#and if you want to go with sudden baby acquisition

[acowardinmordor]

Custom suffering for Steve time:

Knocked a girl up, gets told by his parents she got rid of it, he finds out later that his parents told her to gtfo and never speak to Steve again. So, post High school at some point, he finds out that the little bit of guilt he's carried around for messing up the condom and getting her pregnant turns into a lot a bit of guilt because he wasn't there for her, and he missed years of his kid's life.

[suzukiblu]

WIP Wednesday Game

Taken from @kedreeva.

It’s WIP Wednesday, time for a little accountability, sharing your work, and getting a kick in the pants.

Here’s how it works:

In a reblog of this post (so people can find you in the notes) or new thread (w/ rules attached) if you want to play on your own, post up to five (5) filenames of your WIPs; not titles, file names.

Post a snippet from one of them. Snippet must be words you wrote in the last 7 days. We’re posting progress here. If you haven’t made any, go make some and come back to play!

After you’ve posted, people can send you an ask with one of your file names. You must then write 3 sentences in that file. If the filename is one you can't share from (for example, an event or gift fic), write 3 sentences on it anyway, and then 3 more on another to share.

That’s it! You can invite others to join in, or just post. I’ll be searching the reblogs to find people to send asks to!

If you’re reading this, you’re invited!

If you see someone posting a WIP Wednesday Game snippet, send them an ask! Make them write.

file names:

a fake cryptid and a real romantic

mistaken identities and interdimensional refugees

YJ accidental baby acquisition

merfam drama

gentle princely caretaking 

snippet from "a fake cryptid and a real romantic":

Clark hears a sudden rush of air and a thrumming, not-quite-human heartbeat, and is therefore unsurprised when Superboy pops up over the side of the Metropolis rooftop he’s sitting on and grins up at him. The kid always seems to be in a good mood, but is clearly in an even better one than usual. 

“Guess what?!” Superboy greets gleefully, pushing himself up on the edge. 

“What?” Clark asks, smiling wryly at him. The kid just gets so enthusiastic so easily. It’s kind of funny, to be honest. 

“I got a date!” Superboy says delightedly, plopping into a seat beside him and kicking his legs excitedly as he does. “Robin said I could go hunting with him in Gotham this weekend!” 

“You’re going to hang out, you mean,” Clark corrects kindly, since Superboy still has a notably skewed education and concept of correct terminology and probably calling working with another vigilante a “date” without knowing what that actually means isn’t going to end well for the kid in the long run. Especially since Robin isn’t actually an aspect of Gotham like the Batman is and would definitely be confused by it. 

Admittedly, the Batman gets confused by some very straightforward things sometimes, but still. 

“‘Hang out’,” Superboy repeats, cocking his head with a slightly puzzled expression that almost immediately clears into another excited grin. “That, yeah! I caught Catwoman breaking into some fancy cat exhibit in Gotham and dropped her off for him, and he was into it! And I gave him a diamond and he liked that too!” 

“A . . . diamond?” Clark blinks. He really hopes Catwoman didn’t manage to be that bad of an influence on the kid in one meeting, but he wouldn’t put it past her. Superboy’s impressionable and Catwoman is . . . well, Catwoman. “Uh–where’d you get that?” 

“I made it!” Superboy says proudly, puffing himself up as he mimes the act of crushing something in his fists. 

. . . alright then, Clark thinks, mildly bewildered. He has no idea why Superboy would make a diamond, much less give it to Robin, but the kid gets weird ideas into his head sometimes and he supposes it would’ve been good practice for controlling his strength to very specific pressures, so he’s not going to say anything about it.

“Did you?” he says, figuring he should keep the conversation going. Superboy’s an odd kid, but he’s eager and has a good heart and always soaks up attention like a sponge, so Clark always tries to talk to the kid at least a little whenever the other finds him. 

“I figured Robin’d like it,” Superboy says reasonably, kicking his feet again. “Birds like shiny stuff, and he’s kinda a bird, right?” 

Clark is going to assume that Tim Drake more appreciated the expensive gemstone than the “shiny stuff”, assuming a teenage boy would even care about anything like that anyway, but he doesn’t want to rain on Superboy’s parade. Honestly, he’s just glad the kid’s finally trying to make a friend or two in the community who isn’t wearing an “S”. It never hurts to have a little backup on call–or to have a friend who understands the life around, either. 

He’s not actually certain what the Batman’s latest Robin’s policy on maintaining his secret identity among the larger hero community is–even Dick still typically presents himself as a city splinter, just of Bludhaven instead of Gotham now–but even if he keeps passing for a cryptid with Superboy for a little while longer, it’s not like Superboy’s had a normal life experience. He’s not going to be bothered that he can’t talk about girls and homework with his new friend first thing. 

Clark vaguely dreads the possibility of Superboy eventually deciding to come to him to talk about girls, because he has absolutely no idea how to talk to anyone about girls, much less an impressionable teenager who’s guaranteed to hang on his every word for the whole conversation and take everything he says as gospel while also misunderstanding at least half of it, judging by most of their previous conversations. He hasn’t even been able to figure out how to give the kid the Kryptonian version of the talk, though, much less if it’s actually applicable to him. Relationship issues and dating are a whole other kettle of fish. 

Well, with any luck Superboy will stay too young for that kind of thing for a little while longer, Clark hopes halfheartedly. Just–please?

[writerdot]

I feel ya...this has been the worst week I've had in years. Sending hugs!

Bucktommy prompt: Jee cuts her own hair while Buck and Tommy are babysitting her

Thank you, anon! I hope you have a better week too. I really hope you like this, I kind of played with it a little. And here's another appearance of Alex, from last night's girl dads ficlet because I couldn't resist. Thank you!!

When Tommy walks into the house late after a shift, it's quiet and Evan is stretched out on the couch, reading glasses on his nose, a well-worn copy of Devil in the White City, one of his favorite books, on his lap.

Evan hasn't noticed him yet so Tommy just looks and marvels. They've been together now for 6 years and Tommy can't believe it sometimes, that he gets to have this. He watches Evan push the glasses up his nose and his grin widens. Those are a new acquisition, one which Evan had despaired of after he'd turned 37, but Tommy thinks he looks adorable.

He must make a sound, or maybe Evan just senses him, because he looks up and smiles when he sees Tommy standing there.

"Hi," he says softly, mindful of the girls, who should be sleeping in Alex's room.

"Hi, sweetheart," Tommy says, walking over and bending down for a kiss. "How's the sleepover going?"

"Good. We ordered a couple of pizzas and made chocolate chip cookies. We had fun. I put them down an hour ago, but I have heard some illicit giggles, so I have my doubts sleep is actually happening."

Tommy grins. "Illicit giggles, huh?"

"The hallmark of having a little girl who's having a sleepover with her older cousin," Evan says with a little laugh. "They're having fun together."

"I'll go check before I hop in the shower."

"Okay. Shift go okay?"

"Uneventful," Tommy answers, taking his own hand and pushing Evan's glasses up his nose before he has a chance. He has a sudden rush of glee when Evan actually blushes. Even after these years together, he can still make him do that every once in a while and Tommy loves it.

Evan pulls him down for another kiss. "Go check on the girls. I'll heat up some pizza for you when you get out of the shower."

"Thank you, baby."

Tommy makes his way to Alex's room and shakes his head fondly when he does, in fact, hear giggles coming from the darkened room, though he sees a faint light coming from the cracked door.

"Girls," he says warningly, pushing the door further open. "You're supposed to be asleep."

"Daddy!" Four-year-old Alex squeals, rushing off her bed and towards him like a little blonde rocket. Tommy catches her under the arms and sets her on his hip. "I missed you!"

"I missed you, too, my munchkin," Tommy says, smacking a kiss onto her cheek. "Hi, Jee..." but he stops, because something seems different about her and he can't quite place it until she says,

"Isn't it cute, Uncle Tommy?" She has a wide grin on her face and that's when Tommy sees that she's cute a large chunk of hair off in the front, like she was trying to give herself bangs.

"Um, yeah, sweetheart. Evan! You might want to get in here!"

Evan's there in a flash, like any father of a small child would when your spouse yells for you, sounding slightly panicked.

"What...what's wrong?"

"Look at your niece," Tommy says gently and Evan notices it faster than Tommy did because he groans.

"Jee!"

She giggles. "What, Uncle Buck, you don't like it?"

Evan sighs, pinches the bridge of his nose. "Sure sweetie, but your parents are going to kill us."

"Well, I wasn't going to tell them it was your idea," Jee says sassily and Evan narrows his eyes at her. Tommy surreptitiously looks over their daughter, who is watching with rapt attention and is relieved to see she has come out with her hair intact.

"Where are the scissors, Jee?" Tommy asks, holding a hand out. She takes them from the top of Alex's bed and hands them over.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Buck and Uncle Tommy," Jee says quietly.

Evan softens as he takes the scissors from Tommy. "We'll talk about it with your mom and dad, okay? If you'd wanted a haircut, any of us would have taken you."

Jee sighs. "I just wanted to see what it would look like."

"I know." Evan sits next to her and pulls her into a hug. "Come on, girls. Get into bed. Time for sleep, understand?"

"Yes, dad," Alex says as Jee answers, "Yes, Uncle Buck," and Evan sighs. Tommy can see he's fighting valiantly to keep from smiling.

They settle the girls in side-by-side with fresh goodnight kisses and Tommy follows Evan back out into the living room. They plop down on the couch and that's when Evan loses it.

Tommy watches him fondly as he bends over in quiet laughter.

"Oh," Evan says quietly, wiping a tear off the corner of his eye.

"She's a Buckley, all right."

"Yeah? You or Maddie?"

"Oh, both," Evan says with a shake of his head. "Maddie cut her own hair all the time."

"Sounds right," Tommy says with a laugh. "You were very good with her though. Very fatherly."

Evan tilts his head in that way that tells Tommy he's going to be a little flirt. "Yeah? I've been practicing."

Tommy leans forward for a kiss. "You're really good at it," he says again, sincerely, because he is. That had been a big thing for Evan when they'd decided to have kids; Evan was sure he'd be awful at it but his parental instincts have always been on point, parenting his own daughter over the last four years have just honed them.

Evan's face turns bashful. "Really?"

"Really."

Evan snuggles against him for a few minutes, then Tommy's stomach rumbles and Evan snorts a laugh. "Come on. I'll heat up that pizza for you and then join you in the shower."

"Sounds perfect to me."

[singswan-springswan]

one time I dreamed that Kanan and Hera were fighting for custody of The Kids but not because they were bitter and divorced or anything rather they both wanted to adopt the children and were just going for each other's throats because they hadn't met before and saw each other as competition for their babies' affections. at some point Ezra was like "um you guys know you could just get married and then like share us, right?" 100k enemies to lovers relationship denial/sudden relationship acquisition on the grounds of spite alone

[polyhexian]

kinda having feels over Darius in the runaway au 1) getting slammed with accidental baby acquisition, but also 2) getting slammed with immediate reassurance on all his unanswered Jasper questions.

like Hunter's existence is a shock, but it pretty quickly becomes clear that Jasper still trusts and cares for Darius. he's told his kid about him. he's told his kid to go to him for help. every story Hunter knows about Darius makes it pretty clear that Jasper has been painting him in an extremely good light. Hunter thinks Darius is really cool! WHERE Hunter came from is still a mystery (unless Hunter both knows and explains the Grimwalker thing), but Hunter insists that he only has one parent. there's no talk of another. wherever the kid came from, Darius has no cause for concern that Jasper was seeing someone else on the side, no jealousy.

Jasper disappeared without a trace 10 years ago and Darius has spent that decade with so many questions, but then Hunter suddenly appears and it immediately becomes apparent that Jasper had very good reason to leave, and Jasper still cares very much and thinks very highly about Darius. it's instant relief, followed by sudden intense pressure to not let the man he might've loved down.

also I'm imaging Hunter using the line from Lilo and Stitch. "He likes your butt and fancy hair." Darius is like "he thinks it's fancy??"

Okay sidenote that David in Lilo and stitch is prime boyfriend material okay. My guy was like yeah nani I understand that you're trying to raise your little sister after your parents deaths and you can't handle a relationship right now but I'm not going anywhere, I'll come over and help take her of her as if she were my own flesh and blood. Absolute fucking icon

What a wild thing to happen to Darius I'm sure for the last ten years he's been bitter and wallowing in his own grief the same way I've had him in canon, but oh shit. Jaspers alive. Jasper told his kid nothing but good things about him. Jasper so clearly still cares about him, probably- yeah, jasper probably IS still in love with him because he's almost certain he was before.

But also: if all of that is true... Why didnt he tell him until now? Why did ten years pass where jasper let Darius think he was dead? Why didn't he ask for help?

And I mean the ultimate answer is sure, jasper doesn't want to get Darius in trouble, but... Ultimately... Ultimately... Jasper loves Darius, but he doesn't trust him. Some part of him deep down knows that he might not be able to rely on him. And I think deep down Darius knows that too.

So he's gotta fucking prove that YES you CAN rely on him!!! Darius is not going to go back to bed while jasper walks toward his death! He is going to burn it all down to keep this kid safe if he has to because jasper NEEDS him and last time he wasn't there but never again, NEVER AGAIN!!!!!!!

And like in addition to the personal fulfillment and betterment and stuff.... Maybe he can get a boyfriend out of this 👀👀👀👀

[gabagoulie]

Currently finishing Bioshock Infinite and I Have Opinions.

The first game is still my favorite in terms of mechanics, the UI was nice, the powers were nicely spaced in acquisition and in order, the powers themselves made more sense then in Infinite, and I like that you have access to all of them whenever you want (so long as you have all the slots unlocked). Dame thing goes for the weapons, I like having access to all the guns, I only ever used the shotgun, machine gun, and pistol (in that order) but I liked having options. Being only able to carry two gund at a time and having to hunt for a new gun is just a pain in the ass. The only thing it's done is discourage me from switching weapons, because when will I find another carbine?

IN CONTRAST Infinite has confusing controls, the salts and powers are fairly useless (to me, the only one I ever want to use is the ravens, but that's just me) and the inability to save up health kits and salt bottles to use on command when in battle vexes me to no end.

The navigation system as well just wasn't uo to part with the first game. That stupid glowing arrow that you have to press several times while running to know where to go. I have gotten lost several times, usually when I get stuck it's bc the arrow is telling me to take the rails forever and I just run around forever until I manage to stumble into the goal.

I WILL SAY in FAVOR of Infinite, the story is much better. The "twist" doesn't really come out of left field, it flows so much better than in the first game where it all of a sudden tells you "oops, youre actually a mind controlled super baby! Lol, go fight a DIFFERENT man with a god complex, not just you're bio dad in a cutscene. For realzies this time!" And then makes you become a big daddy and babysit a malicious child for no reason and for way too long. I wanted to punt that stupid thing.

I loved the first game a lot up until Andrew Ryan and the twist of whats-his-face not being Atlas. It felt like the writers couldn't figure out the ending and got lost in the sauce trying to make it dramatic. But the controls and mechanics were far better. The fear that grabbed my soul every time I heard the deep moans of a big daddy and not knowing where is was, but knowing it's near? Unparalleled. The stupid bird thing cannot come even CLOSE the the ambient big daddy's. Even late game when I figured out that the big daddy's aren't actually a big threat (unless attacked)

Obviously my opinion is my opinion, people who play this kind of game on a different system (I'm playing on switch bc I'm funny like that) or because they like the challenge of fps games will think differently. I am playing these games for fun, not challenge. I just want to run around these funny little cities and find out what's going on.

[extrasfromthevoid]

Hamato Yoshi's Accidental Child Acquisition (part 6/?)

@tmntbestsibscompetiton

Summary: Yoshi takes action.

OR: Divorce Time Baby!

As the lab around Yoshi explodes and devolves into chaos, he gathers the four little turtles securely in his arm and makes a break for the exit. The pain of his rapidly changing body is nearly blinding, but Yoshi fights through it. He does not have the time to ride it out. Not with the ceiling threatening to collapse on him and fire nipping at his heels.

There’s a piercing scream to his left.

The little girl. He had not realized she was here to witness this. Yoshi changes direction before he even fully realizes. The bottoms of his shoes tear away with the sudden turn. The rat-like claws curling from his toes ripping through the sides of shoes that have survived the worse the Battle Nexus had to offer and gouging the floor as he runs, but he pays it no mind. There will be time for that later, when they are all safe.

Yoshi finds the little girl is hunkered down under one of the lab tables, eyes screwed tightly shut and hands over her head. It takes a little maneuvering with four squirming baby turtles in his arms already, but the girl makes it easier for Yoshi to collect her by clinging to him the moment he pulls her from under the table.

“You will be alright, little one!” Yoshi assures.

“But Baba! And my brothers!” She cries.

“Your brothers are here,” Yoshi says. “We need to go!”

He bolts for the exit as larger chunks of stone rain down and eerie green flames choke the disintegrating room with smoke. As he passes the threshold, he catches a whiff of fresh air. His first in many years.

“No!”

Behind him, Draxum yells from amidst the flames. Yoshi spares him a single harsh glare before he flees with his precious load. The doorway collapses soon after. ——— Yoshi doesn’t stop running until he feels the cool sting of rain against his now furry face. The city around him thrums with activity. Cars roar down roads, horns blaring, people clammer and shout, dogs bark in the distance. It all smells strongly of wet trash and car exhaust but it nearly brings Yoshi to tears. It’s been so long since he’s been to the surface world.

And he’s not alone, as the chirping, wiggling babies in his arms remind him. The little girl, however, is still as stone, hands clutching his jumpsuit like a vice.

“Are you hurt, little one?” Yoshi asks.

She shakes her head against his chest. It seems she’s in too much shock to speak at the moment, poor girl.

The most Yoshi can do is move on for now. The rain is coming down and he doesn’t want to risk the babies catching a cold from this.

Unfortunately, Yoshi is exhausted and his is body sore in ways he didn’t even know were possible.

One step at a time, Yoshi…, he thinks.

He winds through the back alleys, sticking to the shadows as much as possible. It’s a little unsettling how natural this feels to him. Even years later, Yoshi still remembers the lessons of stealth Grandpa Sho drilled into him.

Eventually, Yoshi gets far enough from where he exited the Hidden City that he doesn’t feel the persistent paranoia that Draxum will be right behind him. He even finds a conveniently sized cardboard box!

It smells…a little unpleasant and squelches as Yoshi settles inside, handing the little turtles over to the girl as she huddles closer to his side, but it shelters them from the worst of the wind and rain, so he’ll take it.

They sit in silence for a long while, listening to the ambiance of the city around them. Gradually, the baby turtles quiet, lulled to sleep by the girl’s body warmth.

