liar.” Oh, no. Busted. “I know that’s not true because Henderson told me they're busy with some nerdy science project tonight.”   “Yeah, I’m helping them.”   “Y/N, you don’t know jack shit about science.”   You grunt, covering your face with the magazine. “Ugh, fine. I’m staying in, okay?”   You wish you could punch that stupid smile off his face. He stands up, doing a ridiculous little twirl like he’s in the middle of a fashion show and poses with his hands on his hips.   “How do I look?” he asks you, flashing a smile and popping up the collar of his denim jacket.   Good, you want to say. Oh, so good.   Forget-about-your-date-and-take-me-right-here-on-your-bed good.   “You look like shit.”   He lets his hands fall at his sides and glares at you. You laugh, wondering if you should end his misery.   “You look great, Harrington. She won’t know what hit her.” You put the magazine down and start putting on your jacket. You know this routine like the back of your hand, because it’s been going on for a couple of months now.   First, Steve calls you saying he needs your help getting ready. He doesn't. Usually you just lay on his bed shit talking whoever it is he has decided to take to the movies or to a diner or whatever his plans are for the night. Meanwhile, he gets his hair puffed and tries to argue with you. He asks you how he looks. You tell him he’s good.   And now, he’s gonna offer to drive you home, because hey, he has to pick up Allison or Megan or whoever anyway, and it’s not like it’s out of his way. And then you’re going to say no, thank you. And walk home. By yourself.   “Hey, you want me to drop you off? It’s on the way.” So predictable, dear Steve. You shake your head.   “I’m good, thanks. It’s a short walk.” You’re not lying. You only live a couple of blocks away. And usually walking by yourself helps you get rid of all the thoughts that plague your mind every friday night after leaving his house.   Listen, it’s not like you were jealous. You’re not Steve’s girlfriend. You’re just, well, his girl-friend. And it’s not like anything will ever happen between the two of you. He sees you as one of the gang, one of the kids even, despite being the same age as him. Steve is protective and he has a big hero complex, you know that. After everything that happened at Starcourt, and that other time with the demodogs, there’s no way he’ll see you as anything else than just someone he has to protect. You must admit though, that you have kicked your fair amount of butt, so you think you can defend yourself, thank you very much.     You wave at Steve as he gets in his car and watch as he drives away, to Allison’s house. You start walking home, turning on your walkman and placing your headphones in your ears. When his hair and his laugh and his face, his stupid face, don’t leave your mind, you have to concede to yourself that, hey, maybe you are a little bit jealous. You often find yourself imagining what it would be like if, just once, you were the girl Steve’s getting ready for, the girl he picks up on his shiny car, the one he takes to the movies.   But you’re not the kind of girl Steve is looking for. You’re just his friend. In front of you, he can be gross and stupid. And you can be the same in front of him. Why would he want to date you when he’s seen you put chopsticks up your nose? You’ve seen the girls he takes on dates. They all look like something the printer would spit out if you were trying to clone Nancy Wheeler and it ran out of ink.   You got home, noticing your dad’s car gone from the driveway. Your parents must have gone out for dinner. They left you a twenty on the counter for some pizza underneath a note with a smiley face.   “Dirty Dancing it is.” ****   Across town, in what's basically Hawkins only slightly fancy restaurant (in reality, an old italian place with shitty lighting and very uncomfortable chairs), Steve is trying his best not to fall asleep. Allison has been going on and on about something for the last twenty minutes, but his mind is elsewhere. 

  "So I ended up buying the same shirt in three different colors." God, she really is boring. He should have listened to Y/N. Y/N is somehow always right about the girls he dates. It would piss him off, but honestly it's a bit impressive.

  "Huh. Smart." He spots Y/N's parents a couple of tables over and waves back at them with a smile. At least someone in this god forsaken restaurant looks like they're having fun. Steve perks up a little and nods at whatever Allison is saying. How is it every word that comes out of her mouth just sounds beige?

  "This pasta is really good. I'm glad I could order it with no sauce, it upsets my stomach, you know?" 

  Wait a minute. If Y/N's parents are here, then that means she's spending friday night by herself. Again. Locked inside, watching some movie. Probably Dirty Dancing. He rolls his eyes at the thought.

  "Have you seen any good movies lately?" he asks, in a last desperate attempt to salvage the wreckage that is this date.

"Hm, I don't really watch movies. I did see a commercial while I was waiting in line at the farmacy the other day. I guess it was funny."

  Oh. My. God. Steve just wants to hit his head against the table. Curse the moment he decided to do this. Oh, how he wishes he was just hanging out with Y/N and the kids now. Or maybe just Y/N, if the little shits are too busy with school. He can't wait until he gets home so he can call her and tell her everything about this new disaster, just like every friday night. Of course he can already hear her smug "I told you so" in his head, and he knows he has a full week of jokes at his expense waiting for him.

  Maybe if the date doesn't drag on for too long he can stop by Y/N's house with some ice cream or some snacks. Give her parents some more alone time. They don't mind him staying over, really. Y/N 's parents adore Steve. That's part of why he loves spending time at her place.

  "Hmm, Steve?" he suddenly snaps back to reality and stares back blankly to Allison, who doesn't look too happy, "Are you okay? You're very quiet."

  "Uh, yeah, yeah. Sorry, you were saying?"

  "Listen, I don't think this is going to work out," she says, standing up. He blinks up at her, dumbfounded.

  "It's just that...you're a little bit boring. Sorry. Thanks for dinner, though. And the ride. Don't worry, I'll just get a cab home." With that, she places the napkin back on the table, grabs her purse and her jacket and leaves. Steve  just sits in silence, confused. 

  Oh, Y/N's definitely going to laugh at him so much after this.

  Something suddenly clicks in his brain. Y/N. Oh Lord, he's so stupid. How could he be so stupid?

  He throws some money on the table, waves at Y/N's parents and practically bolts out of the door and into his car.

***

  The doorbell rings one, two, three times. Gee, when did the pizza delivery boy get so insistent? 

  You open the door to find a very upset looking Steve Harrington. And by upset, you mean angry.

  "Steve, what the hell are you doing here? What happened to your date?" you ask, moving out of the way when he comes inside and drops his car keys on the side table with a loud bang.

  "You ruined it."

  "Excuse me?" you furrow your brows, confused.

  "You heard me. You ruined my date," he waves his hands through his hair nervously a couple of times, all messy and sticking out, long gone the perfectly curated Fawcett hairdo.

  "How exactly did I ruin your date all the way from my couch, Harrington?" you ask, getting angry yourself. This is definitely the last thing you needed tonight.

  "I didn't listen to a thing Allison said."

   "That's hardly my fault, she has the charm of an expired vinegar bottle."

  "I didn't listen to a thing she said because I was thinking about you! I was too distracted thinking about you, and your stupid laugh, and your...your…" he freaks out, pointing at the tv, "your stupid movies. I knew you'd be watching Dirty Dancing! Why do you like that movie so damn much!?"

  "I'm sorry, did you come all the way here to insult Patrick Swayze to my face?"

   "And then she walked out on me. She walked out on me, Y/N."

  "Woah, bruised your ego a bit?"

  "I'm not joking around, Y/N!"

  You blink and raise your hands in surrender. Gee, someone's touchy.

  "I just don't know why you're here, Steve."

  "Don't you get it, Y/N? It's you. It was always you." He takes a few steps forward, dangerously close now. Your breath hitches a little bit, and your mouth refuses to speak. "I am so stupid. I can't believe I didn't realize it until now. Every night I was out there, the only thing I could think of was going back home, picking up the phone and calling you to tell you all about it. You get me, Y/N. And I get you. And I understand if you don't feel the same way but I think we make sense, this makes sense. Of course it's you, and your  dumb jokes and that laugh of yours that breaks me every time I hear it." 

  You're nearly touching now, and all it would take is one more movement. One more step and then-

  "Steve." He closes his eyes, anticipating the worst. He doesn't know. Of course he doesn't know. "You really are stupid. I've been in love with you ever since we met."

  His eyes open in surprise, shocked but delighted, and they close again when you crash your lips against his and he melts into the kiss. You grab him by his t-shirt and pull him down, your heart beating faster and faster. 

  When you finally pull away, you're both out of breath and smiling like idiots. You punch him in the shoulder and laugh.  "So, Harrington, where are you taking me next friday night?"

[jeromesxreader16]

Such A Joker (46)

Part 45 Here!!!

~o0o~

As we arrive in town Jeremiah holds my hand tightly. I lean on his arm smiling up towards him. "You're going to be okay." He nods letting out a shaky breath. "I know. I'm worried about what he will say about you. He will be mad." I nod looking away. "He won't know. I'll be going straight to the roof." His eyes grow sad as he gazes at me. "I won't see you again will I?" I smile at him and rest a hand on his cheek admiring his green eyes. "I don't know, Jer. I hope Jerome is going to be locked up and then we can move on. For the better."