And then…

“What about Baba? Do you think he’s okay?” The girl asks quietly.

Admittedly, Yoshi couldn’t care less about what happened to Draxum. The bastard was going to turn these children into weapons of war and Yoshi simply cannot abide by that. But as much as Yoshi detests Draxum, to this little girl, he was her father and his fate is uncertain.

“I’m…sure he’s fine,” Yoshi says, not at all sure. “Do…do you want to go back to him?”

Yoshi absolutely does not want this little girl to say that she wants to return to Draxum but she also just looks so sad.

For a tense moment, the girl is silent as she lets one of the little turtles that’s still awake grab at her finger, babbling adorably.

“I wanna stay with my brothers,” she says finally, quiet but resolute.

Yoshi lets out a sigh of relief and hugs her closer. “Then with them you shall stay.”

The little girl—and oh, Yoshi is going to have to think of a name for her, isn’t he?—leans into his embrace as her little brothers doze in her arms. The rain continues to tap rhythmically on the roof of the cardboard box Yoshi and his motley family have taken shelter in. It sags alarmingly, visibly soaked through and offering only minimal protection from the elements. This sad little box in a New York alley won’t serve as a viable shelter for long.

Next to him, Yoshi feels the weight of the girl’s lean increase as her breathing starts to even out. He smiles softly, tearing off his jumpsuit’s decorative cape and draping over his newly acquired children. It makes for a poor blanket, but like this box, it will have to do for the moment.

It dawns on Yoshi a little that he is now a mutant rat-man and a single father of five on top of it. He has nothing to his name. No family. No connections. No home, no job, no money. Yoshi has nothing. Nothing, except four baby turtles mutated for war from his DNA, and a human toddler with mystic powers he has no idea how to help her with.

Frankly, it’s overwhelming. But he cannot just abandon these children. Yoshi knows he will have a hard road ahead of him, but…well…he’s always wanted kids. He may have envisioned settling down with Big Mama, once upon a time, and coming into a family that way.

Yoshi grimaces a little at the memory. That particular dream died years ago, but oh how sweet it was…

He sighs, gently running a hand through the girl’s hair, trying to be careful of his new rat-like claws as he works the ribbons out of her hair.

Of course, there’s also the matter of the Shredder. Yoshi can’t believe he’s actually entertaining this idea, but he must track down the scroll his Grandpa Sho foisted upon him before he left for America. While he’s at it, perhaps he can also see what of his old life he can salvage and repurpose for his new little family.

Above him, the box springs a leak directly over Yoshi’s head, much to his dismay.

First things first, he’ll need to find proper shelter, not only as a purely practical necessity, but with what he plans to do, the children cannot come along. He’ll need somewhere safe for them to hunker down in while he is away. Regardless of whether Draxum survived the lab explosion or not, Yoshi does not want to entertain what horrors could befall these innocent children should someone like Big Mama come across them in his absence.

Of course, yokai aren’t Yoshi’s only problem. There’s the people—the humans—as well. Yoshi and the baby turtles would not be received warmly and while the little girl may raise fewer eyebrows, she is still a young child herself and is incredibly vulnerable, powers or no powers. Training or no training. For all of their safety, Yoshi will have to find some place for them to live that is safe from both yokai and humans.

Though, if Yoshi does plan on liberating as much of his former life’s possessions as he can, his choice of shelter will have to be close by. He won’t be very mobile with five children, let alone five children and whatever belongings he recovers (Yoshi hopes he can at least get his teapot back. While it is visually unsettling, Yoshi always felt a special fondness for it that he can’t quite explain). Despite himself, Yoshi finds his gaze drifting towards the nearby manhole cover. His nose scrunches at the thought of making a home in the sewers, but…for them, it might just be the best option for a home.

Sighing and leaning back a bit, exhaustion finally catches up with Yoshi as the rain continues to fall steadily above him. For now, he rests, and later he will find somewhere for his new family. ——— (Previous) (Next)

[fallingthorns]

wip wednesday :]

thank you bestie fox @eddiediazes for the tag :] 

“Um.” Buck clears his throat quietly, looks down at the baby in his arms, and whispers, “I’m at the hospital.” 

He hears Eddie splutter on the other end of the line, and he starts speaking in a flurry of Spanish and English, so fast that Buck can’t make out a single word that he’s saying. He chuckles to himself quietly, the baby grumbling a little at him at the sudden vibrations coming from his chest, so he speaks into the phone again, even quieter now. 

“I’m okay,” he whispers. Eddie instantly quiets down. “I. I don’t think they’ll let you in right now because visiting hours are over for the night, but we –” 

“We?” Eddie asks. 

“We’re okay,” Buck continues, feeling like his throat is going to close up. He doesn’t know how to say it, can’t get his mouth to form the words. It feels like if he says it, then it’ll be real, and there will be no backtracking from there. “I. Eddie.”

yes this is an accidental baby acquisition fic. youre welcome. tagging @colonoscopys and anyone else who wants to be tagged :]

[anonover]

For the ask game! 31 and 37!! 😄

hehe! i shan't shut up now :) 31. Do you take liberties with canon or are you very strict about your fic being canon compliant?

Ohohohohoho, I am a firm believer that canon is my sandbox that I am free to play with however I wish! I will twist canon in my hands like silly putty >;3c Personally, I will incorporate things from canon if I think they're cool or under-rated and I go out of my way to read source materials and nonfiction just to make my writing more grounded. Currently reading the War Games just to know *how* to change it for a fic (mutter mutter why do i do this to myself...) So yeah! I love a good canon compliant fic once in a while but I most often kick it straight to the curb :)

37. Talk about your current wips.

-Questionable Decisions: this is a short little oneshot that ive plotted out about JayTim, proposals and accidental baby acquisition. I have like 12 scenes for that and no idea what the wordcount will be. My main problem writing it currently is that the characters get drunk but I have minimal experience in that so I don't know how to write :( buts its okay there's always other stuff to work on -Triple Trouble side fics: I have side fics planned out for my series TT which is a TodoDeku ABO fic (with minimal ABO) and kids. ...I really like sudden child acquisition, okay? Anyways, I ended up finishing the "main" fic which is about Izuku's kids (3 of them hence the name lol) getting kidnapped form camp, Todoroki's agency is in charge of handling it and literally everyone goes like "uhhhh yo these kids more or less look like you or your siblings" and then yeah meetcute stuff where the main couple doesn't even *meet* each other until the last chapter. Very on brand for me lol. Anyyyyways I promised a few one-shots for the series consisting of: Christmas fic, Baby Shouto fic, TodoDeku first meeting fic, and Moving In fic. This was around Christmas time so I was going to do that first. I did /NOT/ end up actually writing them, though Christmas fic has a valiant start and will probably be a two-shot where they celebrate Christmas with Izuku's side of the family and New Years' with Shouto's side of the family. Hm. There is a surprising amount of worldbuilding for this series despite it only being 17k... -Reflection: this is Harry Potter grows up in Gotham fic! with minimal influence on the bats! this one is written... in an unusual style for me and I've been working for this one for about a year or so? its currently only 6k but its a little past the trolls scene and I want to finish 1st year before I post it. the one song that encapsulates this fic is Eight by Sleeping At Last. anyways here's a snippet :) ---

hari potter grows up in gotham. 

it changes nothing. (it changes everything.) ---

hari potter smiles shyly under the floating candles. his green eyes seem luminescent with the reflection of golden lights. his skin seems bronze, a picture perfect storybook hero cast from metal. these people desperately want a hero. a savior is all they see.

hari potter is a reflection. he adapts. he takes your expectations, your sterotypes and shows what you want to see.

after all, hari potter may be the boy-who-lived but he was a gothamite before that. ---

hari potter is swept under the inviting wing of gryffindor and why shouldn't he? he's a carbon copy of his father, after all. from his bird's nest hair, to his round glasses, to the way his nose slopes downwards.

hari potter is brave. he's saved all of britain from you-know-who! what else can he be other than a gryffindor? who else could face the greatest dark lord of their age! there are books about his death-defying stunts as a five year-old facing down a dracula, a novel about him destroying a cursed catacomb, a memoir about the adventures he's had. hari potter is brave.

(hari potter is brave. hari potter lived in gotham city. he's seen monsters come out of the sewers and has been mugged with a gun pressed to his temple. he remembers when the clown hid a bomb in the street over. he remembers seeing the cloud of dust flying outward, the slow collapse of the building. he remembers running, running so hard, hoping so hard to the edge of that rubble. pleasepleaseplease don't let him die. dig with bloody fingers and wiggle into tight crevasses. looking for a person, his very best friend majid. he remembers a firefighter dragging him away. five hours later, majid is carried out broken and blue. three days later, he attends the funeral. hari potter is brave.

hari potter is more than a cold halloween night.)

---

last but not least, Keystone: this is currently my largest and longest running fic and I literally posted the first chapter on a whim and a random person commented and encouraged so now here we are 10 chapters later. basic plot is Harry sends a letter to adult!Tim Drake because he really doesn't want to live with the Dursleys anymore, Tim essentially plans out a convoluted, multi step plan that has Jason pick up Harry from a train station to take him to a safe place (features: the Jewelry Protection Squad! cool gay vampire professors! Jason killing werewolves! and more!) Btw, the fic is currently on ch10 and the last 7 chapters have literally spanned the events of two days. I need help... anyways! I am currently writing a scene where Harry + Jason discuss with the Goblins about the Potter estate, land ownership and I get to hint at a larger but oppressed wizarding world! World building! From there, we might or might not get to the bunker where it'll be peace for Jason+Harry while they wait for the jewelry Protection Squad to do its thing. While that's happening, I'll be writing about what's going on Gotham and why Tim didn't just have Harry come over to Gotham. I am also currently reading War Games (and prbly No Man's Land later on) just to figure out how I can move around Keystone's Batclan characters and what might have changed and what stayed the same.

aaaand yah that's about it! thanks for asking! i really enjoyed talking about these :D

[songmingisthighs]

Hooked

introduction pt. i | pt. ii | pt. iii

ch. liii - sugar daddy

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??? × reader, ateez × reader

A freshman hookup rekindled into something new. With an incentive, of course. But what would happen if your 'relationship' led you somewhere you never thought would happen to you ?

Dinner couldn't have gone better. Sure, Seonghwa's dad mostly ignored you, only throwing questions here and there to avoid Seonghwa's mom nagging at him. But he was mostly preoccupied with his phone. At one point, while his dad was so focused on his phone, Seonghwa leaned close to you and whisper 'one of the mistresses' to you, making you giggle.

"You know, (Y/N), I don't think I've ever seen Seonghwa smiled this wide when he's around us, you must be a pretty special lady," his mom said to you with a gentle smile.

You blushed in slight embarrassment at the compliment, "I sure hope so, ma'am, because I gotta say that he's very special to me too," you said as you look up to Seonghwa.

Hearing you said that made Seonghwa bit his bottom lip to prevent him from giggling out loud. So he opted to place a hand on your thigh and squeezed it gently, letting you know how he appreciated your words. Seeing this, his mom squealed and gushed about how adorable you both are and how glad she is that he found you.

Even after the topic was changed, Seonghwa didn't seem to lift his hand off of your thigh. He had actually moved to caress it gently with his fingers. You assumed it helped him be at ease so you didn't think much about it and let him be.

As dinner progressed to dessert, you found yourself having fun bonding with his mom and sometimes his dad when he wasn't glaring at his phone or when his mom directly addressed him. You realized that his parents are actually unlike most rich parents which then would explain why Seonghwa is who he is. Maybe minus the cheating father.

One other thing you realized is that Seonghwa's hand that was on your thigh had moved significantly higher, it was resting inside your skirt, just a bit past the hem, and that he was sitting closer than before. You felt your heartbeat quicken as his fingers drew shapes on your inner thigh, exhilarated yet worried and slightly embarrassed as his parents are directly across from you two.

"Honey, there's the Kims, we should go and say hi," his mom said, tapping his dad's arm and they immediately went over to the other table after excusing themselves for one second.

As quickly as they left, Seonghwa snapped his head to you in a panicked state, "quick, take off your panties!" he said in a hurried tone. You widened your eyes at him and stared at him as if he was crazy. But he kept urging you with a panicked voice, ultimately rendering you panicked as well. Nevertheless, you did as told and slyly slip your panties off and lift them with your legs to capture them but Seonghwa beat you to the punch as he took the panties and stashed them in his pockets. Just in time as his parents return to the table. Seonghwa sent you an inconspicuous wink and that was when you realized that he has a plan.

The first time he made a move was when you were taking a sip of your water. He let his finger roamed up and slip easily to your folds, almost making you choke.

"Oh gosh, dear, are you alright?" his mom asked you. You wanted to answer but you were still coughing slightly. Seonghwa took this as an opportunity. He used his perfect-boyfriend act when he pulled your hair out of your face and dab his napkin around your mouth, perfectly covering his other hand that managed to slip deep into your hole, almost making you choke again.

First strike.

His next move was when he was seemingly very much absorbed in a conversation about business with his parents, leaving you out of the conversation but still paying attention to you. Though his hand was still under your skirt, it remained stagnant and still.

But out of nowhere, as he talked about acquisition and mergers, his fingers pinched your clit rather harshly. You jolted up in surprise as your legs clamped shut, trapping Seonghwa's hand inside.

Again, his mom asked whether or not you were okay, and you tried your best to convinced her that you are despite Seonghwa's fingers' constant teasing. When Seonghwa turned around to look at you, you saw the smug smirk on his face and by God you never wanted to smack someone more.

Second strike.

The last strike was when you all were having dessert and Seonghwa pretended to have dropped his fork. You were on edge since he had taken his hand out for a while and the slick in your pussy had started to bother you.

He ducked down under the table just as you shifted the position of your legs. He saw his, literal, opening and slotted his face between your legs and licked a stripe up your pussy. Thank God for the table cloth or else you both would've been kicked out of the restaurant for sure.

You let out a sharp squeak which was thankfully held back a little because you had your mouth close.

Just as quickly as you reacted to him, Seonghwa also quickly returned to his position, playing the act of a perfect, doting boyfriend. "Baby, you okay? You don't look well," he made a fuss by pressing the back of his hand to your forehead and cheeks which were red because you've been blushing out of embarrassment and arousal.

"You know what, Seonghwa, sweetie, you should really take (Y/N) here home, take care of her, alright?" his mom said.

You smiled sheepishly at her and also to Seonghwa's dad, "I'm so sorry I had to cut things short," you told them. Seonghwa's mom laughed wholeheartedly at you as she waved her hands around, "it's no problem at all, darling. Besides, we're going to meet each other again soon, I'm going to make sure Seonghwa bring you to family dinner, okay?" she smiled warmly at you. Even his dad managed to look up at you and smiled genuinely.

After bidding your goodbyes to both of them, Seonghwa took your hand in his and immediately ran out to get his car from the valet. As you both waited, you grip on the lapel of his blazer and tugged him close to you, "how fucking dare you," you muttered lowly.

Seonghwa smirked and brushed his lips against the skin of your cheek, "can't help it baby, you looked so damn good and knowing I prettied you up made me... hungry," he growled. His lips moved to your ear to inconspicuously nibble on your earlobe, "who's your daddy?"

Your legs almost wobbled at that. If Seonghwa hadn't had his arm around you, you sure would've dropped to the ground and let him take you then and there.

But thankfully the car came right at that moment and to say you bolted yourself into the car.

Once Seonghwa got onto the driver's seat, he gripped onto your arm and stared at you intently, "you are not to touch yourself, you got me?" he stated. You stammered, you wanted to protest but he only stared at you, unmoving.

You jutted your lips and crossed your arms in protest, staring forward in disappointment. Much to your surprise, Seonghwa smacked your thigh hard enough to make it red, "I said, you got me?" he stressed each word, indicating that he needed verbal confirmation from you. "y-yes, I understand, I won't touch myself," you whimpered.

Satisfied, Seonghwa rubbed the reddened spot on your thigh and began driving.

Whilst Seonghwa was focused on driving, an idea popped into your head. A quite dangerous one at that. But you really wanted to get back at him for playing with you in front of his parents. You didn't know what made you decide on going forth, but you were sure your horniness had a large play.

Quickly getting yourself to work, you had somehow managed to unzip Seonghwa's pants and whip his hardening dick out. You licked your lips at the sight, your hand began stroking him as the other settled on his thigh in order to stabilize yourself.

Quickly getting yourself to work, you had somehow managed to unzip Seonghwa's pants and whip his hardening dick out. You licked your lips at the sight, your hand began stroking him as the other settled on his thigh in order to stabilize yourself.

"What are you-" Seonghwa's words were cut off with his own moan as you delved down to take his dick deep in your mouth. Hearing him moaned out only egged you to go on further.

You deepthroated Seonghwa as best as you could, sucking him whilst letting your hand play with his balls.

"B-baby, you ca-an't do this," he said through gritted teeth. You peered up only to see his eyes glued to the road, but his hands were gripping onto the steering wheel so tightly, his knuckles turned white. You took him out of your mouth to pump him in with your hand instead, you rested your head on his thighs and looked up to him with a pout on your face, "you said I couldn't play with myself, well I'm not! I'm playing with you, you and your pretty cock," you proceeded to lick along the vein of his dick.

Seonghwa groaned as his resolve started to wither away. Even whilst preoccupied with Seonghwa's dick, you could feel that he was speeding to go back.

With every suck or pump, Seonghwa's dick hardened and along with that, his need to cum. It was a gamble, sure, but you couldn't help yourself. It was a sudden automatic urge to tease Seonghwa. Maybe you could blame it on hanging out with Wooyoung too much.

You continued bobbing your head on Seonghwa's cock as quickly as you can. You started something and you wanted to make sure that you're going to finish. And by finish you meant him cumming down your throat.

Due to being so focused on Seonghwa's dick, you hadn't realized that you both had arrived at the frat. The car came to a full stop in front of the frat and was put in park.

Just as you were about to release Seonghwa from your mouth, Seonghwa held your neck and groaned, "you best keep your head there until I cum so deep down your throat that you'd choke," he ordered.

You happily obliged and returned to work him. Seonghwa's demand to make him cum only encourage you. You'd bob your head on him, fondle his balls, graze your teeth against his tip, and squeeze his dick. It proved to be very effective as Seonghwa threw his head back and began to thrust his own hips up to your mouth, wanting more.

His lips began calling out your name in moans. You could imagine his eyes screwed shut as he desperately chased his release.

It wasn't until two, three more deepthroating that he came in your mouth. You could feel his dick twitched in your mouth as his warm cum trickle down your throat. The feeling made you moan and the vibration of your voice shot up from his dick to his spine, making him shudder.

You managed to swallow all of him clean, not leaving a single drop out. After you detached yourself from his dick, you could feel that he was about to pull you in for a kiss. But you expertly evaded him and dart out of his car into the frat instead.

"Hey- wait!" Seonghwa called out, cursing and immediately shoving his dick back into the pants and lock the car to follow after you.

When you walked into the frat, you ran past San and Jongho who were on the couch, watching something on the tv. You ran straight to the staircase and aim for Seonghwa and Hongjoong's bedroom.

Maybe it was because you weren't exactly running away from him, or maybe he was really just that fast, but he caught up to you mid-step and heave you up onto his shoulder wordlessly. He sent a spank onto your ass, making you yelp loudly. The sound of your voice didn't break his focus as he immediately entered your room.

As soon as he put you down on the floor, he gripped onto your chin and kissed you roughly.

"Strip naked for me," he said against your lips before letting you go. The serious tone in his voice made you hurriedly tug all of your clothes off and simply shove them to the side somewhere.

When you finally looked up, you saw Seonghwa on your bed, naked with his cock in his hand. He motioned for you to come to him with one hand while his other one was sliding up and down his slick shaft. The sight was so arousing, you could've sworn your juice leaked out of you.

"Ride me," he ordered as soon as you arrived next to the bed. You immediately obliged, throwing a leg over him and immediately slip his dick inside your pussy. Both of you moaned loudly when you felt how he filled you up and he felt how warm you are.

"Fucking move baby, I need you so bad," Seonghwa moaned out. His hips rolled up against yours and immediately you took the hint. You anchored yourself on his chest and began thrusting yourself up and down his dick. You threw your head back at the feeling and let out a long moan.

Not wanting you to work by yourself, Seonghwa gripped your hips and began meeting your thrusts. The sudden powerful hit from his hips made your arms weak and you almost toppled over onto his body.

"H-Hwa, you feel so good," you moaned out, moving your hips faster on him. Seonghwa reached a hand up to your breast and began squeezing and playing with your nipple, adding to the pleasure even more. "You feel even better, baby," he said, tongue licking his bottom lip.

The sight of his tongue was enough to drove you almost mad. You leaned forward and crash your lips to his, locking you both in a desperate kiss all the while your hips move as quickly as it could, not minding the fact that you might be sore tomorrow. Tonight, you only thought about Seonghwa fucking you.

Both of you moved in tandem with each other. Seonghwa held you as close as he could, a hand wrapped around your waist and another grabbing onto your ass, squeezing the flesh hard. Meanwhile, you were busy exploring Seonghwa's mouth with your tongue, his own tongue would even fight you for dominance.

Maybe it was because Seonghwa had been teasing you all through dinner, but you felt yourself so close to the edge. Your pussy clenched on his dick, signalling him of your impending climax.

As if to tell you to cum, Seonghwa planted his feet on your bed and began thrusting at a pace much quicker than yours. Because you were on top of him, you could feel him thrusting deep in you, rubbing onto your sweet spot continuously until you froze and came on top of him. His lips prevented you from moaning too loud which was a shame but you couldn't really protest.

It took Seonghwa a couple more thrust into your clenching pussy before he completely emptied himself in you. Both of your cum mixing and trailing down your thighs onto his and even dropping onto the bed.

The once ferocious kiss changed to a romantic one as Seonghwa nibbled onto your bottom lip sweetly. You could feel him smile against your own lips.

"You did great, baby," he said, letting your body drop down fully on top of him. When he was about to slip out of you, you whined in protest and hugged him tightly like a koala. Seonghwa chuckled at your adorableness, he carded a hand through your hair sweetly and peck your forehead, "we gotta clean up, baby, you've got cum in you and everywhere else," he said.

You whined and buried your face onto the crook of his neck in protest, "do that tomorrow, I like having you inside me," you pouted. Though his instinct told him to remove you and clean up, he couldn't say no to you. He knew he has no power if it comes to anything concerning you.

So he defeatedly sighed and somehow covered both of your bodies with your blanket. He made sure that you were in a comfortable position before closing his own eyes to get some rest.

The last thing you heard was him telling you goodnight and then a soft peck landed on your forehead before you drifted off to dreamland.

taglist :

@raysanshine @peachy-maia @xuxiable @90s-belladonna @theclawofaraven @sanraes @sungiehan @felix-kithes @nycol-ie @superstarw99 @skkrtnawrskkrt @viv-atiny @the7thcrow @stfu-xeena @laurademaury @multihoe-net @daisyhwa @scoupshushushu @whyisquill @bikiniholic @yunhorights @exfolitae @simplewonderland @verycooldog2 @perfectlysane24 @hannahdinse8 @tannie13 @aka-minhyuk-kun @phebeedee @em0yunho @marsophilia @donghyuckanti27 @se-onghwa @malewife-supremacy @hyunsukream @elijahbabyb @taejichafe @alliecoady98 @rdiamondbts2727 @hakuna-matata-ya @ohmy-fandoms @spacebikerateez @stray-bi-kids @imaaroy @fashi0nablee @rindomo @violetwinters

[attllhak]

Adoption AU - Lullaby Reacts to Time’s Batman Level Adoption Bullshit

@tortilla-of-courage I offer you mercy. Also no one mentioned wanting to be tagged on the last story on this series so it’s just you for right now I guess.

Also, this fic is called ‘Aunt Lullaby/Uncle Sheik On Time’s Sudden Acquisition Of Kids’ in my docs, but I’ve been using the ‘Batman-Level Adoption Bullshit’ for so long that this is the title now.

Also! Some of the boys have some heavy topics to their backstories (Wars comes to mind as an example), so let me know if I need to tag this with certain warnings or stuff. Nothing is actually shown, but I figured I’d just put that out there.

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

Lullaby, who was still just Zelda then, had been very excited when Time, then just Link, had called her to tell her that Malon was pregnant.

She had gotten the call first, as Link had found it important that she knew before anyone else. After everything else in his life, he said, he wanted the person who he knew would always be there for him to know first, and that he was going to be making a few other calls later that day.

Link had never had an easy life. When his father died when he was 10, he’d ended up devastated. Zelda and her Aunt Impa had found him hiding in an alley a few days after, once he’d run away from the social workers. His sister Navi had been with him, and the two were sorting through the very few bits of snack food they’d had. Link’s father had been a foster parent for a lot of strays, orphans, or abused kids needing another place to stay. Link had fallen into the orphan category, and so the social workers had planned to cycle him back into the system. He’d lost contact with his sister Saria, whom he still hadn’t found out how to make contact with again, and so all he had was Navi. Impa had taken them both in on the spot, much to the annoyance of Zelda’s father initially, but the two grew on him. Navi went missing when Link and Zelda had been 17, after an issue with a man who really had wanted to see them both dead. Link hadn’t given up hope yet, but with every passing year it looked worse and worse for her to be okay.

Zelda had known Malon from day one, and had loved Link’s wife and was so happy to see him find that bit of happiness. The one thing she knew he wanted more than anything else was to have a solid, stable family of his own.

The pregnancy was a wonderful bit of news, and she couldn’t be happier for her brother.

She had spent some time over at their house, her then-girlfriend Ruto coming as well, helping Malon with some of the housework and such since she wasn’t supposed to be doing too much of the ranch work while pregnant.

She had arrived at the hospital less than thirty minutes after she got the call that Malon was in labor, and spent the time pacing in the hall, then supporting Link when he got kicked out after panicking too much. Apparently Malon had enough of him.

She could relate.

After Link had his whole ‘we made a whole baby person’ moment where his brain short-circuited after he was handed his son, the next person who got to hold him was Zelda. A chubby baby, who slept almost the whole time. He had his mother’s nose, thank Hylia.

Zelda saw him open his eyes only once that day, and she could swear she saw in his cobalt-silver eyes that same spark in his father’s eye. Singular, since Link only had the one.

Zelda’s family had a long tradition of naming their kids after family members. Her name was her grandmother’s and her great-grandmother’s, so on so forth. Her father had been pressing to pick a family name the entire pregnancy. Her mother had kept telling him to back off a little. Fortunately, Malon’s family also had a set of passed down names, hers being one of them. So the idea of naming the child after family wasn’t a big deal for her, even if it was a different set of names.

However, there was one thing to take into account here, and that was Link’s family.

No one knew what the naming traditions in his family were, he didn’t even know his birth parent’s names. But that didn’t change the desire to find a way to work them in too.

There was only one name from Link’s family that anyone knew.

The baby was named Link.

Zelda’s father stopped complaining a week later. Her mother was very clear about it.

At Zelda and Ruto’s wedding seven years later, Link Jr. was the ring bearer.

Junior stopped being his nickname when he was thirteen.

(---)

Zelda got a call from Link Sr. about a day after it happened with a simple request.

“Who was in charge of the paperwork when your family adopted me?”

Zelda blinked once, then twice. “Come again?”

“The lawyer who arranged for my adoption, who was that?” Link asked again.

“Why?” Zelda asked, her wife leaning around the doorframe to give her a concerned look. Zelda shot her a thumbs up.

A heavy sigh came from the other end of the phone. “I think I’ve acquired another son,”

Zelda came over.

This new nephew of hers, apparently, was a sweet boy. A series of scars littered his entire left side, burn and explosive damage if she were to guess, and he had no idea how he got them. He had amnesia. The one thing he did know was his name.

His name was Link.

Zelda had to take a minute. She was trying very hard not to laugh. This was exactly the kind of luck her brother had.

“Zelda, stop mocking me, this wasn’t my call,” Link whined, though he’d never say it was a whine.

“Link, you have to see the humour here,” she gasped, waving at the two boys in the living room where Jr. was trying to show Scars how to use a lasso. This was Zelda’s idea, but she wasn’t taking responsibility for it.

Link just sighed heavily. “Link found him on the street. Malon looked into it and his parents died in a car crash a year ago, he has nowhere to go. We’ve agreed to let him stay, you understand that,”

Zelda nodded, sobering up some. “Yeah, I get that, kinda. The lawyer we hired was named Rauru, Mom should have his contact information still, you should call her,”

Link sighed, relieved. “Thank you,”

“Of course, just don’t make it a habit,”

(---)

The first inclination this would be a habit was a year later.

Wild, the younger of his sons, was in the same class as another boy named Link. This boy had lived with his uncle his whole life, and got the call his uncle died when at school. Sheik was about ready to punch someone for doing that to the boy, and just before christmas no less.

Wild brought him home, insisting he could stay at least for the holidays. The agreement wasn’t even a question, there was no way he was going to be forced to spend a holiday at an orphanage.

When Sheik and Ruto showed up on christmas day, not that their family cared much for christmas but they were all off anyways, the newest Link had been named Legend.

He was a little more shy than the others, understandably, and a little snappish.

Not a bad kid, just one grieving and in need of family. That was something their family had never hesitated to provide.

Sheik’s mother teaching him how to spin a butterfly knife was probably not the wisest decision, but considering Rottla heard a therapist say “Your kids are traumatized, they need to feel safe again,” and decided to sign them up for every martial arts she could, well, it should have been a sign that she wasn’t the best in that regard. Time, Link Sr., had made it very clear he felt Sheik took after her. Sheik had no idea what his brother was talking about.

Legend didn’t leave after that. One call to Rauru, and Legend was a permanent member of the family.

Sheik took great pride in being the favorite Uncle of Legend’s, after his late guardian of course. He pointedly ignored that he was the only Uncle, and only part-time.

Time could suck it.

(---)

Lullaby, since so many of her nephews’ friends were named Zelda apparently, received a call at five am.

True, she knew her brother and his wife woke up at sunrise to do yard work and such, but usually they were kind enough to let her sleep in.

Not so this morning.

“Wha?” She mumbled into the phone, trying, and failing, to not wake her wife.

“Zelda,” came Malon’s clipped tone through the receiver, “do you know about a missing person’s case for one Jerimiah Smith?”

Zelda blinked heavily, and had to convince herself not to go back to sleep. Who, why did Malon care? It was five am, the sun wasn’t even up yet.

“Why?” She asked to buy time, still working on a quarter of thought. Ruto rolled over and held her. Not helping, Ruto.

“I have a Link Smith in my barn claiming that his grandfather went missing, and he’s run away from a temporary foster home,” Malon explained, and okay that was worth waking up for.

Lullaby sat up, pushing Ruto’s arm from her waist to her lap, causing her wife to grumble, and turned on the lamp, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. “Okay, okay pause. Pause and back up,” she half-swallowed a yawn, squinting into her bedroom. “What is going on?”

“I got up to do some work, since Link is still asleep, and I came into the barn to find a boy asleep in the hay, here you are,” her voice dropped away from the receiver, likely talking to the boy in question, then came back. “So I found a boy in the hay, and I woke him up. He says his name is Link Smith, and he was living with his grandfather since his father was overseas in the military. His father wasn’t home enough to care for him, so his grandfather had sole custody after his mother died or something, there was a lot of tears at this part. Anyways, his grandfather went missing a week ago, and he’s been through three foster homes and none of them were very accepting of, he apparently has a ‘mental thing’ that he’s dealing with. I was wondering if you could confirm his story?”

Lullaby leaned over the bed, grumbling, and grabbed her laptop, Ruto giving up on getting her back to bed and sliding up the headboard with her to drape over her shoulders while she pulled up Firefox. “Hold on,” she told her sister in law, plugging the name into Google. Jeremiah Smith, went missing a week ago, blah blah blah, oh there we go.

Link Smith, grandson of Jerimiah Smith, left in limbo after his grandfather’s disappearance. Oh, that was interesting. According to this article, which most certainly was breaking some privacy laws and if Link Smith was staying it would be coming down, the boy had multiple personality disorder.

“Yeah, he’s telling the truth,” Lullaby said, switching the phone to her other ear so Ruto could nuzzle up better without bumping it. “Also, I found his weird ‘mental thing’. According to this article, which I’m pretty sure isn’t legal, he’s got dissociative identity disorder,”

“Isn’t that dangerous?” Ruto mumbled, still mostly asleep on her shoulder.

“No, not really. He’s actually more likely to be in danger than a danger,” she twisted to kiss her wife’s head, then went back to Malon. “He probably really needs someone who’ll be supportive enough through all this, both the disappearance and his condition. DID isn’t something easy to live with, I can see him having some issues with foster parents,” Lullaby had never been so glad that she got bored one day and decided to look it up after she heard people talk about it so negatively. You never know when information like that would be useful.

“He’s fine to take in?” Malon whispered after a moment. “I just, the other boys,”

“Will need to be patient, but unless one of his alters is particularly bad for dealing with threats, perceived or otherwise, in an unkind way then he’s fine and safe to be around. I’d ask him about that, but don’t force him to admit anything that can be bad for him, but I don’t see any more risk than taking in Wild or Legend,”

Malon sighed on the other end of the line. “Alright, I’ll bring him in and wake up Link, so he can call Rauru about all this while I sit with him and try and get him to relax,”

“Wonderful, I’ll call the office and see about what I can do about this article then. And for the record, if you ever call me at asscrack of dawn o’clock in the morning again, then next time we meet I’m clocking you,”

Malon had the nerve to laugh.

Four, as he’d been nicknamed by the time Lullaby and Ruto showed up to meet him, was a fascinating person. Green, the host of his system, was a brave, if occasionally airheaded, boy who wanted to try everything, and had been fascinated by his grandfather’s old-timey forge. Time had plans to make one in the yard for him. Red, the emotional and spiritual protector of the system, was empathetic and sweet and compassionate. No one had a bad word to say about Red. Vio, short for Violet, was the gatekeeper for the system and kept the four of them working on the same page. Bright and clever boy, his nose stuck in a book most of the time and willing to offer up the most random and yet useful information. Blue, the physical protector, was a little gruff and definitely someone you just got used to, but he cared deeply about his ‘brothers’ as they called each other, and the external brothers he acquired grew on him quickly enough too. It was a bit of a fight to get custody of him, but Rauru was the best there was, so it was only a week or two before the paperwork was going through for him.

Lullaby had a feeling this wasn’t the end by a long shot, and prayed that Hylia would be merciful about granting Time’s wish for a family.

She was going a little overboard.

(---)

Sheik wasn’t surprised in the least at the newest addition when he walked in the one day. No, mostly he was just confused as to why he hadn’t gotten a phone call before he got there.

Usually there was a phone call.

He was very upset by the way the boy looked, however.

This new addition, Warriors as he’d learn later that Time acquired yet another Link, was curled up in the corner of the couch with his scarf wrapped around him like a blanket, clearly trying not to be seen. Voices floated out of the kitchen, and Sheik picked up that Twilight brought him home, and was lobbying for a new brother.

Ah, that’s why there was no phone call.

Ruto went to investigate the conversation, so Sheik decided to introduce himself to his newest nephew.

Upon closer inspection, the boy looked about Twilight’s age, and had a bruise on his temple, maybe a day or two old now. Looking closer saw a few more on the left side of the boy’s face. Someone hit him, with purpose.

Sheik sat down next to him and said nothing, waiting for him to make the first move. Eventually, he poked his head out of his scarf.

“Hello,” Sheik offered once it became clear he wouldn’t be saying anything.

“Hullo,” he mumbled into the fabric, glancing away and back at his feet.

“My name is Sheik,” Sheik offered lightly. “Time is my brother,”

The boy looked up, eying him. “Twilight is your nephew?”

“Yes, he is,” Sheik nodded, smiling at him. “You’re a friend of his?”

The boy shrugged. “Kinda,” a beat of silence passed, then he shifted around. “He said I’d be safe here,”

“You will be,” Sheik agreed, trying to be comforting. “I can assure you of that,”

He hummed and snuggled back into his scarf.

“May I, if this isn’t overstepping, can I ask why you need somewhere to be safe?” Sheik asked after a moment.

He tensed up, eyes darting to him and at the doorway, and then back, wide eyes a little panicked.

Sheik was just about to apologize when the boy spoke.

“I ran away from home,” he admitted, looking away. “My uh, my parents aren’t, great people. I can’t go back, so I need somewhere else to go. Twi said I could be safe here, that his parents would fight for me,”

“They will,” Sheik said with enough conviction it almost startled him. “I know my brother, and he can’t turn away from someone in need, and his wife is the most strong willed woman I’ve ever met. You won’t find another pair of people more willing to go to war for you than them.”

He blinked at Sheik, then nodded, relaxing a little. “And, if my parents come for me?”

Sheik grinned. “My family is very rich, and we have a small army of very good lawyers. You won’t be going back there, I assure you,”

He smiled, and leaned over towards Sheik a little. “I’m Link,”

Of course you are, Sheik thought. He held out an arm for ‘Link’ to lean into, not getting attached to the name since it would be changing. The boy leaned into his side easily, deflating against him with a sigh. He looked so tired.