Jeremiah nods placing his hand over my own. "Then this is goodbye, (Y/n)." I sigh look upon the sea of frightened citizens. "Until we meet again, Jeremiah." He grabs me smashing his lips upon mine. As my father pulls him away from me he calls out, "I love you!" I cover my mouth smiling.

I quickly run-up to the roof seeing both Bruce and Jeremiah hooked up to their bombs.

"No parent will admit it, but everyone's got their favorites. Right, brother? The one who cleans their room does their homework, doesn't try to kill everybody. Little Mr. Perfect here. Yeah. He was that guy. He got adopted by rich folks. I went to the top schools, then, a top college. Meanwhile, I got dragged through the circus by my depressed alcoholic mother. Forced to clean up elephant dung every day! Do you know how big those things are, folks? But I know something that Mommy and Daddy, they never knew."

Jerome smirks at his brother as he tells their tragic story. "You're as crazy as I am. It's in your DNA. See, we got the same blood running through us. We are practically identical. You are a killer. It's your nature. Stop trying to fight it. You changed (y/n). Pumped lies into her head of sanity. Took her away. I've got a plan for both of you."

Jerome opens a knife and slides it into Jeremiah's hand. "This is your chance, brother. Take your best shot."

Jeremiah screams lunging at his brother. Jerome simply doges it and punches him in the face. Gunfire rings out from the streets below. I lean over watching the chaos and losing sights on Jerome and Jeremiah.

As the panic increases, a blimp glides over the Square. The door to the rooftop burst open and a bleeding Jerome stumbles over to me laughing. "Look at her! Isn't she beautiful?"

Jerome looks to me pulling me to dance with him. "I'm not dumb, doll. I know where you've been." He squeezes my side sharply causing me to flinch. "You've been shot, Jerome." "Aw, what about that." He walks me over near the edge standing up on it and overlooking at his creation.

"Hands up." My father's voice rings out from behind us. Jerome turns around chuckling. He pulls out his phone raising a finger, "Just give me a second. Got to call the pilot. Tell him he's in position." In a split second Jerome's wrist is shot making him drop the phone.

"Not cool." He groans glaring at Jim.

"Jerome..." I state watching him with sad eyes.

He shakes his head. "It doesn't matter. Too late, anyway. Bombs away!" He shouts as another gunshot sounds. I scream as it enters his abdomen.

Jerome looks down at his wound. "Funny." He falls back making me run after him. "No!" My father grabs me as we both view Jerome dangling.

Jerome looks at me and smiles. This is where we end.

"You gonna let me fall and die? Or are you gonna pull me up and arrest me? What's it gonna be? Lawman or murderer?" I reach down but Jerome doesn't reach for me. "Dad... Please."

Jim reaches down but Jerome laughs swatting his hand away and hanging onto the pole with just his hands.

"Ah. Good ol' Gordons. The two of you! Always playing by the rules. That's why I'll outlive you. That's why I'm loved. It's why she loves me! 'cause I don't give a damn about the rules." He chuckles looking at the both of us.

"Jerome, grab my hand." He shakes his head smiling.

"It's a long way down. You sure you'll outlive me?"

"Oh, I'm sure. 'cause I'm more than a man. I'm an idea, a philosophy. And I will live on in the shadows within Gotham's discontent. I'll always be a part of you won't I, (y/n)? Say... Let my bro take care of you." He cackles blowing me a kiss. "You'll be seeing me soon. Au revoir!" Jerome lets go falling to the ground and onto a parked car ending his last seconds in Gotham.

My chest burns as his smile stay wide. His eyes looking up at me. I cry into my father's chest as he holds me. "It's alright, (Y/n). I'm here. I got you."

~

As we get down to the ground people are gathered around Jerome's body. "GCPD. Everybody get back!" Jim yells causing others to thin out.

Only leaving a few including Jeremiah. I walk over pulling on his sleeve. "(Y/n). Oh my god." He wraps his arm around me tightly. "I'm so sorry." I shake my head. "It's okay. He's in peace now."

He looks down at me with puffy eyes. "Can I come home?" I ask quietly. He smiles and cups my cheek nodding. "Of course you can. I wouldn't have you anywhere else."

"Mr. Valeska. Ms. Gordon. I'm sorry for the loss."

"Jeremiah, I meant what I said about your work being of importance to this city. Let Wayne Enterprises fund your work with a grant." Bruce offers with a nod.

"Thank you," Jeremiah says nodding. "We'll be in touch, Bruce."

As we walk away together I can't help but feel light. I look over at Jeremiah looping my arm in his. "Promise me that we will keep each other sane?" Jeremiah kisses my head nodding. "I promise, love."

~

I walk on the cold ground barefoot leading to the office. I knock twice before entering. "You know you need to go to sleep." I sit on the desk smiling at him as he scans his work. "I have slept." I pinch his nose rolling my eyes. "That kind of sleep doesn't count, Mr. Valeska." He shrugs coming around the desk and standing in between my legs.

"Alright. How about we open these and then we go to bed?" He passes me a small ring box with a tag while he holds a wrapped box. "Who are these from?" "Bruce Wayne." I giggle shaking mine. "Must be expensive."

As we tear into our gifts the tension is thick. "Same time?" Jeremiah asks like a child at Christmas. I nod smiling with excitement.

As I open the lid a tube spays me the purple gas. I cough falling on the floor. "Ahh, honey, do you smell that cooking?" Jerome's voice cackles in my mind. "You know how it feels love. It's just like a drug. Let it in. Let it flow. Let us grow." He laughs in my ears as I scream covering my ears.

Jeremiah thrashes around screaming as well. He soon starts to laugh and his smile grows wide. "Jer!" I scream as he falls on the floor.

I start laughing remembering all the things that made my blood-red hot. The screams of the victims I've taken. The wide fearful eyes of citizens.

"You wanted a new life, doll? You've got one! BURN IT DOWN!"

~

~Two Weeks Post Spray~

I sit on the couch keeping myself occupied with my phone as Ecco strolls in, sitting beside me. "Hey girlfriend."

"Hey Ecco! What are you doing here? I'm sure Jereminah gave you the week off." She shrugs smiling. "He did, doesn't mean I can't spend time with you, right? It's been a while since we hung out."

I look at the time seeing it's close to dinner and lock my phone. "You want to grab some drinks?" She nods standing. "It's a date. I'll drive." I laugh putting on my shoes and walking towards the office.

I peek my head in and see Jeremiah reading. "Hello (y/n)." He spills out my name like honey. He looks up smiling at me.

"Hi." I swoon as I walk over to him, resting on his leg. "I'm going to have a girls night with Ecco. Want me to get anything for you?" Jeremiah closes his book and removes his glasses. "You and Ecco?" I nod confused.

"We're good friends, Jer. She's looked after me for a while now." He hums smirking. "Would you rather me stay with you today?" Jeremiah shakes his head laughing. "No darling. Go out and have fun tonight!" He pats my hip standing me up. "Save some fun for me later, doll." He growls in my ear twirling me out the door.

I wink and salute to him. "Yes sir."

~

I laugh slamming my empty shot glass down. "Another!" Ecco shouts ringing us another round of shots.

I lean my head on her shoulder feeling foggy. "This- this is great! I haven't been able to just let go, ya know?" Ecco nods, "You out of everyone I've known deserves to drink." "What do you mean? My life isn't that nuts!" Ecco's eyes widen and she dies in laughter.

"R-really? Are you joking?" "I mean it's unusual, but not nuts! At least I'm happy."

Her eyes fall and she nods. "You're really happy with him?" I nod smiling. "He's great to me." "He's always working." Ecco agues.

"He makes time for me." Ecco scoffs muttering something under her breath. "Huh?" Ecco smiles shaking her head. "What do you say I get you home?" I nod standing and stumbling to the car.

"Heels are never a good idea when I've been drinking! I don't think I can- Whoa!" I trip falling.

Ecco grabs my waist catching me as I giggle drunkly. "You're so waisted!" She cackles leaning me against the car.

She opens the passage door letting me fall into the seat. "Hey Ecco." I whisper pulling her close. "Yes?"

I turn to her smiling, "think you could do me a favor?" She places a hand on my thigh gazing at me. "Anything (y/n)." She leans in awaiting. "Awesome. Can you take my shoes off? They're so far away." I slump back in my seat closing my eyes.

"Sure."

Seconds later my bare feet hit the floor mat and Ecco raised. I open my eyes checking on her, "Ecco, are you-" Her lips press flush against mine and she places her fingers in my hair.

She pulls away breathlessly. "Don't go back to him, (y/n). He doesn't give you enough." I stare at her confused. "You're drunk, Ecco." I giggle pushing her away softly.

She grabs my chin and she pecks my lips lightly. "Okay, (y/n). You're happy and I'll keep it at that." Before I close my eyes she mutters three words I never expected.

She buckles me into the seat, kisses my head, whispers "I love you." Then closes my door starting the long ride home.

~

I sit up groaning and fall back into the silk pillowcase. A sharp giggle causes me to open my eyes seeing Jerome sitting at the edge of the bed. "You got a little frisky last night didn't you?" I tilt my head looking at him. "What do you want?" He crawls up the bed kissing me cheeks.