“Link,” Sheik asked carefully, watching his words. “Can I ask about the bruises on your face?”

The boy blinked up at him, biting his lip.

“They uh, my dad did that,” he admitted in a small voice, curling into Sheik’s side, and the sheikah pulled him in close to his side, hoping to provide the comfort Link was seeking. “Right before I left. I packed up and went through the window. My twin sister is still there, and I’m a little worried about her, but I can’t go back again. I, he,” he paused, sucking in a breath. Sheik rubbed his arm and side, trying to help him calm down, ignoring the tears on his shirt.

“I thought he was going to kill me,” Link finally admitted in a small, scared voice.

Sheik knew he never had very many parental instincts, and he and Ruto agreed no kids before they even got engaged, but for the first time ever Sheik felt that flare that Time and Malon described everytime something threatened their kids. It was then and there Sheik decided this boy would be part of their family, whether Time was the one who took him in or not. No kid should have to say that and mean it. No kid should be scared their parent was going to kill them.

Oh, the lawyers Sheik was planning on bringing down on whoever these assholes were would be many.

Time took the boy in, as Sheik predicted (thankfully), and sure enough the immediate support was immense. His parents never even put out a missing persons report. Sheik added child negligence to his list of growing charges to lay out.

Two months after Warriors moved in, he got a call from his sister. She got out and was safe now, and wanted to be sure he was as well. This made him very relieved. They met up once or twice, and seemed to be getting back to normal.

Two weeks later, Legend and Wild got suspended distracting Warriors’ parents so Twilight could sneak him out the back of the school. Four didn’t get suspended, but only because when Vio messed with the security cameras to cover up the escape he didn’t get caught. Time took all three out for ice-cream and junk food when he picked them up.

Lullaby saw an opportunity and took it without hesitation. Lawyers were called and organized, and without much wait there was an order for both of them to appear in court on child abuse and negligence charges. The kidnapping charge laid against them in retaliation was almost laughable.

A few weeks later, Time and Malon had full custody of Warriors pending a proper criminal trial for full punishment of his parents, at which time Linkle, Warriors’ twin sister, planned to testify as well. If they couldn’t get things settled before Warriors turned 18, then they planned to push through an adult adoption the day he did. A birthday present, Time had said. Lullaby laughed.

(---)

Sky was probably the most skittish of Time’s sons.

Lullaby wasn’t sure entirely why he was so skittish, but he was. He reminded her of a bird, or a rodent, or a cat who really, really didn’t want to interact with new people.

She had been briefed before she visited on Sky’s background. His social worker had been having trouble setting him up with a home where he’d stay for longer than a week or so, and in a last ditch effort had asked Time and Malon, with their long track record of housing troubled and unhousable youths, if they could take one more. They agreed.

Sky apparently had a friend, a bit of a troublemaker if Lullaby guessed correctly, who had gotten the two arrested. Time mentioned the event had Sky concerned about being ‘too much trouble’ and that ‘they’d get rid of him too’ or something. Time said this was ridiculous, as Sky caused him the least amount of trouble, but the boy was concerned about being thrown away again. He apparently had a few self-worth issues.

Lullaby found him on the back porch talking to the birds. Not in any human language, mind you, and Lullaby spoke many, but cooing and chirping back at them. He seemed very happy and at ease like that, singing at the birds.

“Do you mind if I join you?” She asked in a whisper during a pause in the conversation.

Sky jumped, eyes wide, and he squirmed a little when he saw her. “Uh, sure, I guess,”

She sat on the other end of the bench next to him, and calmly went back to watching the birds, and him interacting with them. He seemed much more at ease here than he did with people.

“Did you need something?” He asked, after a while, letting a blue jay grab a peanut from his hand.

“Not specifically,” she shook her head. “I had wanted to meet you, but nothing else,”

He blinked at her a little dumbly.

“Why would you want to meet me?” He asked.

“What do you mean?” She asked back, not sure what he was trying to say.

“Well, I mean, I’m not exactly special. And, it’s not like I’m staying,”

“I think you’re pretty special, most people can’t get birds to land on their hands like that,” Lullaby said gently, not liking how he spoke about himself. “And why would you think you aren’t staying?”

“I never stay,” he admitted, turning his eyes back to the birds, frowning. “No one ever considers me worth the effort,”

“You are very much worth the effort,” Lullaby countered, trying her best to keep her face soft instead of pinching up. “Trust me, however much effort you are, it is nowhere near the level of your brothers. Time wouldn’t have taken you in if he didn’t want you,”

“He’s just doing Impa a favour,” he said glumly, offering up more birdseed to the birds. “I won’t be staying forever,”

“I’m sure my brother has explained why that’s bullshit,” Lullaby said bluntly.

“But, I got arrested,” he mumbled.

“So have three of your brothers,” Lullaby pointed out. “Regularly. For much worse things. I promise you, that is not an issue,”

“But,”

“If you are going to say something bad about yourself again then I’m telling you right now I’m not going to listen to it,” Lullaby cut him off. “Time has told me a lot about you, and all of it is how much he loves you,”

“Really?” Sky looked up at her.

“You cause him the least amount of headaches of all his sons,” Lullaby smiled. “He adores you,”

Sky turned away, clearly trying to think that over.

“How about you tell me more about the things you enjoy doing,” Lullaby suggested.

“Huh?” Sky asked, turning back to her.

“I’d like to get to know more about what makes my nephew happy,” she smiled.

“Why?”

“Well, I’d be a bad aunt if I didn’t, especially since you’ll be sticking around,”

Sky looked like he didn’t believe her, but told her about his woodcarving anyways.

Lullaby was happy that as time went on Sky became less skittish and self-deprecating. He was a sweet kid, and as he got more comfortable and confident more of his true colours started showing through.

She felt a bit bad for Time, though. Apparently he was as prone to chaos as his brothers, he was just more subtle about it.

Time brought it on himself though. He should have known this when he adopted six boys.

(---)

The call about the next son had Lullaby’s head hitting her kitchen table, groaning loudly even when Ruto came to check on her.

Wild found a boy in the woods and they’d decided to keep him.

This was getting to be just a bit too much.

When Sheik and Ruto got to meet the boy, they were a bit taken aback. They had expected another Wild.

What they got was a quiet boy who mostly kept to himself. He was a bit shy, but he seemed to open up a bit more around Wild and, amusingly, Legend. He was a bit jumpy, but considering they had no idea how long he was in the woods that was expected.

What was surprising them most was that he did actually have a mother, who loved him very much, but who was very sick and so wasn’t able to actually take care of him, thus the wandering in the woods. His mother had been very worried, but physically unable to look. She had asked family to check but they gave up pretty quickly.

In light of her family being horrible for taking care of her son, and not knowing if she’d survive her illness, she asked Malon and Time if they could take care of her son for her since she clearly couldn’t trust her relatives and the boy’s father had abandoned them the moment she decided to keep him.

Time and Malon had taken one look at the boy and their sons, and agreed. They worked out an arrangement to keep the boy’s mother in the loop, and then they called Rauru. After which Time called his sibling.

This boy’s name was also Link. Sheik did not feel bad about laughing. Really, his brother had the weirdest luck.

They, for some reason, decided his nickname would be Hyrule. Why they decided to name him after the country, Sheik didn’t know. Apparently it was the only nickname he liked.

He had trouble reading, but he liked learning, especially if he could use what he learned to help people.

He fit right in, which made Sheik wonder exactly when his brother was going to stop adopting. He hoped it was before the ranch house ran out of room.

(---)

Eight. He stopped at eight.

Which was still too many, in Sheik’s opinion, but whatever.

The newest hellraiser at least didn’t come from the streets like almost all of the others.

This Link (because yes, his name was Link too) had recently lost his parents and his grandmother couldn’t financially support both him and his sister. So Time and Malon agreed to take care of him for her. The rest of their sons all acquired a grandma as well, it seemed.

They nicknamed him Wind, and he immediately latched onto his older brothers and started giving his new parents headaches.

When Lullaby and Ruto showed up next, she felt no sympathy for her brother. He brought this on himself.

She was more than a little pissed off when the brat stole her wallet though. Damn thief.

Time assured her that they’d talk to him about it. Lullaby wasn’t sure that’d help.

But, she reasoned, despite the chaos, Time was happy. Practically giddy. He lit up whenever he spoke about his sons, and he clearly loved them dearly.

Hylia had granted his wish for a family. She maybe went a bit overboard, but as long as Time was happy, so was Lullaby.

(---)

She wasn’t commenting on the ninth kid. She refused.

At least his name wasn’t ‘Link’.

[randomopblog]

How Maul became Sidious' apprentice

(as understood by me)

Legends:

Kycina: *is a terrible judge of character and pretty much just located the nearest force-sensitive she could find to help her rescue at least one of her sons from a life serving an inhumane cult that cares nothing for him because of his gender* I have no idea who you are or if allowing my son to depart with you would land him in circumstances worse than the one he's leaving, but please, sir, for the love of all things unholy, take this before Talzin notices he exists and abuses my baby!

Palpatine: *has just had infant Maul thrust upon him* ...The Fuck am I supposed to do with this?

Plagueis: *narrows his eyes suspiciously as their dynamic duo inexplicably becomes a trio* Have a droid raise it or something; I don't want you catching feelings and becoming overly attached to it, my apprentice.

Palpatine: Yes, 'master'. *is already plotting the muun's downfall because he's just... Like That* You and me, kid, we're going places!

Maul: *drools and nibbles on his fist contentedly, blissfully unaware of the terrible fate that awaits him*

New Canon:

Palpatine: *is a lying liar who lies* Your decision, madam, provide me with your child or forever forsake your position as my apprentice.*practically oozes stranger danger*

Talzin: *apparently wants to join the Sith because 'reasons'*...Ugh, Not especially thrilled about this, but okay. I'm just going to have my other boy murder my youngest anyway. *allows young Maul to be abused by a night-brother after he attempted to run away* Have I mentioned my son is dear to me?

Maul: *is dealing with way too much shit rn* Adults are the kriffing worst.

Palpatine: *sees Maul perform exceptionally during an apprentice acquisition contest* Sike! It is Maul who shall be my apprentice! *laughs as he kidnaps a child and dumps Talzin*

Talzin: Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal! *to the night-sisters* Can you believe that rat bastard stole my precious offspring? I, who value my sons above all things. *kicks Feral's corpse under a rug* They are so, so dear to me. Too bad there aren't any peace-keepers powerful in the ways of the force who I can turn to in my time of need!

Maul: *inside Darth Sidious' chamber of horrors* Hello darkness, my old friend~

[joonapeach]

you, me & a little bit of the future [mlb]

summary: Marinette expects some disaster on her first outing alone with Adrien. She just doesn’t expect that disaster to be her future self passing off a baby for her to take care of with Adrien.

alternatively… two idiots obliviously in love cooing over their daughter while acting like they have no idea whose kid this is.

author’s note: i spent my birthday writing mlb fanfiction because that is my biggest source of serotonin. also, if you follow me for bts and have no idea wtf mlb is - first of all, sorry. second of all - give me your brain bc i really wish i could rewatch this dumb show for the first time.

also reposted on ao3

[11.2k words of a fluff/humor and time travel x accidental baby acquisition trope]

If Marinette was still breathing by the end of today… she decided that she would give her life to worshipping Alya.

The girl was a magician, maybe even an angel. There was no possible reason for Marinette to be standing here in an empty museum, waiting for Adrien to fetch a bottle of water for her and yet… here she was?

“Alya, first of all, how did you make this happen?” Marinette squeaked on the phone, looking around to make sure she was out of Adrien’s earshot. “And second of all - I don’t know if I can do this!”

Alya’s familiar laugh came through the call. “Relax, girl! Adrien wanted Nino to go inspect his new wax statue with him but of course, Nino just needed a nudge from your greatest friend in the world to give up his invitation to you.”

Scratch worshipping just Alya. If Marinette hadn’t combusted by the end of this museum outing, she would worship both Nino and Alya together.

“I love you.”

“Try to tell that to Adrien today.”

“I will,” Marinette nodded with so much excitement that it was a wonder her head didn’t spin off. “I promise. I’ll make the most of the opportunity you’ve given to me. You’re the best, Alya!”

Alya only laughed, clearly amused by her friend’s joy. “Well, good luck and tell me how it goes!” she said before cutting the call.

Marinette sighed dreamily. Alone in a museum of art with Adrien, the greatest work of art she’d ever seen… it all felt like a dream.

She paused, quickly pinching herself. The pain registered a second later and she laughed giddily. This was no dream. It really was happening.

From the corner of her eye, she spotted Adrien walking towards her. A bottle of water was clutched in one hand as he waved with another. Was it possible to melt from someone’s smile? Marinette hadn’t thought it likely till she traced the curve of Adrien’s lips with her eyes just now.

“Here you go, Marinette,” he said cheerfully. He reached for her hand, putting the bottle on her palm. It was a relief that the water felt like ice to her skin because Adrien’s bare second of a touch made her scared of combusting.

“Th-thanks!”

“No problem! Thanks for coming today. I know it’s such a short notice since Nino cancelled in the morning, but I really wanted to see the wax statue with a friend,” he said softly. “I’m glad it’s you.”

Glad it’s you? How could anyone say such things to a person with that heartstopping grin and then be so oblivious to the world falling in love with them?

Marinette did her best to yelp out a semblance of a response, giving a toothy smile in the silences of the words she couldn’t find. It seemed to satisfy Adrien enough who only laughed and said, “come on!” as he dragged her through the empty museum.

Adrien’s hand. Touching mine. 

It really would be a miracle if she was still breathing by the end of today.

/

Things were going perfectly. Well, as perfectly as things could ever go in Marinette’s life.

In a total of ten minutes, their arms had brushed 13 times and he’d laughed 5 times at something she’d said. He’d given her his show-stopping, sincere smile 3 times and she’d come near to death from them 2.5 times - the 0.5 she subtracted was when she wasn’t looking and only caught sight of his grin at the very last second.

Despite the empty silence of the museum, Marinette was surprised at just how two people alone could fill the room. Of course, it helped that one of the two people was the equivalent to the worth of a country itself but still… something about the familiarity in Adrien surprised her. He’d left her speechless and lovesick but there was also a feeling in comfort in being with him.

There was only ever one other person she felt like that around.

“Hey Marinette, I’m just gonna go to the bathroom real quick!” Adrien said, with another friendly smile she chose not to look at it too closely. When she nodded, he ran off and she stood in the empty room.

Finally, her heart could take a break from racing.

She exhaled, looking around until a sudden flash of light almost blinded her. She jumped back, ready to say the words spots on at the sight of danger till she frowned at what she heard.

“Do you ever not make this more difficult than it needs to be, kitty?!”

Marinette stilled. She recognized that voice. Yet, it was still not as familiar as the one she heard next.

“You know I can’t paws an opportunity to be entangled with you, my lady.”

The other voice scoffed. “That was terrible, even for you. Now, get off me.”

There was a certain threshold of weirdness Marinette had learned to tolerate in her time as Ladybug. Evil butterflies around the city, mini talking God-pets, monsters popping up during her Physics class… that was all fine.

Hearing her own voice repeated back to her was not. This was treading on a new kind of weird.

Marinette hesitantly stepped forward, following the voices. Behind a big column, she could hear the two bickering people. She checked on Tikki in her purse, who was fast asleep. She couldn’t wake her up for a threat she still hadn’t confirmed.

“Now… she’s bound to be here somewhere,” the voice like hers said. “Chat, can you go bring Emma through another portal?”

“That’s an awful lot of faith you have in a fifteen year old girl to say yes without even asking.”

Marinette heard the amusement in her doppelganger’s voice. “I think I’d know my fifteen year old self better than you.”

Another flash of light came and suddenly, the conversation stopped. Marinette’s heart was back to racing, this time from apprehension as she looked behind the column. 

She was certain. This was not in the threshold of weirdness she could learn to tolerate.

An older, fitter Ladybug was staring her in the face. Her raven hair was bunched in longer buns around her neck and she towered over Marinette in height. Everything about her exuded confidence and the presence of… a real superhero.

The only telltale sign Marinette could find of her being a person was the awkward, gaping smile she gave.

“Um… hi,” Ladybug said, giving a stiff wave.

Marinette blinked. Then she screamed.

Ladybug raced forward, clamping her hand over Marinette’s mouth. “Oh my God, was I always so easily frightened?” she mumbled to herself in distress. “Marinette, it’s me. I mean- it’s you. It’s you-me. Hi.”

Hesitantly, the hand over Marinette’s mouth slipped away. “What do you mean you-me?” she narrowed her eyes, an urgent distrust in her voice. “Who are you?”

Ladybug’s voice softened. “I’m you. From the future, ten years from now. I’m twenty six year old Marinette,” she grinned, fluffing her two buns. “Pretty cute, right?”

Marinette’s guard didn’t lower. She backed away slowly. “I don’t believe it. You must be an akumatized person… or a trick from Hawkmoth! What do you want with me?”

Ladybug stretched her limbs. “I can’t even blame you for being on edge. I know how tense things were when I was your age,” she mumbled.

“Hello? Who are you?” Marinette repeated. She put her hands on her hips, trying to make herself look more intimidating. “If you’re really me then you should-”

“How’s the Adrien-in-white poster project going?” Ladybug sighed, asking with a resigned shrug. “Right about now, the new spring shoots must’ve come out, right? That shot of him in the white polo by the trees is the prettiest. The green background makes his eyes pop and makes him look like an angel des-”

“Descended from heaven,” Marinette blinked, breathlessly. “Oh my God.”

“Still don’t believe me? Around last month, you broke your phone and asked for three months’ allowance to get it repaired instead of just buying a new one because you told everyone you had some design files that you forgot to back-up, when it was really just saved photos of Adrien from-”

“Okay, okay, I believe you!” Marinette cut her off, red creeping up her neck and turning her face into a bright tomato. 

Despite her embarrassment, Ladybug only smiled wistfully. She ruffled Marinette’s hair. “Sorry to crash your date, little me,” she said with a grin. “But I have a huge favor to ask.”

“A favor?”

Ladybug nodded. “Yup. Straight from the future. Your twenty six year old self kinda depends on you right now.”

Marinette squared her shoulders. “What is it?” she asked determinedly. “Is Hawkmoth still causing trouble? What do I need to do?”

Ladybug laughed, suddenly looking sheepish. “Um… it’s a little less complicated than that,” she admitted. “You see… you- I mean, me… we kind of are in the midst of a little fight against a villain in the future. It’s crazy. We’ve been fighting for two days and he still won’t let go.”

“Do you need my help?” Marinette asked with confidence. A fight in the future… she could do that. Paris was her priority in any case.

Ladybug giggled. “Well, yes. But not in fighting. You see, in between all the battles, I keep having to go home and detransform because of a little thing. A very cute, little thing. Everyone is so caught up in the chaos of the city that I’m having trouble being Ladybug and Marinette at the same time. That’s where I thought little me could come in handy?”

Marinette raised her eyebrows.

“Little Mari,” Ladybug said with an adoring smile. “How would you feel about babysitting?”

Marinette’s jaw dropped. Her head turned left and right, scanning the empty museum before looking back at Ladybug. “Do I have to babysit Manon again on the only day I get to be with Adrien?”

Ladybug laughed. “Well, it’s not Manon this time. This kid’s a little younger. She’s almost one and she’s an angel. I think you’ll quite like her,” she grinned mischievously. “You see, it’s my daughter.”

Her daughter?

No words came to her mind except the phrase repeating. Her daughter.

Marinette was staring at a twenty six year old version of her, far more confident and chic than her and now, this woman had a daughter. Marinette would have a daughter in ten years. 

A wide smile broke out on her face. At sixteen, she only ever knew the kind of love she could see around her, for her parents, her friends, Adrien, for her partner… but now, one day, there’d be more to that. Suddenly, she couldn’t stop smiling.

“My… daughter?”

“Yup. Congrats future-mom. We’re quite a good mother if I do say so myself,” Ladybug smirked. “Though I’m pretty sure our husband is half the reason why we’re so good.”

Now, a blush spread across Marinette’s cheeks. A husband. Marinette couldn’t even imagine having a boyfriend, not with how tongue-tied she got around every boy she liked but somewhere in the future was a man she loved who loved her back. A man who was raising a child with her.

At her shell-shocked expression, Ladybug laughed affectionately. “I didn’t even tell you a thing about our daughter or husband but you look like you’re already on cloud nine. You really aren’t ready for the future yet. Good thing you have ten years to prepare.”

“Who… who is my husband?”

Now, a twinkle of amusement flashed in Ladybug’s eyes. “No cheating. All I’ll tell you is… he’s a lovely man. You love him very much. A bit embarrassingly much.” There was a hidden joke somewhere in Ladybug’s words but Marinette didn’t laugh, still too shaken by the prospect of being married with kids of her own.

“What’s… can I ask my daughter’s name?”

“I’m surprised you need to ask.”

Marinette couldn’t fight a smile. “Emma,” she laughed. “Well, I’m happy our future husband wasn’t against our suggestion.”

“Oh, he can’t refuse a single thing we say. You’ll see,” Ladybug smiled. “Well, hopefully at some point. If we manage to end the fight and keep Emma from crying all in a day’s work… so can I trust myself to take care of her?”

Marinette nodded excitedly. “Of course.”

“Thank you little Mari,” Ladybug sighed in relief. “You won’t believe how badly I needed this help.”

Was it possible to be starstruck by your own future self? Marinette felt she was hanging off every word Ladybug was saying, drawn in by the assurance and ease she spoke with. She wondered if this was how the rest of the world felt now when she spoke as Ladybug.

“Anything for you!” Marinette blinked with glittering eyes. “You must… you must be doing so well. Ten years and you’re… wow. That’s me.”

Ladybug giggled. “You’re doing well too, you know. For one, I’m glad you haven’t combusted on your date with Adrien yet.”

Marinette flushed, before blinking in shock. Adrien. “Wait! I have to tell Adrien I’ll have to cancel! So I can take Emma home while you-”

“Oh, I don’t think you need to do that. You can keep her around with him,” an entertained look passed in Ladybug’s eyes. “I think it’ll be good practice.”

“Practice for what?”

Ladybug cocked an innocent brow, suddenly distracted by her surroundings. Marinette was about to repeat the question till the familiar flash of light from earlier came again. Chat Noir came tumbling out of the portal, a baby strapped to his chest.

Marinette blinked. If she was looking at twenty six year old Ladybug then… this was twenty six year old Chat Noir.

She swallowed. The years had been- would be kind to her kitty… if she could still even call him that in the future. 

She was far too used to the flirty school boy under the name of Chat Noir but this was someone else entirely. For the first time in her life, Marinette found herself at a loss for words in his presence.

Chat’s eyes flickered from Ladybug, a glance filled with lasting adoration, to Marinette. A sudden amusement crossed his expression that Marinette had trouble deciphering. Somewhere between glee and satisfaction.

He inched closer, offering a hand to shake. “Well hello there,” he grinned before looking at Ladybug and saying, “you know, I almost forgot how adorable you were.”

Marinette squeaked. “You know who I am?”

“In the future, he does,” Ladybug reassured, poking Chat’s nose in an all-too-familiar way. “Don’t fret. He’s just playing.”

Chat looked almost offended by the statement. “I am not. I mean it sincerely. You were the cutest thing at sixteen.”

Ladybug cocked a teasing brow. “Is that really a thing to say about just a friend-”

Chat pressed a finger to Ladybug’s lips, throwing a smirk Marinette’s way. “You can’t be handing out spoilers like that for your mini-self. Look how innocent she is. We can’t deprive mini Chat Noir of the satisfaction when it all comes out in the open.”

Ladybug scoffed. “This is why I didn’t want you to accompany me. You’re just getting a kick out of seeing me like this, aren’t you?”

“Can you blame me? It’s hard to keep a straight face when I now know what’s really going on in the sixteen year old pretty princess’ brain,” he said with a wink.

Marinette’s heart faltered at the display of adoration and comfort between the two future selves of her and her partner. She and Chat were always close but this… this was new. The doting expression in Chat’s eyes when he looked at Ladybug wasn’t new but the reciprocated devotion in her own future self’s eyes was.

He was still in love with her, ten years later - that was easy to tell. But she wondered how to interpret the feeling that made her feel like suddenly, she was too.

Ladybug reached for Chat’s chest, unwrapping a small sleeping baby from the blankets. Ladybug pressed a loving kiss on the baby’s forehead before looking at Marinette. The two shared a silent smile.

Gently, the baby was placed in Marinette’s arms. Her heart paced at the weight of a life cradling against her chest. 

A sudden anxiousness pooled her thoughts. “Can I… do you really think it’s the best idea to give your kid to me?”

Chat was the one to answer. “It’s your kid too, Marinette.”

Her name, her real name, off his lips made her shiver. There was a future in which he called her by that. It sounded so pleasant to her ears that she almost wished that that future could be now.

“But… you know what I mean! Not sixteen year old, clumsy me! It’s your kid. The me who’s put together and… you know, can actually handle walking with a child and not tripping over air and-”

Chat’s laugh broke her rant. “The fact that you think you’re any less clumsy ten years in the future is adorable. I don’t think you’ll ever recover from that.”

“Chat! I’m right here!” Ladybug poked the tall, towering kitten away before turning to Marinette. “You’ll be fine. I promise. You can trust your future self’s judgment, can’t you?”

Marinette swallowed, glancing down at the girl in her arms. For the first time, she looked carefully at the daughter she would one day hold for the rest of her life. She was a beautiful sight. Her cherub cheeks stuck out in her sleep and strands of dark, midnight hair just like Marinette’s covered her face. She wondered whether her eyes were blue too, just like hers.

Marinette smiled. “Okay. I’ll do my best.”

Ladybug grinned, giving a squeeze to Marinette’s shoulder. “I owe you. Well, technically I don’t because future-you has a lot of good in store that current-you would never believe. But thanks,” she laughed. With ease, her hand slipped into Chat Noir’s as she walked away with a wave.

Marinette’s eyes zeroed in on the sight. At the last second, Chat Noir glanced back at her and a strange feeling leapt through her heart. He smiled. “Don’t worry Marinette. You’re a natural mother.”

The two disappeared in another flash too quick for Marinette to notice. She blinked, thinking of the words Chat had left her with and the intertwined hands… what ever was in store for her future with Chat? Surely… surely, what she was suspecting couldn’t be-

In her arms, the baby moved. Marinette stilled, glancing at her daughter as she woke from her nap. Her arms stretched and she showed a warm smile as soon as she looked up at Marinette. Emma.

“Maman,” Emma said happily. Marinette had never thought she’d find a word she loved the sound of more than Adrien. Now she had.

When she stared at her daughter, she memorized every small feature. This time, she got to see her eyes, wide and awake. While Emma had Marinette’s dark hair, her eyes were a deep shade of green.

/

Adrien had never considered himself a narcissist. But looking at the broad, tall body of his future self was making him reconsider his stance.

“Plagg. Are you seeing this? I’m so cool,” Adrien grinned excitedly, staring at the Chat Noir in front of him. “This is the best day ever.”

Chat grumbled, hiding his face with a few fingers. Even his fingers were big enough to cover his face. Adrien blinked at what ten years was going to do to him. Despite his title of a model, he hated to indulge in complimenting himself but at this second… he could only say that there was no way Ladybug could reject his twenty six year old self. Adrien grinned with the thought. He could wait ten years to woo his lady if this was the payoff.

“Can you listen, kid?” Chat sighed. “I don’t have much time to give you a pep talk before Ladybug starts panicking at why I’m not back yet,” he mumbled to himself.

Adrien could only laugh, still on a high. “You’re me! From the future!”

Plagg’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of diet plan is future-you on?”

“I don’t know, but isn’t it amazing?!” Adrien said with a grin. “Why are you here? Wait… you’re here to give me a message, aren’t you?”

Chat took a few seconds to stare his younger self in the face. Adrien wondered why it looked like he was on the verge of exasperation. “I wish I could give you ten messages. But even then, I don’t know if it’ll help your hopeless case,” Chat said with a snicker.

Adrien’s mouth dropped. “Plagg… is my future-self bullying me right now?”

Plagg shrugged. “I have no objections.”

“Listen,” a hand clamped down Adrien’s shoulder. Adrien squeaked an inhumane sound at the grip of his future self’s hand. “You know that girl you have a crush on?”

“Ladybug,” Adrien nodded with a lovesick smile.

Chat’s lips tightened into a thin line, unamused. “This is gonna be harder than I thought,” he sighed. “Was I really this oblivious?” he mumbled to Plagg, completely ignoring Adrien’s distraught confusion.

Plagg laughed. “Oh, this isn’t being oblivious. This is just denying the truth. You love acting like you have no idea. I hope you’re a bit better in the future, for my mental health’s sake.”

“Plagg, shouldn’t you be siding with the version of me that actually belongs in your time?!” Adrien whined. “What’s this about?”

Plagg and Chat shared a look. Chat fought a small smile before trying again. “Alright buddy. See, in a few minutes, I’m gonna head back to the future - we’re in the middle of an epic fight, you’d love it - and I’ve left my daughter to babysat by you. It won’t be too long… maybe three hours. Actually, make it four. I should take my wife out on a date after and thank her for putting up with me despite how stupid I was at sixteen. Can you manage four hours?”

Adrien gulped. In just one sentence alone, words like ‘wife’, ‘daughter’ and ‘future’ had left his mind in shock. He wasn’t sure which part to start with, when so much information had been thrown his way in a moment’s breath.

“I’m married?!”

Chat grinned proudly. “Happily.”

Adrien’s eyes brightened. “Am I married to Ladybug?”

Chat’s smile grew with delight. “Even better,” he sighed dreamily. “You’re married to the girl you have a crush on.”

“That’s Ladybug!” Adrien spluttered excitedly.

Chat sighed, part in amusement and part in resignation. “Even if I spelled it out for you, there really is no hope,” he mumbled. “But anyway. Just make sure Emma stays safe, okay? We’ll be back soon so there shouldn’t be any trouble. Not with Marinette taking care of her anyway.”

Adrien’s eyes widened. “Marinette? You’re giving her to Marinette?” he coughed out the question. “But she’s my daughter!”

Chat bit the inside of his cheek to fight a smile. “Well, that’s all the message I wanna give. Marinette’s going to be outside with a beautiful little girl and you just have to babysit for a short while. Whatever Marinette says, listen to her, okay? She knows best.”

Chat turned but Adrien quickly grabbed at the man’s hand. Was that rock he was gripping or really a human’s body under a suit?

“What?”

“Well… that can’t be all. There’s so much I have to know!” Adrien blinked innocently. “Like… does Ladybug end up being my first girlfriend? How long do I wait to propose to her, because honestly, I think I’d propose as soon as I’m eighteen, and am I a good dad? Do I quit modelling? And what the hell do I eat to become as buff as you?”

Chat hid the growing smile on his face. He gave a finger salute to Plagg before turning to open a portal. With one leg through the flashing light, Adrien yelled out in haste, “aren’t you gonna give your younger self any advice?!”

Chat laughed, looking back for only one last second. “How about you just try to figure out who’s the girl you have a crush on first, buddy?”

/

Maybe Marinette was a natural mother. It would explain why she was already ready to give her life for a girl she’d only known for minutes now.

At sixteen, Marinette was always sure she wanted kids but that dream always used to be a small piece of her bigger dream with Adrien. Her dream of kids and a hamster and a house in the South of France for them to retire together. Now with a glimpse into the future, her own plans didn’t look like they needed to be so small anymore.

Her future self hadn’t mentioned Adrien at all, apart from just casual teasing. What did that mean?

“What do you think, Emma?” Marinette cooed at the girl in her arms. “She didn’t seem to care much about Adrien but she was looking at Chat like he was her whole world… does that mean my future self isn’t in love with Adrien anymore?”

“Maman,” Emma said in response with a smile. Marinette’s heart softened.

She chewed on her lip in thought. She was holding a child she would eventually have with a man she’d call her husband… and unlike her sixteen year old self’s aspirations, her twenty six year old self hadn’t mentioned anything of Adrien being that man.

Was Marinette missing something? Was Adrien really not the boy for her?

But… her heart belonged to him, she was sure of it. There was no wedding, no kids, no house she could picture that didn’t have him in some way.

Marinette remembered how Ladybug’s touch lingered on Chat’s body, almost too fondly and affectionately to be considered the same as the relationship present-day Ladybug and Chat had. Like an ice-cold realization being dumped over her, Marinette froze.

“Oh my God Emma,” she said breathlessly. “I end up with Chat Noir.”

Emma giggled, mumbling something that Marinette chose to interpret as affirmation. Unable to stay stoic from Emma’s adorable smile, Marinette burst out in laughter.

“Oh my God,” she repeated. “That sneaky kitty… he must’ve done something. Did you see how future Maman was looking at him, Emma? She was saying his teasing was annoying but then she was touching him every chance she got… am I going to be like that? Me and… my Chat Noir? Is he going to be my…”

Marinette couldn’t bring herself to say the word. Fate truly had a twisted turn if she eventually gave into Chat’s wooing and was just as lovesick for him as he was for her. The thought made her giggle but her heart fluttered.

“He’s gonna have a field day with this one, little Emma. If he finds out I met our married versions, he might die of excitement before we get there,” Marinette laughed, brushing Emma’s hair from her face. “I wonder what it is about Chat that makes me finally fall in love.”

Marinette cradled the baby girl close to her, letting herself indulge in the guilty thoughts of love she would usually shut off for her loyalty to Adrien. “You know what the crazy part is, Emma? Little Maman doesn’t even have a problem with any of this. It would’ve been nice if it was Adrien but… I think I get it now. Adrien’s a crush but to really be with someone, I would want it to be my other half.”

Marinette sighed. Were her feelings so fickle? Suddenly, her heart was warm with the thought of a friend she never once considered before. It felt less like two years of feelings for Adrien had dissipated but two years of feelings for Chat Noir had come to the surface after seeing her daughter.

“What do you think, Emma? Is Chat a good papa?” Marinette giggled, joking with her daughter who only nuzzled into Marinette’s chest. She held her tighter, only turning around when she heard her name called.

“Marinette!”

The smile on Adrien’s face was so blinding that Marinette almost had to step back. The boy was definitely not this happy when he’d ran off to the bathroom.

Their eyes met and Marinette flushed from the sheer joy in his smile. He looked down, his gaze landing upon Emma.

“Oh! Adrien- um- this is… well, it’s a bit tough to explain. You see, I kind of just got asked by my… my aunt! My aunt came and dropped off my daughter- her daughter. My niece! She’s a bit busy so I just have to keep an eye out for her for a few hours and… you don’t mind, do you?”

Marinette watched Adrien’s eyes carefully for a flicker of annoyance at the sudden responsibility. She could only find warmth.

Surely, a boy couldn’t be this happy from having to babysit someone else’s kid?

He inched closer, giving a soft smile to Emma. For a second, Marinette forgot how to breathe. The sight of her first love and her first daughter meeting made her forget words.

“What’s her name?”

“Emma,” Marinette answered softly. Emma reached out for Adrien almost instantly, ready to be carried by him even at first glance. The familiarity she held for Adrien almost worried her when she remembered that there was a strong chance that Adrien and her remained friends in the future… Emma was likely recognizing her Uncle Adrien from another time.

“Can I hold her?” he asked hesitantly and Marinette nodded with a smile.

Adrien cradled the girl to his chest with a gentleness Marinette didn’t expect. It was hard enough seeing Adrien so out of reach every single day of her life but seeing him hold her daughter almost like… like she was his…

Marinette gulped painfully.

The future was beautiful and kind, but there wouldn’t be this. There wouldn’t be a beautiful, young man who got to be Marinette’s first love yet also hold the title of her daughter’s father. Still, she smiled. She had ten years to come to terms with it.

“Hello Emma,” Adrien laughed, a soft finger touching her cheeks. “You probably don’t know me yet but… I’m going to do everything I can to take care of you for as long as I can,” he grinned, almost too fatherly for Marinette’s comfort.

“Papa,” Emma said with a giggle.

Marinette’s heart squeezed. She didn’t blame little Emma for her confusion - Adrien did share the same hair and eyes as Chat that it might’ve thrown off the little girl. But she didn’t correct her daughter. She had a lifetime of parenting to do with her partner, so she’d let herself have today to pretend that it could’ve been her first love.

As she walked away in the museum, Adrien trailed behind with Emma in his arms. He said something to the little girl that Marinette didn’t quite catch fully. It sounded an awful lot like, “yes, Emma. It’s your papa,” but Marinette laughed. Her wishful thinking deluded her too much for her own good sometimes.

/

At sixteen, Adrien knew he was nowhere ready to be a father. He could hardly understand what it meant to be a good son, to be enough to earn the affections of his own father, to be able to start thinking about how to be a good father.

And yet… was it supposed to be this easy?

Adrien was scared his daughter would repulse at the first sight of him but she came willingly into his arms. She rested with ease, her eyes widened at everything around her - eyes he noticed looked an awful lot like his mother’s -  and she laughed at the lame jokes he whispered in her ear, despite not understanding a word.

The apprehension Adrien felt in his chest was gone. This was slowly becoming the best day he’d had in a while.