"How is my dear brother? Any sign of insanity yet? Yours is kicking in nicely, but he's a tough cookie isn't he?" I roll my eyes covering my head with the pillow. "He'll never give into it." Jerome pulls the pillow off my face smiling. "You never used to be this naïve." He sighs rolling off the bed and hitting the floor. "Enjoy the sanity while you still can, doll. Dark days are coming for Gotham." Jerome places a hand on my stomach smiling. "But there is always a spark of light in the dark isn't there?" He giggles, vanishing as he leaves the pressure on my stomach.

I shake my head standing, but as soon as my feet hit the floor a rush of sickness washes over me. I run to the bathroom throwing my insides into the bowl.

Jeremiah rushes in kneeling next to me. "Oh, honey, too much fun last night?" I lean on the wall breathing hard. "It must've been." Jeremiah nods helping me up. "Jim called." "I missed his call?" "No, love, he called me." I smile leaning against the counter.

"For?" "He invited us over for dinner tonight. He said something about starting up the Weekly Gordon Dinner Fest and convinced me it was going to be amazing." "Wow. He's inviting you over. You know what that means? He likes you." Jeremiah shakes his head. "He likes that I keep his daughter safe." I giggle kissing his nose. "Nope. He likes you, Jeremiah. I can feel it."

~

"Do I need to dress fancy or is this purple tie too much?" Jeremiah asks, turning around to face me. "Purple? That's new for you." Jeremiah nods tugging at it and smirking. "It is. Makes me feel fresh. Do you like it, love?" I waltz over to him with his blazer. "You look great." Jeremiah slides his jacket on and wraps his arms around me. "And you... look darling in red."

He swings me around and I laugh leaning into him. As I hold my hand on his chest I notice the skin around his neckline is extremely pale. I pull at the collar looking at the ghostly skin beneath. "Something wrong, doll?" I looked up at him and for a moment his eyes were light as snow. I blink rapidly only to see them a healthy green again. "You're just... pale. More than usual." Jeremiah smiles, shrugging. "I live underground, (y/n). Sunlight isn't my best friend." I nod as he walks us away from our home.

~

"I just can't believe you made this all alone, dad." I laugh as I help set out the spread my father had made for tonight. "I'm not completely helpless." He says picking up a plater. "Here Jim, let me." Jeremiah takes it and sets the food on the table.

My dad nods smiling. "You did good this time, (y/n)." I nod smiling at my favorite men. "Oh, almost forgot!" Jeremiah pulls out a bottle of scotch and passes it to my father. "Can't come without a gift." My father pats Jeremiah's shoulder nodding. "Thank you Jeremiah. Care for a glass?" "Please." Jeremiah chuckles pulling out my chair.

As dinner runs on course everyone smiles and laughs. I gaze at my family with a smile. "Would you look at that?" Jerome strolls out of the kitchen drinking from the bottle of scotch. "That could've been us."

Jerome makes faces at the two of them as he downs his drink. "Just look at you. Such a happy family. Why don't you have a drink to celebrate?" Jerome starts to poor scotch in my glass but looks up at me with a smirk. "Oh wait... that wouldn't be healthy for the little babe, would it? Ah more for me!"

"(Y/n)?" I shake my head looking at my father. "I-I'm sorry. What?" "Are you okay, honey? You look like you're going to be sick." I place my hand on my stomach, but remove it quickly, placing it on the table. "I'm fine, Dad."

~

As I'm drying my hair, Jeremiah walks in the bathroom. "Are you going to tell me what happened at dinner?" I sigh looking at him.

"I think we need to go back two weeks and take a recap. We never talked about it." "About what?" "The spray, Jeremiah! We both got a spray special for us and woke up like nothing happened!" Jeremiah's eyes flash with fear as he looks at me. He trembles moving towards the bed. "I-I thought it was all a dream. I've been seeing him everywhere. I thought maybe it was just a way to cope." He holds his head in his hands.

I sit in front of him removing his hands. "What has he done to you, Jeremiah?" He holds my hands shaking. "I hear everything he says. He's always in the back of my mind just picking away. Putting thoughts in my head. Bad thoughts. It's getting harder to resist, (y/n)."

I took off his tie and unbuttoned his shirt revealing his pale chest. I run my fingers over it furrowing my brows. "It started at my legs. I hate to think what it will do when it gets to my face. I'll look horrid." I laugh shaking my head. "No. You'll look just as handsome."

Jeremiah laughs, grabbing my hands again. "And you?" I smile and sigh. "Just like all of your work was reversed. I can't even force him out of my mind now. He's just mocking me about everything. How happy we are. How Jim likes you."

Jeremiah holds me in his arms as I run my fingers over his ghostly skin. "No matter where this takes us we stay together." "Always, Jeremiah."

~

I gasp sitting up in bed. "You got about 1 minute." "Until what?" Jerome leans on his hands smirking at me. Suddenly a rush of sickness strikes me causing me to invade the bathroom once more.

Jerome laughs strolling in. "If it's a boy can you name him after his daddy? Jerome Valeska the second! Has a good ring don't you think?" "Y-you're not the father." Jerome smirks backing away. "You sure about that? I bet he'll even have my eyes!"

I wipe my mouth and crawl back in bed. He's not that father. I'm not pregnant at all.

"Or for a girl we could go for-" "SHUT UP!" I scream throwing a pillow at the figure.

[themadauthorshatter]

TOPPAT!CHARLES PART 6

HEY! HEY, YOU!

Don't scroll past this!

Why, you ask?

Simple.

TIME FOR TOPPAT!CHARLES PART 6!!!!!

Sorry if I scared you there, I'm just über excited for this one, I sincerely am, you have no idea!!! 

If you haven’t read the previous parts, you can find them RIGHT HERE: 

Part 1: 

Part 2: 

Part 3: 

Part 4: 

Part 5:

Previously on Toppat!Charles: Our pilot friend learned the hard way it's not a good idea to say 'no' to the Right Hand Man, and has accepted his offer. Meanwhile, Henry has been having nightmares of his different end selves disagreeing with his decision and chastising him for letting Charles get taken by Right.

HEADCANON/THEORY FOLLOWING OF THE CHAPTER: Watch this theory by Two Left Thumbs, and you'll know instantly. A hint, though, Ellie is dealing with this in her own way; she and Henry ARE connected in more ways than one😉: https://youtu.be/LjOCfKOqkic

Got that? FANTASTIC!!

LET'S DIVE RIGHT BACK IN!!!!

Henry walks down a hallway and toward a break room for breakfast; he, Ellie, and Charles do have an apartment, but the general wants them to stay until Charles is back home safely. 

It has been at least a few weeks since part 5, and that time, in addition to the nightmares, has taken its toll. Henry’s hair is messy, his clothes are wrinkled, and bags have formed under his eyes. 

As he reaches the doorway, someone is there to greet him. 

“Morning, Mr. Stickmin.” 

Bill Bullet sits at one of the tables, having just finished his own breakfast and is now fidgeting with his empty coffee cup. 

Henry takes a seat across from him and rests his head on his hand. 

“You doing alright? You look like Hell in a hand basket.” 

'Hard time sleeping,' Henry signs as he yawns.

"Well, don't go sleeping on me. We're moving today."

Henry looks up at him, now awake and alert.

"Some of my men saw movement from the orbital station on oir satellite. They might be paying Earth a visit."

Henry pulls a newspaper ad out of his pocket and uncrinkles it and shows it to Bullet, tapping on it.

It's an add for a museum exhibit in a neighboring city close to the one Henry robbed in StD, said exhibit being a sapphire, like a large sapphire, like the size of the diamond, ruby, and emerald. It's tempting for Henry to not steal the sapphire and slip back into old habits.

This is an excellent target for the clan.

'The Right Hand Man should be, too.'

Bullet smirks and nods. "I've got a team ready for you. We'll leave on your call."

TIME JUMP TO THE MUSEUM!!!!!

Henry and his team and Ellie enter the museum with little to no problem; Henry brought Ellie for emotional support and so he could show her the sapphire. (A small gift to her for everything she's done as his friend)

They have some close calls like Ellie almost getting seen by a guard, one of the CCC men almost shoots another guard "just in case," and another guard almost falls on yet another guard.

After that, they get to the sapphire exhibit and take out the guards in a way that doesn't get them (the guards) killed. After that, they all sit down and play the waiting game.

The CCC men do a sweep of the area and ready themselves at different parts of the exhibit, hiding in spots and ready to strike. Ellie and Henry take a seat near the sapphire itself, admiring it before focusing back on the mission.

Henry lets his mind wander, thinking about how once they save Charles, Henry will take his place in the CCC. It's the kind of thought that gives them a sick feeling, but all he can think is 'As long as Charles is safe, it'll be worth it.'

He remembers Terrence's words about how life is for living and bites his tongue.

I've seen families live together just fine with no riches, no crime, and no Toppat Clan. We really meant that little to you?

He gets a tap on his shoulder and looks over to see Ellie holding out a cup of coffee to him, a thermos, maybe two, next to her.

"I thought you could use some, since we're gonna be here for a while."

Henry shakes his head and tries to push it away. 'No thanks. I don't really like coffee. Gives me a headache.'

Ellie gives him a withering look. "When was the last time you got a good night's sleep?"

When Henry doesn't answer, Ellie smirks and holds out the coffee once more. "Yeah, thought so."

Henry rolls his eyes and takes the cup, signing with his free hand, 'Fine. When did you become my mother?'

"When you became a child," Ellie barks as she lightly bonks Henry on the head. "And when you came back from visiting your father." She leans back and puts the back of her free hand against her eyes, looking as dramatic as possible. "What they say is true: A boy really needs the love of a mother."

Henry scoffs and shakes his head with a smile before writing on her palm again with his finger. 'I already have a mother.'

Ellie sits straight, now intrigued. "You don't talk about them a lot. Your parents, I mean."

Henry raises an eyebrow and points to her as he nods, gesturing either, 'You don't, either' or 'Neither do you.' Same message, different phrasing.

It's Ellie's turn to shake her head. "They're not people I want to talk about. I doubt my dad would let me visit him, even in a situation like this."

Henry pauses from drinking his coffee.

"Your dad said life is for living. I can't say he's wrong for saying that." She turns her head to Henry, looking him in the eye even those he's staring off into outer space/zoning out. "It's just hard to live life when..." She looks away again, lowers her voice, just so the CCC men don't hear her, and clenches her fists on her knees. "When you can't stop living."

Henry nods as he goes for another sip of coffee.

Then he stops.

'It's hard to live life when you can't stop living.'

Those words make Henry slowly lower his cup and turn to Ellie, looking at her both incredulously and with fear.

"What?" He asks under his breath.

Before Ellie can answer, something is thrown into the exhibit and EXPLODES, filling the room with smoke and no one really getting too injured.

The CCC men fall one by one from being grabbed from behind and put into a sleeper hold, and the toaats responsible run over, mostly undetected because of the smoke.

Henry is seemingly tackled down by Ellie as the two hear glass breaking above them.

The sapphire's case is open.

Henry sees a toppat get close and shoots him in the shoulder, not enough to kill him but enough to get him running away.

"Good shot!" Ellie yells between coughs because the alarms been set off.

Henry points to his gun, then to his hand as he shakes his head with a "Mh-mm." 'I was aiming for his hand.'

The two go toe to toe with a pair of toppats like in the very beginning of this series, but something's different. When Henry kicks his opponent away, the toppat scurries away from the two. And Ellie's just runs when she's just started fighting.

"What's going on?"

Henry shrugs and then looks over at the sapphire.

You know that face and stance he does in Toppat King when the rocket takes off without him? Weeeeellll...

Henry's face drops completely as he holds the sides of his face, gasping loudly.

Ellie is equally flabbergasted, and a little annoyed at how well this plan actually worked in the toppat's favor.

A little too well, I'd say.

"What do we-"

Henry runs after the toppat Ellie was fighting before she can finish asking him.

The three race through multiple exhibits, the toppat throwing down trash bins and benches in order to slow them down.

Henry, however, has the power of friendship and adrenaline and keeps up with him evry step of the way.

"Stop!" He yells. "Where is he!?"

The toppat fumbles, but still continues running. Ellie picks up her pave unitl she's in front of Henry.

"Where's Charles!?"

The chase takes the two of them outside, Henry falls behind, where the toppat makes a sharp turn to the wall.

Ellie sees this a second too late as she is hit in the nose with a cybernetic hand, knocking her down, but not knocking her out, even when a cybernetic foot is put on her freshly healed rib.

"'Ello. It's been a while, 'asn't it?"

Ellie glares up at Right and tries to move his foot.

"Last time I saw you, you had to get carried in a stretcher."

"And you took our friend," Ellie sneers.

Right rolls his eyes; these kids do not play around, which he admires, but it does get annoying when he's in a playing mood.

"Charles. Our friend. What did you do with him?"

Right smirks and looks over his shoulder. "Looks like this one missed you, after all. You'll fit in perfect with the two of them now." Right moves his foot and approaches whoever he's talking to, and Ellie takes this opportunity to try to get the jump on him.

The toppat sees this INSTANTLY.

🤨... I don't know anout you guys, but I feel like I'm forgetting something here.🤔🤔

OH, YEAH!!!

Henry runs out just in time to see this toppat shoot Ellie in the hip.

If this was a movie, we would hear nothing, no music, no talking, just the sound of the gun firing and echoing as the bullet either gets lodged in Ellie's hip or goes THROUGH her hip, close to the joint of her leg. We would get a shot of Ellie's face, eyes wide, brows furrowed and widely arced, like those despair looking anime faces, and lips slightly parted as shock sets in. We would also get three more shots, one from her perspective as she sees the toppat lower his gun,one behind Ellie as she falls back, and the third being on the ground and slightly in front of her as Henry freezes where he is and watches her fall.

BUT HE DOESN'T STAY THIS WAY.

"You BASTARD!" Henry screams as he charges toward Right, who steps back and throws him into the toppat.

The sight of him not only snaps Henry out of his rage, it completely throughs him into a despaired shock.

He's lost a lot of weight in his captivity, and Henry can feel it through his suit and see it in his cheeks, jaw, neck, and eyes, which are blood shot, empty and glassy. His hair's grown longer to where it is past his shoulders and kept in a low ponytail, the rest held back by gel and his own top hat so it stays out of his face. He's gotten pale from his time in space and not being exposed to sunlight and vitamin D.

For a second, neither recognize each other, but Henry is the first to as his chest goes hollow.

"Charles!" He quickly embraces his friend, who is still quiet and nit exactly reacting, but the gears start turning in his head as he realizes who's talking to and hugging him.

Right watches ans his smirk widens as Henry let Charles go and turns to him, tears pouring down his cheeks and now angry as hell.

"What did you do to him!?"

Right looks back at Charles, prompting Henry to do the same.

"Henry?"

A smile grows on Henry's face as he helps his friend up.

"Charles, I'm so sorry! I should've-"

BANG!

Henry falls backward, but doesn't die. Instead, the ground melts away beneath him and he gasps as the bullet wound heals on his forehead. You know that feeling you get when you're falling asleep and feel like your mattress is floating on the ocean waves? Henry feels that until he's back looking up at Right.

This time, he looks at Charles to see Charles is literally about to shoot him, but he hits and throws it away before Charles flips him over and smashes his fist into Henry's face repeatedly until Henry throws him off and stands back up, Charles standing as well and glaring at him, absolutely livid.

"Why'd you do it?" Charles growls. "Why didn't you help me when I needed you!?"

The hollow feeling in Henry's chest worsens as Charles stares him down. Part is him is more than willing to break down into tears, but all the time watching the tapes Right showed him in Part 5 have made his body producing tears next to impossible.

Right only stands back and watches because, as you probably put together, THIS is plan. Not only to take a friend, Charles, away from Henry, but to have said friend destroy him.

"I'm sor-"

Before Henry can finish, Charles punches him again.

"TELL ME!" His voice is a little broken, but he keeps yelling out of frustration and sheer anger because, yes, while Henry sent the destroyers and the government to help Charles, he didn't stop Right in the jungle during the mission. "WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP THEM!? WHY DIDN'T YOU HELP ME!? YOU JUST STOOD THERE AND LET ME GET TAKEN AWAY!"

Henry doesn't have the fight in him to stop Charles from yelling at him or punching him. He doesn't even have it in him to look Charles in the eye.

And that bothers Charles immensely.

"Why won't you say anything?" Charles asks. "No matter what, you've always stayed quiet."

When Henry still remains silent, Charles swings a punch into his face hard enough to make Henry fall down.

"SAY SOMETHING!"

Henry holds up his hands, revealing how much he's been crying and how hard Charles has been hitting him; Henry's nose is broken, one of his eyes his swollen shut, his lips are split, and a tooth is loose.

Physically unable to speak, Henry signs to Charles instead, 'I'm sorry.'

Charels quickly kneels down and snatches Henry's hand.

"I want to hear you say it."

Henry tries forcing those words out, but his throat tightens up and leaves him unable to speak. He tries again and his crying becomes worse as he shakes his head.

"SAY IT!" Charles screams.

Henry breaks down as he shakes his head again, signing and gesturing as much as he can.

Charles rises to his feet, his eyes going glassy and his face expressionless. "I figured as much." He kicks Henry in the mouth and turns to Right. "We're done here. Send a message back to the station. We got the sapphire."

Right nods as his smirk becomes a smile. "Yes, sir."

Henry stands up on shaky legs and stiltedly walks towards his friend.

"Ch-Charles."

Charles shuts his eyes and heaves a breath through his nose, his top hat in his hands.

"Charles, w-wait-"

Charles wheels around as he watches Henry stumble toward him.

"I... I-"

"Don't bother."

Charles holds the hand gun Henry made him drop and aims it at Henry.

"I've heard enough."

When Charles shoots, Henry does not feel the bullet when it is lodged into his waist.