Just as Emma kept calling him Papa, she called out for Marinette as Maman. At first, Marinette’s face paled when she saw Adrien hear it.

“Oh… uh, my niece, she… well, I look a lot like my aunt, haha! So, you know… she gets us mixed up. That’s probably why she calls you Papa too. You look an awful lot like her father. He’s got the… the same blond hair. And eyes. Even the smile at times,” Marinette blinked, her words trailing off.

Adrien only smiled. His eyes flickered between his daughter and Marinette. Her hair was exactly like Ladybug’s, smooth and dark like the night but it was also just like Marinette’s. He could tell what spurred his daughter’s confusion.

Yet, he still wondered… Why was Marinette the one who his future self had entrusted Emma to? Was it a decision that future Ladybug - his wife! - and his future self made together? Adrien chewed on his lip, unable to answer the question.

What had Chat Noir said before bolting for the future? Marinette knows best?

Adrien glanced at Marinette, the softness in her eyes when she looked at Emma and thought Adrien wasn’t looking. With the gentleness with which she cared for Emma in just a few moments, Adrien couldn’t deny that he had no problem trusting his daughter to her either. Marinette was always kind and there wasn’t a person in the world he thought higher of. 

Except for Ladybug. But it really couldn’t get better than that.

“So what should we do now?” Adrien asked. “We checked out my wax statue so that’s done.”

“Well… I guess I should take Emma home. My aunt will be back after a few hours and I’m sure you have things to do so-”

When Marinette came to take Emma from Adrien’s arms, he backed away protectively. She blinked, frowning at his behavior.

“Adrien?”

“Uh… Sorry. I’m a little attached to her,” he forced a laugh. Glancing back at his daughter, he smiled. Chat Noir had said that she’d be his for four hours so why would Adrien have to give her up now?

His lips tightened. As trustworthy as Marinette was, was it fair to give babysitting privileges to her rather than Emma’s father? Did future Ladybug trust an old friend more than she trusted her own young husband?

At that second, Emma burst into sudden tears. Adrien blinked, taken aback by the shrieking sound but before he could do anything, Marinette swooped in and took Emma in her arms. She wrapped her arms around the girl softly, moving her as gently as the wind and whispering quiet words in her ears.

How was Marinette so… natural at this?

He could see just why Marinette was the right choice to babysit, with her soft heart and tender touch and yet… the thought still stung. Ladybug was his wife in the future but she thought more of a friend than she did of him, despite all his love?

How was the future Chat Noir so content with this? Adrien frowned, revisiting every word Chat had said in their short conversation to scrutinize it. His future self hadn’t had any problem with Marinette either - he’d told Adrien to willingly let Marinette handle it all. 

When he spoke of his wife, he wore a smile that made Adrien think the future was perfect but surely, this was not the perfect he settled for. His future self had said he was happily married but in what world did a father have less right to his child than a friend of his wife’s?

A bitter taste crawled up Adrien’s mouth. He looked at his daughter to find some peace but when he did, all he could see was Marinette grinning and spinning the girl around. Emma now smiled, looking at Marinette with so much love in her eyes that Adrien wasn’t sure what to think next.

His wife… Chat had never said it was Ladybug. Perhaps Ladybug had dropped off his daughter in the past but Chat had never said it was his daughter with Ladybug. All he’d said was that he was happily married, to a girl even better than Ladybug, and to follow Marinette.

Adrien swallowed. Marinette brushed Emma against her cheek and laughed with a sound worth the brightness of a thousand suns. There was no girl on Earth who held that much love in her heart for a stranger’s baby. Not even Marinette, for all her goodness, could conjure up so much affection for a child she didn’t know.

A stirring feeling shook Adrien’s heart. Pretty Marinette, kind Marinette, Marinette with the shyness of a school-girl but the heart of an everyday superhero, Marinette with the passion of a youthful girl but the love of a woman who’d lived a long life… Marinette, the girl he’d buried his feelings for, for the fear he’d never be good enough to earn her affections back.

That Marinette… She was his future wife.

The smile that spread on Adrien’s face made him look like a fool, but he knew now that he was the same lovesick fool as the future Chat. This right here, in the comfort of the space between Marinette and him, and the daughter they’d one day have, was his family. He would find a family in this girl.

He had already found a family in her. Future Chat knew well enough, telling him to open his eyes and figure out the girl he had a crush on. Of course, Ladybug was his first love, built on admiration and respect, but Marinette was his future. She was the girl he’d become worthy of and the girl who’d give him a home after all his searching.

He blinked back the stinging feeling of tears. When he walked closer to Marinette and Emma, he smiled and rested his hand on Marinette’s shoulder.

“Hey Marinette,” he whispered gently, so not to distract her from their daughter. “Is it okay if I babysit Emma with you today?”

“Hm?” Marinette raised her eyebrows. Adrien fought the urge to brush down her forehead to smooth the crease. She smiled with a welcoming glance. “Of course you can Adrien.”

He grinned. “I guess we can go get ice cream. What do you think about that, little Emma?”

The girl only clapped, excited to see her two mini-parents together again. When she called Marinette Maman again, Adrien couldn’t hide his smile. 

/

Whatever it was Adrien was doing to both her heart, and Emma’s, Marinette wished he would stop.

It was hard enough in the simple moments of Adrien carrying Emma and Emma calling him Papa, but now Adrien was doing even more to seemingly fit in the gaps of her life that belonged to Chat Noir.

For one, his smiles were becoming far too frequent and brightening for her. She started the day off at the museum by counting every time he laughed and grinned at her but now, it was an endless supply that she lost track of. 

Not to mention… the hand holding.

Was Marinette truly counting the times their hands had brushed this morning? Because now, Adrien left no steps unturned to hold her hand in the streets of Paris. The three of them went around the city, stopping at little monuments and pretty spring sceneries, all together. It was too much like a family for Marinette to handle.

This was her future family and Adrien was creeping in. He was taking selfies of the three of them at every turn, spending money at random stalls for jewelry and snacks for Emma and he was even… blushing around Marinette?

“Here,” Adrien coughed, looking up at the distracting view of an empty sky. His hand was holding out a small box. “It’s for you.”

Marinette frowned, taking the box. Adrien was no stranger to giving gifts but Marinette was a stranger to the blushing, nervous delivery with which he handed her this gift. Inside was a small necklace with a flower charm on it.

“I just got it from the stall so it’s nothing spectacular, I know,” he laughed awkwardly. “But just to remember today. And I promise, I’ll get you a lot more great things in the future.”

“Oh Adrien, it’s lovely. You didn’t have to get me anything at all,” she blinked. For the sake of her racing heart, she chose to ignore the promise he attached at the end.

Adrien only gave a smile. When the three of them sat down at the bench near Andre’s ice cream stall, Marinette could only cry for relief from the relaxation.

“Wow. Carrying a baby across the city is more of a workout than I thought it’d be,” Marinette sighed. “Kids are a lot of work.”

Adrien nodded, taking Emma from Marinette’s arms. “Well, you don’t need to worry Marinette,” he smiled. “I think you’re a natural mother.”

Marinette’s breath hitched in her throat. The weight of Adrien’s words hung in the air and if she inhaled, she knew she would feel the effect of them crashing against her lungs.

Was today supposed to feel like a goodbye? Was it the reason that Emma appeared today, of all days? To guide her to Chat Noir… and to give her words from Adrien that she would carry forever?

Adrien thought she was a natural mother. It meant one thing to hear it from the man you’d marry but another thing to hear it from your first love. Marinette couldn’t help her heart from singing, from the thought that Adrien saw her so highly. 

“Marinette?”

“Huh?” Marinette blinked.

Adrien laughed, brushing his hair from his face. “Oh, I was just saying… aren’t you glad there’s a long time till we have kids?” he rubbed the nape of his neck.

“Absolutely. I’m going to spend a good long while enjoying being sixteen,” Marinette smiled, biting the inside of her cheek. “But then… I think I’m also excited. To work towards getting married.”

Adrien blinked, suddenly flustered. “Do you… do you already have someone in mind?”

Marinette laughed. She was glad Chat could never hear the words she was about to confess to Adrien. Although maybe one day, when the two of them were married and in-between battles, she might confess that she realized she was in love with him on the first date with the guy she’d rejected him all this time for.

“Yup,” Marinette said with a smile, thinking of the kitty’s wide eyes and dramatic flair for romance. “I’m going to marry my best friend.”

Adrien coughed and Marinette noticed the tips of his ears turning red. “Wow… that’s… that’s really sweet, Marinette,” he said, fighting a smile off his lips.

“I know. We’ve gone through so much together that I think that the rest of our lives together will be a fun ride,” Marinette laughed. Before Adrien could reply, Emma suddenly began wailing, mumbling for an ice cream.

“Oh, I’ll take her,” Adrien said with a charming smile. “You should rest after carrying her all day.”

“No, Adrien, it’s fine-”

“We’re babysitting together. Let me handle it,” he said, pushing her gently down. Marinette didn’t protest any further, watching Adrien carry Emma down the bridge to Andre’s.

She was sure he’d make a great father one day. While it was a shame it couldn’t be to her kids, Marinette still smiled at the thought that somewhere in the future, Adrien would be there with her.

/

Adrien pinched his nose.

How the hell did future Chat battle villains with a daughter? Did he leave her alone with Marinette and run off? Did Marinette know about her husband’s crime-fighting identity? Adrien had a million thoughts running through his mind as he stared up at the blob of a monster, terrorizing the city.

He was certain there wasn’t much that could be done. If he were a little smarter, like his future self, he’d pass off the responsibility of his daughter to someone he could trust. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option today.

Adrien searched the racing crowds desperately for Marinette, looking for any sign of her. For the first time, fear struck him cold at the thought of her safety. She wasn’t far from where the monster had appeared from… would she be okay?

Adrien shook the thought. She was strong. He was sure she’d be fine, wherever she was but… if only she were in sight. He hadn’t quite crossed the bridge with his wife-to-be about his secret identity but now he desperately needed Emma’s mother to handle her while he transformed.

“Papa,” Emma said, blinking.

“I know, Emma. I don’t know where Maman is… do you think Marinette would eat me alive if she saw Chat Noir fighting an akuma while holding her baby daughter?”

“Adrien, you’re worrying about the wrong Marinette. Do you really want to be on the end of future-you’s punch if anything happened to his daughter?” Plagg piped up.

“Hey! She’s my daughter too.”

“She’s his daughter. You’ve been too oblivious and stupid to deserve such a cute kid,” Plagg grumbled, flying around Emma with a kind of affection that Adrien had never seen from his kwami before. “Wow, she really looks like you.”

“And Marinette. She looks like Marinette too.”

“A little less oblivious now, are we?”

“Plagg, please. Back to the problem. What do we do?”

Plagg sighed. “Well… what else is there to do? Ladybug’s already out there fighting the akuma, Marinette’s nowhere in sight and you’ve got a daughter you can’t leave in the middle of a Paris alley. I’ll let your suit wrap her around your chest… just don’t bring me in the wrath of future Ladybug and future Chat Noir when they ask why Emma is covered in akuma goo.”

Adrien buried his hands in his hair. There was no wonder his future self was far more blindly trusting of Marinette. Marinette would be taking care of their daughter, far from akumas and danger and Adrien… Adrien was here, taking her into battle with them.

“Well?”

“I don’t want to hurt Marinette. I love Emma but…” Adrien cast a glance to the akumatized victim. “I can’t let my lady down. I’m sure they’ll understand.”

“For the record, I had nothing to say or do with this decision, I am a mere bystander-”

“Plagg, claws out!”

/

Trust Chat Noir to make the day Marinette was ready to give her heart to him as Ladybug the only day he arrived at an akuma fight ten minutes late.

“Took you long enough!” Marinette yelled as she bounced back on the ground from the akumatized victim’s shot of what seemed like jelly goo. “The akuma’s in his stick by the way!”

Chat nervously laughed, giving a hand to Marinette on the ground. “Um… my lady, I know we always fight as a duo but would you be opposed to an adorable sidekick today?”

“What are you talking ab- OH MY GOD! Chat, what the hell is she doing with you?!”

“Well, you see, there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for everything-”

“Why is she with you?!” Marinette bellowed, trying to take her poor daughter from the strapped blankets around Chat’s chest. The grip of the straps was far too tight though. Marinette could almost cry. When she’d said she wanted to see her Chat look more like the Chat from the future, she’d meant his height or big build… not in the way they both appeared with her daughter strapped to their chest in danger.

“Look, my lady, listen, I couldn’t leave her in the streets! She has a better chance of being protected like this than if I’d leave her on a bench somewhere!”

“Why couldn’t you leave her with Adrien?!”

“Papa?”

“Not now, Emma!”

Chat blinked. “How do you know her name?” he said slowly. “And how do you know she was with Adrien? Oh my God, did future Chat Noir pay a visit to you too?!”

Marinette buried her face into her palms. Was he really the partner she was supposed to raise Emma with? She was glad that there were years to go before the two of them would reach that burden because right now, she was almost guiltily wishing fate had been kinder to her and put her in Adrien’s path instead.

“Chat, now is not the time! Please! We need to break the akuma and figure out how to keep Emma safe. Please just… just be safe with her, okay?”

Chat nodded, blinking. “Of course I will. She is my daughter after all,” he said with a smile down at Emma. His black-leather clad gloves gently caressed the girl’s cheek, careful of his sharp claws.

Marinette stilled. So wrapped up in the chaos, she forgot she was witnessing the sight of her daughter with the man she’d one day call her husband.

In her mind, Chat Noir had always been a little bit of a child himself, chasing after love and thrill like a lost boy. There were countless times she doubted his sincerity in his fluttering feelings for her.

And yet… Now, when she looked at him, none of that doubt was there. All she saw was a boy with radiating love in his eyes, a gentle heart, one that had been begging for her to be careful with him all this time because his affection was never insincere. It was just that he had so much to give.

Marinette blinked back the pooling tears in her eyes. He looked at Emma with so much love and when his eyes came to her, his gaze only softened.

“Are you crying?” he asked, puzzled. 

Marinette quickly wiped the tears away under her mask. Now was not the time. “You… you’re gonna be a great father one day, kitty,” she settled for saying, running away towards the akuma without a glance back. Though he was out of earshot, Marinette still let herself say to the world, “I’m so glad you’re going to be the one for my kids.”

/

Adrien was fighting an akuma, with his future daughter wrapped to his chest, and his future wife somewhere out there in Paris. And first love had just told him that he was going to be a great father out of the blue.

Were all of the world’s gifts being given to him today?

“Chat, the light pole! If you cataclysm it, we can trap him!”

Adrien blinked, looking up. “Um… my lady, I would never be opposed to anything you suggest except- I don’t wanna give Emma vertigo by climbing all the way up there!”

Ladybug sighed. “Well, it’s not ideal to bring a daughter along in an akuma fight. For now, I’ll hold onto her while you go!” she said before mumbling, “we better find a way around this when the time comes. I might kill you if you bring Emma along into a fight in the future.” 

In a quick swap, Adrien was now watching Ladybug cradle his daughter to her chest. His first love and his future daughter. He hated how his heart fluttered.

Before today, it was her he wanted to be a husband for. He dreamed of holding their children, of living together and growing old by each other’s side… Adrien hoped that the part of him that clung to that fantasy would go away soon.

He feigned a laugh. “Of course I won’t. I’ll leave her at home with my wife.”

Ladybug stilled, and amongst the chaos of Paris behind her, he could see her body freeze. Suddenly, she was glaring at him. “Like hell you will!” she pompously snapped. “You should be the one staying home taking care of her!”

Adrien blinked. “Then who will save Paris?!”

Adrien didn’t know what he was doing that only seemed to flame Ladybug’s temper. “I’m the one who purifies akumas anyway! You should be the one taking care of the kid!”

“I- I don’t understand!” Adrien threw his hands up in the air. The sudden argument between him and Ladybug made him feel like they were having a lover’s spat, but he tried not to dwell on that thought. “Why couldn’t my wife just take care of Emma while I’m out here?”

“Chat, if this is how you plan to be in the future, I swear I will make sure there is no Emma!” Ladybug argued. “I am not staying home to babysit Emma while you get to fight!”

“No one said anything about you having to babysit! You can fight!”

“You said you’ll leave Emma alone at home with your wife!”

“Yes! My wife!”

Ladybug blinked in confusion. “Well, your wife doesn’t want to stay home to babysit!”

Adrien buried his face in his hands. The city would burn to the ground at this rate, while he would still be stuck in a conversation he did not understand. He watched Emma’s eyes go from Ladybug to his as if she were lost on who to listen to.

“I don’t see why Marinette would have any problems taking care of Emma,” Adrien sighed exasperatedly. His body instantly froze after saying the words.

He’d just told the name of his future wife to a partner who had no idea about his identity… Adrien’s throat dried up. Had he just fucked up everything?

He swallowed, risking a glance at Ladybug. She mirrored his expression of shock and he mentally braced himself for the scolding of his life from her.

“You… you- did future Chat go and tell you my name?!” she groaned, shaking with a frightening temper. “I thought that was off limits! Future Ladybug didn’t even tell me anything about you! I had to figure it out all on my own that we were going to get married!”

Adrien stilled. Whatever confusion he was facing before, it only seemed to get worse now.

“M- married?” he sputtered out, suddenly coughing. His head echoed the chaos ensuing in the city around him. The logical part of his brain told him to get back to work, save Paris… every other part of him told him that he was stepping on unchartered territory right now with Ladybug and he shouldn’t dare move.

“This is a mess. Emma, did we mess everything up?” Ladybug mumbled, looking down at his daughter.

“Ladybug… wait, I think- I think there’s been a misunderstanding,” Adrien cut in, awkwardly rubbing the nape of his neck. “I’m… I’m going to marry Marinette.”

Ladybug blinked at him as if waiting for him to say something more. For a moment, only silence passed between the two. They both seemed to be waiting for the other to finish their unfinished words.

It was in this silence that Emma’s voice became the loudest. She looked up at Ladybug, laughing and reaching for her dark hair to grab. “Maman.”

Adrien glanced between his daughter’s familiar gaze at his first love and his first love’s hair that looked an awful lot like his future wife’s. Despite the tense atmosphere, Ladybug still smiled softly at his daughter as she continued to call out for Maman.

Adrien burst out laughing. Maybe he’d be a great father one day. But he sure as hell wouldn’t stop being an idiot.

/

Chat would make a very strange husband, Marinette decided. One second, he was yelling at her that she would have to stay home to take care of Emma and the next, after a very visible mental breakdown of laughter, he was back on his game.

Once the two of them had gotten past the weird argument, it took only a few minutes for Paris to return to normal and a little butterfly to fly away, harmless and pure. All in a day’s work… with a baby wrapped around her chest.

“Sorry little Emma,” Marinette sighed, rubbing her suit-covered fingers over her daughter’s cheek. “Maman took you into a fight. You must’ve been so scared.”

Emma only giggled. 

“Well, you don’t really need to be scared. We’re just kids right now, but I promise once you come, Maman will be an even better superhero. And Papa too… if he ever sorts his head out. We’ll be good parents,” Marinette blushed before adding, “we’ll be a good husband and wife too, don’t you think?”

Marinette couldn't get sick of the bright, green eyes of her daughter. They really were beautiful.

Behind her, she heard Chat Noir’s feet land on the ground. He mumbled pleasant greetings to the Parisians walking by before coming to her.

“So,” he began. A new kind of smile Marinette had never seen before was playing on his lips. “Crime-fighting husband and wife?”

Marinette rolled her eyes. There it was. The smugness she knew she’d have to handle from the second she realized that the man she ended up with was Chat Noir. “This just sounds like a recipe for disaster.”

His glee was painted across his face. He couldn’t stop grinning. “On the contrary, I think it’ll be quite the dream. You, me, our kwamis and our little kids. Aren’t you glad future-you finally decides to fall for me and have that life?”

“I don’t know. Doesn’t sound like much is in it for me.”

Chat fought a cocky grin. “Well, you get a piece of twenty-six-year-old Chat Noir and I think you’d quite like him, my lady.”

Marinette had to hide her flushing cheeks by looking down at Emma. “I’m stuck with sixteen-year-old you right now. Let’s start one step at a time, okay?” Marinette mumbled. “We have a long way to go before we become good parents.”

Chat laughed. “Me maybe. But you’re a natural mother, bugaboo. You’ll be great.”

Marinette giggled. What was that her future self had said? That she’d be a good mother, but her husband was half the reason why. She wouldn’t tell Chat that now, but she was starting to think it might be true. He’d done something risky today but he had her back as always.

In unison, both of their Miraculouses beeped, reminding them of their time limits. 

“Oh! Gotta go,” Chat glanced at his ring before looking up at Emma. “Will you be able to handle her?”

Marinette smiled. “Papa’s done enough,” she teased, poking him away. “I’ll be fine.”

Chat laughed, pressing a kiss onto Emma’s forehead. “See you when I see you, little bug,” he whispered to the happy baby before looking at Marinette with a mischievous smile. Marinette almost jumped from the sneaky kiss he pressed onto her forehead too.

She still felt his lips on her skin, long after he’d leaped across rooftops away. Cradling Emma carefully against her, she sneaked into an alley quickly to de-transform.

“You did great Marinette! You took down the akuma and took perfect care of Emma,” Tikki smiled. “Chat Noir’s right! You really are a natural mother.”

Marinette laughed. “Thanks, Tikki. Adrien said that too- oh my god! Adrien!”

Tikki hid a knowing smile before going back inside her purse. Marinette instantly took off, running back to the bridge where she’d last seen Adrien leave with Emma. The poor boy… he probably was frightened to death, thinking he lost Emma and Marinette in the crowd.

Standing in the middle of the bridge, Marinette panted. “Oh Emma,” she chewed her lip. “You don’t think he’ll be too panicked, will he? Adrien?”

“Papa?” Emma only asked in response, blinking widely.

Marinette laughed. “Not Papa silly. You just saw Papa. Do you already miss him?”

Emma pouted, nuzzling her face into Marinette’s neck. “Papa.”

Marinette sighed. “Is this how it is in the future? Do you like Papa more than me?” she grumbled playfully. She didn’t think she’d even mind if little Emma gave all her devotion to Chat.

The two laughed together till Marinette heard her name called. As she turned, she hated the way her heart skipped at the sight. Adrien came rushing down the bridge, two ice creams clutched in his hands and a wide smile on his face. It was a scene she thought she’d recall in every dream from now on.

Ten years Marinette… you have ten years to get over that.

“Sorry! I went to get ice cream, then the akuma happened, then Emma-”

“It’s fine, Adrien!” Marinette forced a laugh. “You’ve been a great help today with Emma anyway!”

Adrien’s smile slipped into something softer. She almost wished she didn’t have to see it.

“Papa!”

“Hey Emma,” Adrien laughed, giving the ice creams to Marinette before taking Emma into her own hands. “You weren’t scared, were you?”

Emma shook her head happily. She nuzzled affectionately into his touch, still calling him Papa. 

“Sorry about her,” Marinette smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “Looks like she likes her Papa more and you remind her of him.”

Adrien nodded, biting back a smile. “Well, that’s okay. I think her Maman already has someone who loves her far too much. It isn’t fair for her to get all of Emma’s love too.”

“Hm?”

Marinette blinked. That smile on Adrien… Why did it look both new and familiar at once? And why was he leaning in with a glint of amusement in his eyes, as if this were something ordinary between the two of them? And why, despite every better part of herself, was Marinette’s heart racing from being the focus of those eyes?

“Wouldn’t you agree, future wife?”

The ice creams dropped. Two cones sat planted in the ground and Marinette squeaked. The smugness she’d seen minutes ago on Chat’s face now appeared on… on Adrien’s. He laughed, sharing the joke with Emma in his playful stare. Her first love, the love of her life, and her future daughter… all in one sight.

“Adrien!”

“Uh oh Emma, your Maman is mad at me,” the boy laughed. Marinette chased him down the bridge but when she caught him, it was Adrien who pressed his lips to her forehead this time. 

/

“You took… our daughter into an akuma fight?!”

“Hey! She’s our daughter too. And don’t tell off Marinette,” Adrien pouted, jumping in front of Marinette from the towering Ladybug who had her hands on her hips. Hips he was having a hard time looking away from.

Adrien couldn’t tell Marinette - he wouldn’t dare - but while ten years would make him as Chat Noir just a bit more handsome, ten years would make her deadly.

He had to gulp a heavy breath when she appeared in Marinette’s bedroom, with her own Chat Noir on her tail. At first glance, he almost tripped from Marinette’s sofa. When he shared a look with his future self, his future self only feigned an innocent smile, fully aware of the inner workings of sixteen-year-old Adrien’s mind and how the stunning woman had short-wired it.

“I am allowed to tell myself off, Adrien,” Ladybug sighed. “Move away.”

“No way. It wasn’t her fault anyway!”

Ladybug shared a look with Chat. “Were you always this stubborn?”

Chat grinned. “Only when it comes to you,” he said with a wink and then with a glance at sixteen-year-old Marinette, “and her too, I guess.”

Adrien frowned. “Hey! Flirt with your own Marinette,” he grumbled, shooting daggers at his future self. For as hard as Adrien had worked to disguise his starstruck reaction to the future Ladybug, Marinette had put no effort into the same for the future Chat Noir. Her eyes were glued to him this whole time. Every time he moved or turned and the muscles strained against the suit, Marinette turned a little bit redder.

Adrien wasn’t sure whether to be jealous or flattered.

“Like I can’t see you ogling me,” Ladybug muttered before looking at Marinette. “Anyway. I’ll take Emma back now. While it wasn’t… ideal for you two to fight with her on hand, I know why you did it. Thank you for taking care of her.”

Marinette beamed. “Thank you for letting me have her today. I… I’m gonna work really hard,” she promised, her eyes bright and glittering. “To become a mother and superhero as good as you.”

Ladybug smiled, but before she could respond, the two boys answered in unison, “You’re already good.”

Marinette blinked, looking between Adrien and Chat. “Wow. This is trippy.”

“Tell me about it,” Ladybug sighed, before glancing at Adrien. “Thanks for taking care of her- well, me, Adrien. There’s gonna be a lot of tough times in the future but there’ll be a lot of good too.”

With a look at Marinette, the words came out of Adrien before he could stop them. “I think they’ll all be good.”

Chat sighed, picking up Emma. “I would make fun of you. But I’m exactly the same. Guess we’re even,” he grinned, offering a fist. When Adrien reciprocated, his fingers stung from the sheer force of a simple fist bump.

“Seriously man, what are you eating?”

“Nothing healthy. My wife’s family owns a bakery after all,” Chat said with a wink at Marinette. He turned to open a portal and Adrien squinted from the flash of light.

“Thanks for babysitting kiddos!” Ladybug smiled with a wave. Adrien could hardly wave back before the two of them were gone and the room was left with him and Marinette and their two sleeping kwamis.

And a hundred or so posters of Adrien.

“I really thought you’d be more into me,” Adrien mumbled in the empty room. “But you couldn’t stop gawking at Chat Noir!”

Marinette scoffed. “You weren’t slick about your staring at Ladybug either.”

Adrien rubbed the nape of his neck. “I was just… looking at how your suit would change. Very interesting, you know.”

“Really?”

“Oh yeah. You have less spots in the future. It’s fascinating, right?”

“I guess. Your tail was longer too.”

“Is that so?”

“Yep.”

Adrien bit back a smile. “Well thank you for admitting you were checking out my future ass, Marinette.”

Instantly, he dodged the pillow thrown his way by her that he’d anticipated. Her face was flushed and he couldn’t get enough of how adorable it was. He’d have to soak it all up before she became all cool and confident like she was in the future.

With all the laughing and pillows being thrown around, Adrien didn’t hesitate in grabbing Marinette’s waist and pulling her closer to him. The two were wrapped together now on the couch and while the proximity was familiar, the racing heartbeat he felt at being so close to her was new.

“You really have Emma’s eyes,” she muttered, staring at him.

“You have Emma’s hair.”

“You have Emma’s nose,” she answered with a playful flick of it.

Adrien smiled, letting his eyes wander down her face. “You have her…” he trailed off, bashful of even saying the word.

Someday, he’d have a kid with this girl. But for now, he couldn’t even bring himself to get past the initial awkward shyness of two sixteen-year-olds around their first loves.

“What do you think?” Marinette asked hesitantly. “Of our… Our future together?”

Adrien grinned. “I love it.”

“Do you really think I’ll be a good mother one day?” she asked, suddenly leaning in closer. Adrien was sure she could hear the hitch in his heartbeat, pressed against him like this.

His partner, his best friend, his first love, the love of his life… how did he get so lucky? All in a day, he’d found all these people with just a little bit of the future.

Adrien brought his lips to Marinette’s cheek and pressed a kiss at the corner of her lips. “I think you’ll make a great mother,” he kissed the other corner. He leaned back for a second to share a smile before pulling her close enough that no distance remained. “But I think you’ll make an even better wife.”

[cosmic-goddess-leo]

The Boss

Bodyguard!Kuroo Tetsuro x Reader Mafia AU

Summary: The Violet Syndicate is plunged into chaos when the head of the family is killed in a mysterious accident. Amidst the whirlwind of suspicion and deception that follows this tragedy, Kuroo Tetsuro only knows one thing: Keep her safe.

Wordcount: 10k... my longest one ever lmaooo

Warnings: Mentions of death, violence, blood, SMUT

Author’s Note: Here it is, 1 of 6 of the oneshots I’ve written to celebrate my 1k follower milestone! Thank you all so much for all your support, and I hope you enjoy!

Kuroo Tetsuro was no fool.

He was sure the rest of the family was aware of this, after all he had been a part of it for 5 years after The Violet Syndicate acquired property, guns, money and men when they branched out to Tokyo.

But part of the syndicate having been formed in Miyagi meant the family factions based there were typically weary of those from the Tokyo based factions. It didn’t mean trouble for Kuroo and the rest of the Tokyo faction at the time of the acquisition, and things had run smoothly for the past five years.

All that of course came to an end when Akaashi, the Tokyo faction’s overseer, received a call, informing him that the head of the family had been in an accident.

Kuroo, being a bodyguard for the boss whenever he had business in Tokyo, of course insisted on accompanying Akaashi on the long trip to Miyagi to represent the Tokyo faction. But it was less out of obligation for his employer and more out of concern for his pregnant wife.

Again. Kuroo Tetsuro was no fool.

He knew if some type of power-grab was being made for the seat at the head of the family, she and her unborn child would be targets as well. Though the bodyguards from the Miyagi faction were reliable, he knew that the boss would always come before the outsider he married.

That night was by far one of the longest nights of Kuroo’s life. He listened for hours on end as Akaashi and Bokuto argued with Semi and Daichi on whether or not an investigation into the accident was necessary.

Not once did he leave his post further down the hall, guarding (Y/n)’s hospital room. It gave him some comfort knowing he wouldn’t have to rely on someone from the other faction to keep her safe.

But that comfort could only do so much as one of the doctors who was operating on the boss left his room. Kuroo didn’t have to be within earshot to know what had happened. The sullen look on the doc’s face said it all.

He wanted to push the doctor away when he approached (Y/n)’s room. Wanted to send him on his way and tell her the news himself. But the cold look Akaashi sent him, similar to the one he received earlier when he attempted to see if (Y/n) was awake, forced Kuroo to step aside and let the doctor in.

Kuroo felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach and his hands clenched into fists as a cry of despair echoed out past the door and into the silent hallway. The violent and pained howling only grew louder as the doctor retreated from the room.

He wanted more than anything to run in and hold her close. Let her cry into his shoulder, claw at his shirt and scream until her voice gave out and her throat was raw. Anything to let her know she wasn’t alone. But a simple glance at his superior kept him cemented in place.

For now all he could do was listen as she wailed into the night.

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

“Is that what you’re wearing?”

The familiar voice pulled Kuroo out of his thoughts, forcing his gaze to shift from his dress shoes to Akaashi. The superior raised an eyebrow at the taller man.

“I had to get dressed too quickly... I didn’t think it looked that bad.” Kuroo murmured, the lack of sleep he was currently suffering from evident in his voice.

Akaashi’s steely gaze softened, only for a moment, as he glanced from the bodyguard to the door he was leaning beside. “You know you can take some time to get some sleep, eat a proper meal... put on something more formal. The Miyagi guards can keep watch over her just fine-”

“I’m never leaving her with those fucking bumpkins again.” Kuroo snapped, a sudden rush of anger passing through his veins at the mere suggestion. He quickly checked himself, offering Akaashi an apologetic look.

“I understand that you’re weary of their job performance... especially after the accident... But we’re all still family, even if Ushijima is dead... And I expect you to act like it.” Akaashi hissed.

Kuroo shifted his gaze back to his feet that were now shuffling in discomfort. “I can’t just leave her with them... you know they’ve never liked her, this is the perfect excuse to boot her out of the organization.”

“She’ll have nothing to do with the organization or its affairs unless Ushijima's will states otherwise.” Akaashi countered. “If she’s lucky she’ll be able to move back to Tokyo and live off a monthly stipend from the syndicate. Hell, maybe she could get remarried, have a family of her own...”

“That’d be nice... wouldn’t it?” Kuroo inquired, eyes still refusing to meet Akaashi’s.

“It would...” Akaashi slowly nodded, his voice becoming hushed as he heard the familiar click of (Y/n)’s heels approaching the bedroom door. “There’s nothing left tying her to this family now...”

Kuroo internally flinched at the implication behind Akaashi’s words, but those thoughts were cut short as the bedroom door opened, revealing the woman they had been discussing.

She was clad in all black clothing that her once swollen belly hadn’t allowed her to wear just a couple weeks prior. Nothing too revealing or tight of course, this was a funeral after all.

(Y/n) adjusted the black glasses resting on the bridge of her nose, hoping to keep her puffy and tired eyes hidden.

“M’am,” Akaashi addressed her, bowing slightly before straightening his posture. “The car’s out front waiting for you.”

(Y/n) gave him a curt nod in response before walking past him and down the nearby staircase with the two men hot on her tail. The three were greeted at the foot of the staircase by Semi, who quickly wrapped an arm around (Y/n)’s shoulders as he gave her a comforting smile.

“Thank you so much, gentleman. I think my men and I can take it from here-”

“I see no harm in them accompanying me on the ride to the cemetery, Semi.” (Y/n) spoke up, her voice meek but still loud enough for Kuroo and Akaashi to hear despite the distance Semi had attempted to put between them.

His smile faltered, but he nodded in understanding before continuing on his way to the car with the others.

The ride to the cemetery involved more talking than Kuroo would have preferred. He could tell by the look on (Y/n)’s face that she was tired of hearing Akaashi and Semi arguing over the accident. He couldn’t say he blamed her. If he had to sit and relive the accident that took his spouse and his baby over and over again he wouldn’t be in the best headspace either.

But, much to Kuroo’s sadness, (Y/n) only stayed quiet and let them continue their argument all the way to the burial.

He allowed Semi to help her out of the car before taking her himself and helping her walk to the spot where the family had already been gathering. Kuroo ignored the looks they both received, his hold on (Y/n) tightening as they got closer to the group.

She sat in the front row of foldable chairs, Kuroo at her left and Semi at her right. (Y/n) had already burst into a fit of sobs on the walk there, now she was trying to stifle her cries as she stared at the wooden box suspended above the 6 foot deep hole in the ground.

Kuroo couldn’t help but shoot a sideways glance at Semi as he rested one hand on the grieving widow’s knee while the other plucked a tissue from a nearby tissue box and held it out to her. She quickly snatched it from him and made no move to remove his hand despite the way her body visibly tensed at his touch.

Semi was Ushijima’s consigliere, his right hand man. The person Ushijima trusted most with (Y/n)’s wellbeing before and after his death. So why did the look the silver-haired man gave (Y/n) send a chill down Kuroo’s spine?

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

(Y/n) sat quietly on her own in the foyer of the large mansion as the rest of the family from the syndicate chattered and socialized. She was used to the house being full like this, Ushijima usually had large group meetings like this when he had business to attend to.

She usually kept to herself, staying in their bedroom or going for a walk in the garden whenever the family was there. Now she was in the thick of all this commotion, her husband in the ground.

A glass of whiskey held in her face pulled her back into the present. She glanced up and was met with a small smile from Kuroo.

“Neat. Like you like it...” he mumbled, swirling the contents of the small glass before she took it.

She thanked him quietly, adjusting her sunglasses once more before taking a sip. The smaller woman winced at the burn, earning a soft chuckle from Kuroo as he sat beside her.

“Never something you get used to, huh?” he mumbled, smiling softly as she shook her head in response.

“Not at all...” she mused before taking another sip.

He caught a glimpse of a hint of a smile playing on her lips, and as she opened her mouth to speak she was interrupted by Semi.

“We’re ready to begin the reading of the will... M’am.” Semi announced, casting a glance towards (Y/n) that had her tensing in her seat. He then looked to Goshiki, then Tenou, then Shirabu, then Reon. Each of the men set aside their glasses and made their way up the stairs to the study where Ushijima’s and (Y/n)’s attorney had set up shop to read through the will.

Kuroo lightly nudged (Y/n)’s shoulder when she didn’t make a move to stand.