Henry is standing long enough to see Right, Charles, and any remaining toppats be beamed up to the orbital station with the sapphire.

The glare from Charles stays in Henry's mind as he falls, eyes locked on the night sky as Charles's words replay over and over in his mind.

Ellie groans as she crawls over to Henry and falls on her good side, where Charles didn't shoot her.

"We tried," she says as she breathes shakily and hold his shoulder, more his shirt, but I digress. "We tried."

The CCC guards do eventually wake up and get Ellie and Henry back to the government base. Both get immediate medical attention, which leads to Henry getting surgery to get the bullet out and seeing Ellie suddenly begin to panic and shout repeatedly, "I can't feel my leg!"

TIME JUMP TO AFTER HIS SURGERY!

Henry wakes up in his own room and finds that Galeforce is sitting in a chair, hunched forward, fists shaking, and his hat off.

"General?"

Galeforce puts his hat back on and sits straight. His eyes are red rimmed and have bags underneath them now. "Morning, Henry. How're you feeling?"

Henry holds his hand out and sort of tilts it on a way to say, 'Fine.'

Galeforce forces a smile and sighs.

"Ellie's still in the infirmary. That shot form-" He gulps and coughs a little bit. "-From the toppat... did a number on her leg. She won't be on the field for a long time."

Henry sits up, even when his body aches, and picks up a pen and notepad on his bedside table.

'They got the sapphire.'

Galeforce nods. "I know."

Henry shakes as he writes on the notepad again before dropping both and resting his forehead on his knees while loosely hugging his knees. Galeforce hangs his head and lets Henry cry; he doesn't really have much to say anyway.

'Charles,' the notepad reads.

HOLY SHIT DID THIS ONE TAKE FOREVER!!!!!

But that is a really good thing😁!

I hope you all enjoyed this one because I certainly did!!

I'm probably going to take a break from this for a little bit because of how much of an emotional roller coaster this is, and so I don't get burn out. I will come back to this because I love this series, I guess you can say I'm letting my cake cool down before adding the frosting or letting the pot sit so it make good caramel or fudge.

Thank you, thank you, thank you all so much for following this series. I appreciate each and every one of you so much!

I hope you all stay safe this season, thank you again for reading and following, and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!

[heyyyharry]

Chapter 4: Winton

(from the My Girl Trilogy: Stay Mine)

…in which Harry and Y/N finally meet Harry’s father and he’s not what they expected.

Word count: 5.8k

AU: actor!Harry, older!Harry, younger!Y/N, (4-year age gap).

Wattpad link (original character: Thea as Y/N)

A/N: I’m on vacation right now and I brought my laptop to write but I couldn’t write with my family around so I’m sorry I haven’t written any new blurb 😂 I will next week when I get home.

.

The next day, Harry, Y/N, and Isaac came to the address Emilia had given them. It was a cheap tower block quite far from Harry’s North London house. Y/N found it strange that a twenty-something was still living with her father, but she didn’t want to judge anyone before getting to know them.

As the building didn’t have a lift, they had to use the narrow staircase to get to the fourth floor. The walls were stained and the floor was unclean. There was no window in the hallway and the only source of light was the blinking lightbulb on the dark grey ceiling.

“This place seems even worse than mine,” Y/N said, following Isaac as he checked every door for the right flat number.

With an arm around her shoulders, Harry spoke, “your place is still pretty shit, babe.”

“True.” Y/N chuckled, but then she realised what it actually meant. “Hey, I know what you’re trying to do!”

“Well, I’m not trying to do anything.” He shrugged. “You hate my big mansion anyway so, what’s the point?”

“Then why did you bring it up?”

As she shot him a glare, he burst out laughing and pulled her in for a hug. “I was only joking.”

“That wasn’t funny.”

“Yes, it was. You should’ve seen your face.”

“Guys!” Isaac called from the end of the hallway, pointing to a door as the couple rushed up to him. “Here it is. Flat no. 28.”

Y/N raised an eyebrow. “Well?”

“You do it.” Isaac nudged Harry, who nudged him right back.

“No, you do it. Your girlfriend lives here.”

“One, she’s not my girlfriend. Two, you’re here to see your dad.”

“I don’t consider him as my dad so--”

“Oh my fucking god!” Y/N cried out as she pushed the men apart and knocked on the door, glaring at both of them.

Harry sucked in a breath. When he squeezed her hand, she could tell he was nervous so she patted him on the back and reassured him that it would be okay. Meanwhile, Isaac stayed quiet. Y/N assumed it must have been because of her, as they hadn’t exchanged a word since they got into the car, and she was dying to know if he was still upset.

“Hey, I--”

The door creaked open as soon as she spoke and Emilia greeted them with a wide smile. The girl put a hand on her chest, dimples dug deep into her cheeks as she stared attentively at Harry’s face.

“You look even more handsome in person,” she said.

“Thank you.” Harry pressed his lips into an awkward smile. “Can we—”

“Oh, please, come in! Make yourself at home!” Emilia pulled the door open wide and stepped aside for her guests to enter. “Have a seat. I’ll go get my dad.”

Y/N and Harry followed Isaac to the middle of the room. As Harry stopped in front of a bookshelf, Y/N soon realised what he was staring at. A family picture, in which Winton looked the same as he did in the photograph Harry had found when he was a child. He was young, only a bit older than Harry now, and Emilia was just a baby sitting on her mother’s lap. All three of them were smiling.

Y/N crossed her arms, her eyes squinted. She supposed all blondes looked the same as she found Winton’s wife very familiar but wasn’t sure whom she reminded her of. It took her a moment to figure it out. And her mouth fell open.

Ruby fucking Ellis.

“What?” Harry lifted an eyebrow when she shot him a glare.

Isaac understood right away so he laughed and said, “Emilia looks more like Winton.”

“Thank God for that,” Y/N said, still glaring at Harry.

“I’m not following, is that an inside joke?”

Y/N and Isaac exchanged looks with each other and almost burst out laughing when the sound of the door made them all turn their heads. Though no one reacted, they were equally shocked to see Emilia pushing a man in a wheelchair to the living room.

That’s him. That’s Winton! Y/N thought, but...what happened to his legs?

“Why are you all standing? Come here! Make yourself at home,” Winton said, pointing to the sofa, and Harry, Y/N, and Isaac reluctantly came to sit down at once.

“I’ll make you guys some tea!”

“I’ll help!” Isaac got up quickly and followed Emilia into the kitchen. He was only eager to get out of there and Y/N would have gone with him if it hadn’t been for Harry. She stayed with him even though she hated the awkward silence which took over as soon as Emilia and Isaac left. She wanted to speak up, but at the same time, couldn’t stop gawking at Winton.

Winton Styles was exactly how she imagined Harry would look like in thirty years, only happier than Harry would’ve been if he’d been jobless and living in a place like this. Harry was probably thinking of the same thing. And from his hardened expression, she could tell he was as disappointed as he was surprised.

He wanted to see a loser, an unemployed alcoholic who had to live on his daughter’s money. Not a disabled man who was content with having nothing more than a daughter who loved him. It was selfish and almost cruel to wish that for anyone, but Y/N understood and therefore couldn’t blame him.

“Nice to meet you, sir,” she spoke so Harry didn’t have to, smiling as she shook Winton’s hand. “My name’s Y/N. I’m Harry’s girlfriend.”

“Nice to meet you, Y/N. What a beautiful name,” Winton said. “Harry is so lucky to be dating such a lovely girl.”

“What happened to your legs?”

Harry’s question froze Y/N to the spot. She stayed quiet and studied Winton’s expression, thinking he would be offended but he only gave a shrug as if he’d been expecting that inquiry.

“I had an accident two years ago,” was all he said before changing the subject, “but let’s not talk about me. How are you?”

“I’m good.”

“Harry’s an actor!” Y/N brightened but Harry’s lips stayed a firm line.

Winton put on a grin, slowly nodding his head. “I know. I’ve watched all of his movies.”

“He’s great, isn’t he?” Y/N said as she gave her boyfriend a nudge and yet, he didn’t crack a single smile.

“You know,” Winton went on, “Emi might be your biggest fan. She used to collect all your movie posters and learn by heart all of your famous lines.”

“Stop embarrassing me, dad!”

Y/N heaved a sigh of relief when Emilia and Isaac returned with biscuits and tea. Their presence made such a big difference as both Harry and Winton appeared a lot less apprehensive.

“She used to be a film student,” Isaac said before taking a seat next to Harry.

“Used to?”

“Yeah.” Emilia gave Y/N a smile as she plopped down on the armchair right by her father. “I’d only spent a year in college before the accident, and dad used to be a construction worker. Now that he can’t go back to work, I’m taking care of both of us.”

“That must be tough,” Y/N frowned.

“It’s all right,” Emilia giggled as she reached out to hold her father’s hand. “I’m actually thinking about taking acting classes. My biggest dream is to become a famous actress like Ruby Ellis.”

The name made Harry choke on his tea. Emilia gasped as he started coughing into his arm. “Are you okay?! Is something wrong with the tea?”

“No, the tea is exceptionally good,” Y/N answered on her boyfriend’s behalf as she took a sip from her cup.

Isaac hurriedly grabbed a biscuit and changed the subject, “these are also really good, Emi! Did you make them yourself?”

“Yes! I think I’ll open my own shop and sell these if I can’t make it as an actress.”

As Emilia went on and on about how she’d made those delicious biscuits, Y/N noticed Harry’s hand reaching inside his pocket. He was about to pull out the note when she grabbed his bicep and spoke quickly, “how old are you, Emi?”

“Twenty-one.” Emilia beamed, still unaware of the tension in the room.

“Really? We’re the same age then!” Y/N said, making her face lit up.

“Oh my god, you know what? I’ve always wanted a sister!”

“May I ask, what was the accident?”

Harry’s second question silenced the room once again. Y/N facepalmed herself as Isaac stared at his feet. They waited for Winton and Emilia to get angry and kick them out, but even though Emilia’s smile had disappeared, she still managed to keep her composure.

“Well, my mum, she...um...she was mentally unstable.”

Harry pressed his lips together as Isaac slowly looked up and Y/N’s eyes went round. It wasn’t the answer they had expected.

“She set our house on fire one night. Dad and I managed to escape but she didn’t. He went back in to save her but he couldn’t and lost both of his legs.”

Y/N suddenly felt suffocated, as if an invisible force was putting pressure against her lungs. She nibbled on her bottom lip, her eyes fell to the floor. She still remembered vividly the night her mother passed away, but if she’d been there and witnessed the car crash, it would’ve been the kind of trauma she would never have recovered from.

In a moment of weakness, she let go of Harry’s arm to grab Emilia’s hand, which allowed Harry to pull out the letter and put it in front of Winton.

“I’m sorry for you lost. I really do--”

“Harry--”

“--but I’m actually here today because Gemma couldn’t make it,” he said, ignoring his girlfriend tugging at his sleeve. “She wanted me to say a few things on her behalf, but I think it’d be better for all of us if you’d read her letter. Thank you for having us. I think we should go now.”

Before Y/N or Isaac could stop him, Harry had already got up and put on his jacket. Winton and Emilia were both speechless when the other two followed Harry to the door.

Isaac didn’t forget to thank them for the tea and biscuits as Y/N rushed down the hallway and chased her boyfriend down the stairs. When she finally caught him, she took his car key and handed it to Isaac.

“Get the car, Isaac. I need to talk to Harry.”

Isaac nodded and scurried off, leaving the couple alone on the staircase. Harry looked away when Y/N turned back to him.

“Would you mind telling me what just happened?” she asked.

He leaned a shoulder against the wall, his forehead creased. “That was exactly what we came here to do, wasn’t it?”

“But that was before we knew the kind of man he’d become,” she said, stepping closer. “It seemed to me that he had changed. You couldn’t treat him like the person he used to be twenty years ago.”

Harry tossed his head back, taking a deep breath.

“What?” She lifted an eyebrow.

“Nevermind.”

“No, tell me.”

“Fine,” he breathed. “If Emilia is the same age as you, then Winton must have cheated on my mum to have her. He left when I was four. She was the reason he left us. I know we shouldn’t judge someone from their mistakes in the past, but it was all I could think of when I looked at him.”

“Shh, baby.” Y/N grabbed his face before he could turn his head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realise--”

“No, it’s fine. Let’s not keep Isaac waiting.” Just like that, he ducked right past her and continued walking down the stairs.

.

.

.

“Thanks for the ride.”

“Thanks for coming with us,” Harry chuckled as Isaac patted him on the shoulder and got out from the backseat.

“No problem. If you need anything else, just let me know.”

“Wait!” Y/N spoke before Isaac walked away. She told Harry to give her a minute and quickly got out of the car.

“What is it, Smiley?”

The nickname made her whole face brighten as she ran up to Isaac. She didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, but she’d missed it more than he might assume.

“You’re not mad at me?” she asked.

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Well, I was mad at you, but not anymore.”

“Good.” She put a hand on her chest and couldn’t stop beaming. “I’m still sorry though. I shouldn’t have told Harry about Emilia after I’d given you my word.”

“Don’t worry about it. You’re forgiven.”

“Truce?”

“Truce,” Isaac said, shaking her hand.

They shared one last hug before Y/N returned to the car. She waved goodbye to Isaac through the window, as Harry started the engine and drove away.

.

.

.

It was late when they arrived at her block. He stopped his car in front of the building and kissed her goodnight as she unbuckled her seatbelt. But right before she left, she had to ask, “you’re not mad at me, are you?”

“No.” He pressed his lips into a soft smile. “Sorry I overreacted.”

“You didn’t though. I’m sorry I didn’t know,” she said and moved a strand of hair out of his forehead. “What are you thinking of right now?”

“Just…” Harry gave a shrug, his lashes fluttered. “I was fine for twenty years without knowing my dad, but now that I’ve met him, I--I’m not fine. And I can’t explain it, not even to myself.”

She stared thoughtfully into his eyes for a second. “Well, this might sound irrelevant but…” she began, tucking her hair behind her ears and laughing lightly, “after you left home for the first time and before we met again in London, I used to block you on socials, ignore all the news about you and refuse to watch any of your movies.”

“You’ve told me this before. It was because I broke my promise and didn’t come back, right?”

“Not really.” She shook her head. “I did it because...I didn’t want to know how great your life had been. I guess it’s just easier to think someone’s life doesn’t go on without you, and that they’re unhappy because they miss you all the time. When in reality, you know their lives don’t revolve around you, and that they’ll be happy with other people and don’t think about you at all. But it’s so simple to just pretend...you know?”

Harry held her gaze as he pursed his lips and cupped her cheek. His hand was cold, but she didn’t mind. She tilted her head, leaning against his palm to feel more of his touch.

“Winton was right about one thing today,” he whispered, making her eyes go round.

“What is it?”

His mouth twitched as he leaned in and kissed her softly. “I’m so lucky to have you.”

Y/N’s nose crinkled when she snorted and wrapped both arms around his neck, kissing him harder.

“Hey,” he pulled away to kiss her forehead, “can I stay tonight? I miss falling asleep with you.”

“You can but I’ll be busy.” Her answer was rather disappointing, but she was always straightforward with him and he appreciated that. “I have an assignment to finish and I need to write. We won’t be able to do anything, but we can cuddle--”

“It’s fine. I’d only distract you.”

“No, you wouldn’t.”

“I would.” He scoffed and hugged her waist to kiss along her jawline. “I’d want you so much and have to seduce you into putting your work aside to play with me.”

“You’re despicable.” She pulled his face up to peck him on the lips. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Will you make it up to me?”

“It depends on how you behave.”

“I’m always good.” He smirked and held her wrists against their chests so she couldn’t open the door. “Say I’m a good boy and I’ll let you go.”

“You’re a good boy. You’re the best.” She laughed, kissing him once more before he officially let her go.

“Goodnight, Bambi.”

“Goodnight, Harry.”

.

.

.

“Good job, Harry! Take five, everyone!”

As soon as Harry returned to his makeup vanity, a makeup artist and a stylist rushed in to touch up his look for the second shoot after the break. His assistant brought water to him, but right as he wrapped his mouth around the lip of the bottle, he lowered it instantly and put the cap back on.

He turned his head fast, thinking the reflection in the mirror wasn’t real, until he actually saw Emilia standing by the entrance and waving enthusiastically.

“Excuse me.” He got out of his seat and made his way towards her. “What are you doing here, Emi?”

“I brought dad here to see you and your manager let us in!”

The girl said something else about this being her first time at a fashion photoshoot but Harry didn’t pay attention to a single word. He was busy turning left and right looking for a man in the wheelchair.

“Where’s Winton?”

“He’s waiting in the hallway.” Emilia pointed to the door and Harry hurriedly snapped his fingers to get his assistant’s attention. The girl put down her phone and ran up to him.

“Jo, this is Emilia. Can you please keep an eye on her?”

“Yes, Mr. Styles!” Jo said.

Harry didn’t say another word to Emilia and just stormed out of the studio.

He found both Jeff and Winton in the hallway. They were laughing like old friends, which made him wonder if Jeff knew who the man was.

“Hey, H! I finally met your dad!”

Fuck. He knew.

“Could you give us a moment, Jeff?”

“S-Sure,” Jeff stuttered as Harry forced a smile. His manager was taken aback by his attitude, but Harry wasn’t in the mood to explain.

He waited until Jeff was gone and finally turned to Winton. “What are you doing here?”

“I read it,” Winton said as he pulled out the letter from his pocket. He gave it to Harry who pushed it right back into his hand.

“Keep it,” he said with an attitude, but Winton didn’t react.

“These are some really harsh words. I’m not surprised they’re from Gemma as she’s always been a tough girl. But I do understand why she felt that way about me.” The older man laughed sadly as he put the letter back into his pocket.

It was then that Harry noticed the shoebox sitting on Winton’s lap, but he didn’t care enough to wonder what was inside.

“I have to get back to work.”

“I know you hate me!” Winton blurted, causing Harry to stop dead in his tracks. “I know why both of you hate me. And if I could go back in time to change everything, I would. But I can’t. So I just want to apologise.”

Harry stood still with his head hung and both hands on his hips. He took a moment to breathe and chuckled lightly.

“We don’t hate you, Winton. You must care about someone to hate them, and I don’t give a damn about you.” He looked up and pointed a finger to the door behind him. “I’ll get your daughter and the two of you will leave me and my family alone. Got it?”

“I tried to see you but your mother didn’t let me. She--”

“Stop fucking lying!” Harry raised his voice, knowing the people in the studio could hear him, but he didn’t really give a fuck. This man and his daughter had crossed so many lines and he couldn’t take it anymore. He had never wanted this to happen. He had never wished for drama. He’d been through some shit in the last couple years so why couldn’t he have one second of peace?

“I’m sorry about what happened to you and your wife,” he continued, this time, lowering his voice, “but you’re never gonna get our sympathy. You got some nerves to show up here and now you’re blaming my mother?”

“I’m not blaming your mother. I know she had her reasons--”

“Fuck off.”

“If you don’t believe me, I can prove it!” Winton pushed his wheelchair faster to catch up with Harry, who stopped right before he reached the door. “When you were thirteen you made it to your school’s football team and won the local championship.”

Harry shoved his fingers into his hair, messing up his stylist’s two-hour hard work as he scoffed. “Did Gemma mention it in her letter?”

“No, I was there.” Winton sucked in a breath. “Your mother didn’t let me talk to you so I only came to watch the game and left afterwards. Y/N was there too, right? I saw her in the front row. She was wearing a shirt that said ‘Y/N heart Harry’. And she was the loudest.”

Harry’s jaw tightened as he chewed the inside of his cheek. As much as he wanted to believe Winton was lying so he could end this conversation and continue hating the man, he knew Winton couldn’t have made it up.

“She made that shirt herself,” he spoke, his voice was thick but less alarmed.

Winton’s face lit up with a smile as he put both hands on the shoebox. “That girl,” he said. “She really loves you.”

“We actually met in the treehouse,” Harry murmured. He wasn’t sure why he’d said that, but he just thought he should let him know.

“Oh, really?” Winton chuckled. “Your old man did something right after all.”

“Doesn’t matter. It fell last year in a storm,” was all Harry said, and nothing else.

The men stood silently in that long hallway. Harry’s five-minute break had probably ended already, but no one came to get him, so he assumed Jeff had asked for more time for him to talk to his father. He didn’t want to talk though. The best he could do now was to just listen.

“I’ve missed so much in your life,” Winton finally broke the silence as he stared at the shoebox. “I was far from perfect, I know. I’ve made many mistakes but I’ve paid for them by losing my wife and my legs...and--and the better life I could’ve had if I hadn’t screwed things up with your mum...I just--I’m trying to be a better man, I swear. But you’re not a little boy anymore. You’re successful and you don’t need me, and therefore I don’t expect you to take me back. But I hope you will forgive me. Gemma and your mother might not, but I hope you will. You don’t remember the terrible man I was so I guess...it’d be easier for you to see me as the man I am.”

When Winton finished, he patiently waited for a response. Harry refused to look him in the eye so he cleared his throat and said, “one more thing before I go.”

He then opened the shoebox he’d been carrying on his lap. Harry finally took a look, his forehead puckered as he saw what was inside.

“I bought you these football shoes when you made it to your school’s team,” said Winton as Harry picked up the shoes and ran his fingertips across the scorch marks. “Anne didn’t let me give them to you so I kept them. I lost almost everything in that fire but I’m glad I could save these. You obviously don’t need them anymore, but it makes me feel better to finally be able to give them to you.”

As Harry remained silent, Winton released a sigh. “I’ll go get Emi and we’ll leave.”

“Hang on,” Harry said as he put the shoes back in the box. “I’ll be done by twelve. Would you and Emilia want to have lunch with me?”

.

.

.

“He walked in and saw...and saw her...Wait, no. He entered the room and found her sitting on the floor. Okay, that’s better. Sitting...on...the...floor--”

“Y/N!”

“Fuck! Alice!”

The librarian shushed the girls as Alice pulled up a chair and sat down next to Y/N.

“I’m so fucking glad we’re not working for her anymore,” Alice said, faking a smile at the middle-aged lady who was still glowering at them.

“You can’t just sneak up on people like that, Al!”

“Sorry, I’ve been looking for you all morning. I should’ve known you were here.”

Y/N shut her laptop right before Alice could read any sentence on the screen.

“Oh, come on!”

“You have to wait until it’s published, Al.”

“It’ll take forever!” Alice blurted and quickly covered her mouth when she received an unblinking glare from Y/N. “I mean...they have to edit and design the covers and print the books and plan a marketing campaign and all sorts of shit, right? That’s why it’ll take forever, not because I don’t believe in you.”

“Nice save,” Y/N snorted. “But my book kind of sucked so I’m rewriting the whole thing.”

“Gee, sounds like a lot of work.”

Y/N said nothing more about it as she gave a shrug. “Anyway, you were looking for me?”

“Yes!” Alice raised a finger, smiling from ear to ear. “Remember that girl Mandy? The one who took us to that nice club and you disappeared without a trace while everyone was having a great time?”

“Yes, I remember.” Y/N laughed, resting her chin on her knuckles.

“Yeah, well, she’s throwing a pool party this weekend and we’re both invited,” Alice said as she pulled out her phone and showed Y/N the text she’d just got. “She also sent you one but you didn’t respond so she texted me. Did you know that she’s like super rich? We’re officially the Kardashians on campus now. You’re Khloe and I’m Kim.”

“Why do you always get to be Kim?” Y/N laughed as Alice flipped her hair over her shoulder. “But I’m sorry, Kim, I’m busy this weekend.”

“Why? You’ve got plans with Harry?”

“No. I’ve got to finish the book before then.”

“You’re so obsessed with your book!” They both reached for the laptop but Alice got it first and moved it out of Y/N’s reach. “What would Harry say about this, hmm?”

“He’d say he’s so proud of me because he’s a supportive boyfriend.” Y/N smirked as she brushed Alice’s hand off her laptop to get it back. “But you should go to that party, don’t let me ruin it.”

“I definitely won’t. Have fun with your book, ya nerd.”

“Fuck you!” Y/N giggled and opened her laptop. “Now please give me some space to get creative, please?”

“There she is!” Alice said suddenly, pointing to the group of girls standing by the entrance. It was Mandy and two of her friends, and Y/N and Alice tried waving but those three didn’t look their way.

“I’m going over there.”

“For what?”

“To tell her I’m not going.”

“Good idea! Tell her I’m going though! Jesus!” Alice gasped when the librarian clutched her arm from behind and pulled her up.

“Strike two. You’re getting out of here, Alice!”

“Fine, I’m leaving! This is why we quit, Bethany!”

Y/N waved goodbye to Alice as the librarian dragged her outside. She prayed Alice wouldn’t get into any more trouble as she made her way toward Mandy. The girls were waiting in front of the librarian’s desk, all facing away so they didn’t see Y/N coming. She almost tapped Mandy on the shoulder to interrupt their conversation, but then she heard, “let’s hope she’ll bring Harry this time.”

The two other girls laughed as Y/N was frozen to the spot. Mandy had no idea, so she kept going, “she’s such a whore though. I bet she would suck any rich man’s cock and let them fuck her in the arse for some money. I can’t blame Harry and Isaac though. I mean, they’re men after all. They just want their dicks wet.”

Y/N cleared her throat and Mandy turned around, eyes wide with shock. Even though she was quick to cover it up with a smile, the colour soon drained out of her face.

“H-Hey, Y/N…”

“Hey.” Y/N faked a smile in return. “I just want to say I can’t make it to your party this weekend.”

“Oh, that’s all right. We’ll hang out next time then.”

“No, thanks.” She lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “I’d rather stay home sucking my boyfriend’s cock and letting him fuck me in the arse than hang out with you two-faced bitches.”

The girls dropped their jaws at the same time, but neither could say a single word for Y/N didn’t even give them a chance. “Do you really think you can bully me? I’d love to see you try. I eat rich spoiled brats for dinner. You might want to spread that rumour too.”

Y/N turned her heels and strutted back to her seat while Mandy and her friends were red-faced and tongue-tied. She didn’t give two shits about those girls. They couldn’t do anything to her. But her inspiration had evaporated and she couldn’t focus on writing anymore.

She blew out her cheeks and sent Harry a text.

Having a bad day! Need to talk to you :(

She waited for five minutes before sending another.

Call me when you’re free.

That should do, she thought, he’s probably busy.

But no matter how busy Harry was, he always found time to text her back or at least let her know he was busy. Something wasn’t right.

That afternoon, when Y/N came back to her block, she walked up the stairs with her eyes glued to her phone, still waiting for his reply. She’d tried calling once but he didn’t answer, and she didn’t want to call him again because she might be overthinking.

“Hey, T!” Blake’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts. She looked up and found him standing right outside his flat. He’d probably just got home. “Any update?”

“I’ve finished another chapter today,” she said, pulling out her keys. “Could’ve done two but I got distracted.”

Despite her weary frown, Blake didn’t stop smiling. “Can I read it later?”

“I’ll let you read the whole book when I’m done.” Her mouth twisted as she unlocked her door.

“Oh, okay,” Blake muttered and also opened his, but Y/N stopped him before he went inside.

“You’re making dinner?” Y/N asked, pointing to the grocery bag he was carrying.

“Yup. Do you cook?”

“Never.”

Her answer made him laugh. “So you eat out every night?”

“Not tonight though.” She pursed her lips. “I’ll just make instant ramen or order some pizza. I usually have dinner with Harry but he’s probably busy. I haven’t heard from him today. Don’t know where the hell he is.”

Blake only nodded.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“See you tomorrow,” he said. And both entered their flats at the same time.

.

.

.

It was 9 PM and Y/N still hadn’t eaten. Every time she sat down in front of her laptop and started typing, she would let reality fade away and the concept of time no longer existed in her world.

She didn’t remember how long she’d been working. Only when the doorbell rang, did she snap out of it and stand up to stretch her limbs.

“Harry? Is that you?” she asked from her bedroom door, but it couldn’t have been Harry. Harry would’ve said something to let her know it was him.

Before she could assume something as bad as the rat delivery incident, someone slid a note under her door.

“What now, Blake?” She snorted and came to pick it up. In Blake’s sloppy handwriting which hadn’t changed since high school, it said: come over if you’re hungry - B.

“Hey, B!” Y/N shouted as soon as she stepped into the hallway. The second her neighbour opened the door and poked his head outside, she showed him the note. “Explain this.”

“Well, I thought you might skip dinner again,” Blake said with a bashful smile. “You always forget everything else when you write.”

“Oh,” she mumbled, staring at her feet, “well, thanks but...I’ve eaten already.”

“All right. That’s good.” His lips curved into a smile, but she knew what his happy smile was and that wasn’t even close.

She hurriedly said goodnight and ran before he could say it back. She was starving, but she still had instant ramen in the kitchen so she’d probably survive. Her having dinner alone with Blake would have changed a lot of things, even if it had been a platonic meal. She wasn’t sure if he still had feelings for her, but she couldn’t risk it. It wouldn’t be fair to either him or Harry.

Speaking of Harry, where the hell is he?!

.

.

.

“Where were you yesterday?” Y/N asked as Harry stepped into her flat and kissed her on the cheek. He seemed more cheerful than usual, which was actually concerning.

She watched him plop down on the sofa, and was about to repeat the question when he said, “I was with Winton and my phone was dead.”

His answer froze her to the spot. She crossed her arms, arching an eyebrow. “Winton? Your dad?”

She just thought there being another Winton would have made more sense than him spending time with his actual father. But Harry didn’t look like he was joking as he gave a shrug.

“What were you doing with him?”

“We went out for lunch at first. Emilia was with us but she had to go back to the coffee shop for her shift,” he said as she walked over to sit on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Then he took me to this bar owned by a friend. We talked until it was very late. I had to call my bodyguard to pick me up as I got so fucking drunk and passed out as soon as I got home. I hate to admit it, but I actually had a good time.”

“That’s...great,” she said, smiling nervously as she placed a hand on his chest. “But baby, are you sure you’re fine?”

“Yeah, he’s actually not so bad. Can you believe he’d been to twelve countries when he was eighteen? And he used to play football for his university.”

Although Y/N wasn’t sure if Harry was making judgements with his head or his heart, she didn’t make any more comments. She just wanted him to be happy, and right now, he was.

“When are you gonna tell Gem and your mum?”

Harry leaned back against the couch and rubbed his forehead. “I don’t know, but I feel like they’re gonna be so angry.”

“Don’t worry,” she told him, holding his face. “We’ll figure out how to talk to them.”

Harry nodded once and cupped her chin to attach their lips as he whispered into her mouth, “I read your text by the way. What happened?”

“Nothing. I just missed you.”

“Yeah?” He smirked when she started toying with the buttons of his shirt. “Did someone bully my girl?”

“No one can bully your girl,” she said and licked his jaw, making him chuckle as he grabbed her shoulders and gently pushed her away.

“What’s gotten into you?”

“I already told you, love. I missed you,” she murmured and leaned back in, giving him a full open-mouthed kiss. He hadn’t even touched her skin and she’d already got her hand in his pants, squeezing and stroking his bulge.

“Can I have a taste?”

Her voice made him shiver. He nodded so fast his head could just fall off and he might not even care. She patted his bum, and he hurriedly lifted his hips for her to pull down his jeans. But before she could free his erection, the doorbell pulled them apart.

“Hey, Y/N! It’s Blake.”

“Fuck you, Blake—”

Y/N covered Harry’s mouth and shouted at the door, “give me a second!”

“What about me?” he asked when she got up and straightened her skirt.

“We’ll finish later,” she said, leaving him almost butt-naked on the couch.

Harry pulled up his pants and threw his head back, staring at the ceiling. He was cursing Blake for cockblocking him when the notification of a new message got his attention.

Gem: How was it?

His mouth set in a hard line as he read the text. Blake might not be his biggest problem after all.

.

What do you think? Do you trust Winton and Emilia? 🤔

[omnivorousshipper]

Hello Omni! May I have Joy coming to the house for the first time and meeting a very excited Kimiko- who proudly shows her a “magic trick” (a con trick) that her father taught her.

Yessss! I was waiting to do this one!! Joy would be so shocked and flabbergasted by how energetic and happy Kimiko can be

~~~

Holding her backpack tightly, Joy felt her while body tense as the elevator rang and they finally made it to the penthouse Roman owned

Joy couldn't help but stare at everything as they entered. The place was huge and looked like something out of a movie

Joy had no idea how this was her life

Roman had come and picked her up in an expensive sports car, and now they were on the top floor of a huge building

Maybe her cosmic karma was finally paying off

"Hey."

Blinking, Joy looked over at Roman, who was smiling at her

"Ready?"

"Yeah." She nodded and followed him further inside. Eyes huge, she tried to take everything in, but knew that she would still be in wonder of it for a long time

Maybe she could become part of Roman's and Owen's family

They could easily provide for her, and they had been the nicest and most interesting couple she had talked to

For weeks now, one of them would come visit her at the orphanage. She and Roman had bonded over their rough childhoods and similar experiences, while Owen had taught her all sorts of things. From stealing tricks to chemistry to history about his own country

Slowly, she had started to become comfortable and actually imagine what they would be like as her dads

"You can put your stuff anywhere. Just make yourself at home." Roman told her over his shoulder, flashing her a brilliant smile

Nodding, she placed it on the couch

"Where's Owen?" She asked

"He and Kimi are probably in the movie room. C'mon, Kimi's been dying to meet you."

Joy frowned slightly

While Roman and Owen had visited her constantly, Owen hadn't brought his daughter to meet her. Probably didn't want to get either of their hopes up if things didn't work out

Following Roman, Joy let out a gasp when they entered a large room with a TV that took up nearly one whole wall. Playing was movie that reminded Joy of Jane Austin

"Oh? Kimi? Joy and I are home."

Sitting on a large couch was Owen, who smiled and waved at her. And on his lap was a little girl, who's head jerked up at Roman's voice

"Ro!" She cried out and jumped off of Owen

Joy blinked at out quick the little girl was as she ran straight into Roman's legs. Not bothered by the undoubtedly rough impact, she smiled widely up at Joy

"Are you my little sister?"

Joy stared

"Kimi!" Owen laughed. "We talked about this! She's older."

"Not to mention, pipsqueak," Roman chuckled. "For a seven year old, you're pretty tiny."

"Gran says I'll get bigger!" Kimiko pouted up at him

Meanwhile, Joy was shocked. Kimiko was so small! How was she seven?! She looked five!

"But you are my new sister, right?" Kimiko asked, looking up at Joy with curious eyes

"Well." Joy coughed. She didn't want to promise anything

"Give her time, sweetheart." Owen said, walking up to them. "It takes time for someone to know if they can join a family. Remember how long it took Uncle Deck to marry Uncle Luke?"

"Fine." Kimiko rolled her eyes, but immediately perked up again. "Can I show you a trick?"

Looking between the smirking faces of Roman and Owen, Joy nodded, if a bit cautiously

"Here, watch!"

Crouching down, Joy got on Kimiko's level and watched as the little girl brought out a coin Joy's never seen before

Bringing her hand up, Kimiko smiled widely as she flipped the coin across her knuckles and back again

"That's really cool, Kimi." Joy smiled at her. The little girl had some talent. "Want to teach me how to do that?"

Kimiko's face lit up like a 100 watt bulb

"I can!" She exclaimed, pride obvious

Glancing up, Joy saw the pure love on Roman and Owen's faces

Maybe a little sister was just what Joy needed in life

~~~

I hope you enjoyed friend!