“I don’t want to go up there... I’m sure Semi will take care of everything and-”

“M’am, you need to be up there... I’m sure Semi would make sure you’re taken care of, but you need to make sure you get what Ushijima left to you.” Kuroo’s tone was firm but gentle. “This is the last bit of syndicate business you’ll ever have to deal with...”

(Y/n) nodded slightly before throwing back the last of her whiskey. She grunted, handed the empty glass to Kuroo, then reluctantly stood up and followed Semi up the stairs.

It felt like about 15 minutes had passed when the sound of the study door slamming open, silencing the mafiosos downstairs. The aura in the room drastically shifted as Goshiki stormed down the stairs and out of the front door of the mansion, Tendou hot on his heels.

All eyes turned to Reon and Shirabu, both sporting expressions of shock as they slowly left the study and joined the others downstairs.

Semi was next. He was trying and failing to mask the emotions running through his head as he approached Kuroo, Akaashi and Bokuto, who had gathered in one corner of the room away from the members of the Miyagi faction.

“The boss would like to meet us in the office in five minutes...” he said, silver-haired man’s tone hushed.

Akaashi raised an eyebrow at that. “The boss?”

As if on cue, the familiar sound of (Y/n)’s heels clicking echoed downstairs, followed by the attorney’s heavy footsteps. No one was subtle about clambering to the stairs to peek and see what was going on.

(Y/n) had slowly made her way past the stairwell, ignoring the looks she received when she stopped at the door of the study. Her grip on the sunglasses in her hands was enough to snap them in half.

She reached a hand out to the doorknob before visibly hesitating. She took a deep breath before firmly grabbing the knob, turning it, and stepping into the office.

(Y/n) approached the leather chair that sat behind the large mahogany desk towards the back of the room. She trailed her fingers over the arm of the chair, eyes glued to the space her husband once occupied. Some of his documents were scattered around the desk from the last time he had been there. The room as a whole had been untouched since the accident.

With another deep breath, she turned her back to the floor-to-ceiling length windows that spanned the entire back wall of the study and sat in the chair. She remained stiff for a moment before slowly easing into the large piece of furniture.

The meeting that followed was as standard as things could be right now. (Y/n), mainly asking Semi and Akaashi a lot of questions with Kuroo and Bokuto both wondering why they had been asked to sit in on the meeting.

Eventually, (Y/n) sent Semi away, asking him to get to work on informing their ‘business partners’ on the change in leadership the syndicate was experiencing. The second he left the room, (Y/n)’s calm, cool exterior went out the window as she deflated and held her head in her hands.

“What the fuck, man! That damn idiot! I hate this!” she exclaimed, causing the three men in the room to practically jump out of their skin. This had to be the loudest any of them had ever heard her speak.

“Um... Semi, m’am?” Bokuto asked, tilting his head in confusion.

“No! Toshi! That asshole, why did he do this to me?! He knew Goshiki wanted the position but he left it to me! This is so him! Throwing me to the fucking wolves then fucking leaving me to fucking deal with it all fucking fuck fuck!”

Kuroo’s eyes shifted uncomfortably between Akaashi and Bokuto, who looked just as shaken up by the rambling as he was.

(Y/n) ended the mini rant, exhaling deeply and slumping back into the chair. “Fuck my life!”

The three men remained quiet for a good minute until Akaashi cleared his throat and spoke up.

“Well maybe he wanted you to learn the business and take care of yourself rather than have to rely on a stipend from the syndicate-”

“I already know all there is to know, Toshi has been teaching me everything about the business since we got married. I just didn’t think he’d ever give it to me, especially when there’s Goshiki or Semi.” (Y/n) explained, eyes narrowed at a framed photo of her and Wakatoshi at the corner of his desk before flipping it face down.

“Wait what? Then what was all that crap we sat through these past 15 minutes?” Kuroo asked, raising an eyebrow at the woman fuming behind the desk.

“I don’t need Semi catching on, he’s pissed enough as it is!” she sighed exasperatedly.

Silence bloomed between the group until a deep chuckle erupted from the area Kuroo was occupying. (Y/n) cocked an eyebrow at him, jaw tightening as he erupted into a full on fit of laughter.

He soon composed himself before running a hand through his hair and holding his head. “So I suppose this means we may have a war on our hands then? You don’t even trust your own consigliere, or your husband’s most trusted men... This will be fun.”

“N-now now let’s not get too hasty,” Akaashi sputtered, “We don’t know anything about what happened that night, it would be unfair to draw baseless conclusions about who was involved-”

“Exactly,” (Y/n) interrupted, shifting her steel gaze from Kuroo to Akaashi. “Which is why you’re going to look into what happened that night.”

Akaashi seemed taken aback by this, something his new employer quickly picked up on.

“I need someone trustworthy to head this investigation, and I need them to do it quickly and quietly. Can I trust you with this?” She asked.

Akaashi quickly regained his composure and nodded, “Of course, m’am.”

“Wait a minute wait a minute, if there’s a possibility our boss is in danger shouldn’t we get her out of this house?” Bokuto spoke up, gaining the attention of the other three. “We don’t know where Daichi and his faction’s loyalties lie, but we know for a fact Ushijima’s old crew side with Goshiki’s non-existent claim over the business... And we’re in their territory. They could easily overtake us and get to (Y/n) if they wanted to.”

Akaashi seemed to ponder this for a moment before looking from Bokuto to Kuroo. “Would we be able to extract her and get her to the Tokyo residence tonight?”

“We could but it would be suspicious as hell.” Kuroo replied, scratching at the back of his head.

“We stay in Miyagi for as long as we safely can.” (Y/n) spoke up, tone firm. “There is work to be done here anyway... Once that work is finished we can leave to the Tokyo residence without drawing any attention to us.”

She cast her eyes back to Kuroo. “In the meantime, I want Kenma on surveillance for this residence. As well as all your men keeping an eye on the rest of the Miyagi faction... And you don’t leave my side until we’re back in Tokyo. Understood?”

Kuroo didn’t miss the way her voice wavered at that list bit. He gave her a curt nod, “Of course, m’am...”

(Y/n) seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at that, her eyes locked with his for a moment until he forced them away. They seemed to linger over her wedding ring as she continued speaking. “Bokuto. You’re not to leave Akaashi’s side over the course of his investigation... Nobody goes anywhere alone. I don’t want to take any risks.”

“Yes m’am. Anything else?” Bokuto asked, earning a small head-shake in response.

“No...” (Y/n) mumbled before catching herself and speaking in her firm tone once again. “No, you’re both dismissed.”

Kuroo half expected (Y/n) to deflate or collapse onto the desk once Bokuto and Akaashi left the room, closing the door to the office behind them. To his surprise, and glee, she stayed sitting straight, this new aura of authority never leaving her once the other men had left.

It was a good look on her. This power. She had always been so meek, reserved, in the background while her husband was in the spotlight. Now she took his place at center stage and he was captivated.

He hadn’t realized he had been smiling until (Y/n) pointed it out, her own half-amused expression painting her features. “What’s that smile for...?”

Kuroo shook his head slightly, fingers absentmindedly fiddling with the buttons on the sleeve of his button-up shirt. “Just thinking of how much things have changed so quickly... namely you.”

(Y/n) quirked an eyebrow at this, urging him to elaborate before standing to pour herself a drink from the whiskey decanter that sat on the nearby bookshelf. His amber eyes watched her closely as she filled a second glass, presumably for him.

“I remember the day you and Ushijima were married... it was the first time we met.” He trailed off, searching (Y/n)’s eyes as she stood before him and handed him the glass. “You were so young... Sure we were the same age, but you just seemed so much younger... maybe it was your innocence.

You had these doe eyes that told everyone everything they needed to know: You had no idea what you were getting yourself into... Sometimes I wonder if Ushijima ever told you before the wedding or not, but I know he wasn’t the kind of man to keep something so important from his bride... Whatever the case was, you were trembling at that altar. And now here you are... All his power and you’re taking to it naturally... no more doe eyes.”

(Y/n) was now leaning against the desk, still looming in front of Kuroo as she sipped at the dark alcohol in her glass, ignoring the burn and focusing on the intensity of his eyes. “You know my husband really liked you...” she said, taking another sip before setting the glass on the desk beside her.

Kuroo cocked a brow at her as she pushed herself off the desk and approached him, heels clicking slowly against the hardwood floors. “He thought you were a good man... he trusted you with both our lives and saw you as one of his most capable men.”

(Y/n) stood beside the chair the larger man was currently occupying. She placed her smaller hand on his shoulder, her touch gentle until she suddenly squeezed at him roughly.

Kuroo looked at her in pure shock, wincing in pain as she kept an iron grip on him. “But if you ever talk down to me like that again, I’m going to cut your eyes out.” she threatened through her gritted teeth.

The bodyguard knew he should have felt fear. Or shame. Or perhaps even anger at the fact he had been threatened. But he would be lying if he said the deadly look in (Y/n)’s eyes, the tightness of her jaw, Hell, even her words themselves... didn’t make his blood deliciously hot and his heart pump faster.

Her touch was like electricity. (Y/n) seemed to feel the sparks as well, pulling her hand from his shoulder and returning to the desk to retrieve her glass of whiskey. “Am I clear, Tetsuro?”

Kuroo felt another jolt of electricity flow through him at the utterance of his name. He couldn’t help the way his lips twitched into a slight smirk before he spoke. “Transparently, m’am...”

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

“I was very saddened to hear about Ushijima’s death... he was a good man. But you can understand that I’m in a precarious situation given that I’m suddenly being asked to trust the protection of a woman that I don’t know.”

Kuroo couldn’t help but glance at (Y/n) for a reaction to those words. The newly crowned boss had been on edge for those past two weeks, he figured comments like that would have her snapping at them the way she had snapped at him weeks prior.

But she only gave the older man a reassuring smile as she crossed her legs, a very subtle way of showing more of her legs as her pencil skirt rode higher up her thighs. Kuroo felt his lips quirk into a slight smirk at the sight.

“I completely understand your concerns, Ukai.” (Y/n) cooed, smoothing out her skirt to draw attention to the garment. “But rest assured that my late husband’s advisors are monitoring the business and its affairs closely as I take on his responsibilities. Everything will remain stable through this change in leadership.”

Kuroo wasn’t wrong when he said (Y/n) was taking to this position; Her tone was cool, eyes locked on the other man’s as she spoke with authority. He was sure she could sell a glass of water to a drowning man if she needed to.

“Well... as long as the cost of protection remains the same and my day to day won’t be affected, this won’t be a problem at all.” The shop owner smiled, quite obviously drinking in the sight of the younger woman’s exposed skin until she stood from her seat.

“Wonderful. It was a pleasure meeting with you. Feel free to reach out should you need anything from the family.” (Y/n) said, a sickly sweet but somehow genuine looking smile painting her features as Ukai clambered out of his seat to bow respectfully to her.

The two said their goodbyes, Kuroo remaining silent as he followed close behind (Y/n) on her way out of the store. He took note of the way she suddenly tensed and shivered as they left the small shop, the autumn air seeping through the business formal clothing she had chosen for the day.

“M’am, we’ve visited quite a few of our partners today. I think it’s within reason to call it a day and get out of the cold, don’t you?” He asked, cocking a brow at her.

(Y/n) sighed softly, rubbing at her hands as she gave the bodyguard a small nod. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to go home and pick up where we left off tomorrow... and preferably in some climate appropriate clothing.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself, m’am.” Kuroo said, receiving no response as he led (Y/n) to their car and opened the backseat door for her. He climbed in once she was settled and instructed the driver to take them home.

The ride was completely silent as the two refused to make eye contact with one another. A more adequate way of describing it would be that the two glanced at the other on more than one occasion, always looking away before they could notice.

Their eyes finally locked, only for the car to abruptly stop as the driver apologized.

Kuroo looked at the heavy traffic blocking their route home, eyebrows knitting together in confusion at the congested street. It was nowhere near rush hour and this side of town was never so busy.

Just as (Y/n) began to voice those same concerns, Kuroo caught sight of a figure moving through the traffic... no. Three. Instincts kicked in within the blink of an eye, and before he really knew what was happening he was tackling (Y/n) onto her seat.

“DOWN!”

Gunshots. Breaking glass. Screaming. A symphony that rang in Kuroo’s ears as he shielded (Y/n)’s smaller body with his. Her head was buried in his chest, muffling her cries of fear as bullet after bullet pelted the car and whizzed overhead.

Soon enough the gunfire subsided, leaving the two to catch their breath in the backseat of the luxury vehicle. Kuroo slowly lifted his head, glancing out the shattered windshield before looking down at the woman he was protecting.

She clung to his button-up shirt like if she dared let go he would fade away. Her chest heaved up and down as she looked up at him frantically, confused and scared, desperate to be back home and away from the madness.

He cupped her cheek, soothingly brushing his thumb over her flushed skin. “Wait here.”

Before (Y/n) could object, Kuroo was opening the door and crawling past her body, exiting the car with his pistol at the ready.

She wanted to yell for him, beg him not to leave her and to just hold her until it was over. That was the old (Y/n). The (Y/n) who had a husband to go into the world for her, deal with the ugly bits of humanity to take care of her and their child.

The piece of her that wanted to cling to her old life with Wakatoshi is what kept her curled up in the car, sobbing wildly as she waited for Kuroo to return. Despite knowing Toshi had always kept a sidearm hidden under the cushions of the backseat, she made no move to grab it.

(Y/n) could hear a few shots firing, the sounds of a scuffle then more shots. Then a heavy silence hung in the air, causing her to fear the worst. The quiet was followed by the sound of footsteps trudging towards the opened car door.

She covered her ears and curled up further into herself, shaking with fear as the footsteps grew closer and closer. “Oh dear god please. Please don’t. Please...” she whimpered barely loud enough for anyone but herself to hear.

Two rough hands took hold of her wrists, forcing a scream from her throat as they pulled her towards the door. (Y/n) fought against them for a moment, sobbing uncontrollably until she heard the man’s voice.

She could barely make out the words Kuroo spoke, her ears ringing as she finally allowed him to pull her from the car and to stand on her two feet. (Y/n) was sure it had something to do with having to move, but just as she was finally processing what was happening, Kuroo had lifted her off her feet and began running away from what remained of their car.

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

(Y/n) sat motionless in her office, deaf to the bickering currently going on around her. It was the usual suspects; Akaashi and Semi argued relentlessly over what to do about the attempt on her life, talking over one another while Kuroo stood silently by her side, nursing a headache.

“We’re taking her back to Tokyo! She’s not safe here-”

“If she leaves it will be showing weakness!” Semi barked over Akaashi. “She needs to stay here and face this head on while we look into who was behind the attack!”

Akaashi’s icy eyes narrowed at the other, “You could easily investigate what happened while we take her to Tokyo...”

“That’s so typical of you... Can’t leave that city that reeks of piss and shit for too long! You think you’re too good for Miyagi-”

“QUIET!”

The three men froze at the sound of (Y/n)’s voice and turned to find her practically shaking in her seat. “I’m not sure if this is clear... but I want whoever did this dead. And I mean seriously fucking dead!” (Y/n) jabbed her finger past the bickering men, pointing at the wall beside them. “Their heads mounted on my wall kinda fucking dead!”

Kuroo bit back a laugh, glancing between Akaashi and Semi’s shocked expressions.

“M’am, we’ll take care of it the second we learn who was behind this-”

“Then get the hell out of my office and find out who did it!” (Y/n) snapped, glaring at Semi and effectively silencing him. “Play dumb all you want but I know we have little rats all over Miyagi, one of them is bound to squeal if you ask the right questions.”

“I suggest we take you back to Tokyo while Semi conducts his investigation.” Akaashi spoke up, the glare he received from his employer doing little to rattle him.

“Figured as much but I’m not leaving. Semi’s right that it will show weakness. We have more than enough guards to watch the house while he gets to work.”

Akaashi opened his mouth to argue only for Semi to cut him off, “I’ll get to it right away m’am. In the meantime keep your head down.” He approached (Y/n), placing his hand over her clenched fist that rested atop her desk. “This will all be over soon...”

Kuroo’s expression soured as (Y/n) made no move to pull her hand from Semi’s. He watched him closely as he and Akaashi left the room, leaving Kuroo and (Y/n) in silence.

He moved around the desk, sitting in one of the armchairs and gaining the confidence to speak. “Are you actually comfortable staying in Miyagi...?” Kuroo was met with silence, prompting him to continue. “All you have to do is say the word, and I’ll drive you back home to Tokyo myself...”

(Y/n) seemed to ponder his words as she looked him over, “A 3 hour drive in the middle of the night... sounds like a bit much, doesn’t it?”

Kuroo chuckled lightly at that, relaxing into the chair as he ran a hand through his hair. “Not for you, M’am... Hell I’d drive you all the way across Japan if it made you feel safer tonight...”

(Y/n)’s lips twitched into a small smile until she processed just how tired Kuroo looked. She felt a twinge of guilt, despite knowing full well it was his job to stay with her. She could have requested a different body guard to take his place so he could rest.

He caught on to her shift in demeanor, tilting his head at her. “Are you alright...?”

“About as good as someone who almost died today can be... you should get some rest.” (Y/n) said, standing from her seat and prompting Kuroo to do the same.

“I don’t want to leave your side... I’ll be alright, m’am.” He assured, only for (y/n) to turn to him and take his hands in hers.

“You’ve done so much for me today... please get some rest. I’ll call one of the other men from your team to watch my door tonight. Just please... rest.” (Y/n) pleased, tone gentle but firm as she squeezed his hands.

Kuroo felt warmth bloom in his chest at the feeling of her hands in his, but just as quickly as this feeling came it had left. (Y/n) released his hands, silently leaving him as she hastily made her way to her room.

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

(Y/n) didn’t know what time it was when she woke to a cool breeze slipping through her open window. She knew it was late, and judging by how low the moon was in the sky she hadn’t been sleeping long.

She sighed as she turned to lay on her side, staring at the empty spot in bed beside her. Absentmindedly reaching out, her fingers grazed over the sheets, missing the warmth of the man who once occupied that side of the king size bed.

Warmth. That was what made her realize just how cold the room was. Along with the fact that she hadn’t left her window open that night.

Just as she made a move to sit up and yell for her guard, an unseen attacker wrapped a silk tie around her throat, causing her screams to die down in her throat.

(Y/n) struggled to fight against her assailant, wheezing for air as they kneeled on the bed beside her and pulled her onto her knees. Her body was now flush against theirs, thrashing for freedom while the attacker only pulled harder on the tie, further constricting her windpipe.

For a moment, (Y/n) was ready to let this happen. She was that scared little woman all over again, waiting for Wakatoshi to run in and save her from the dark. No. It had to be Kuroo. Kuroo would have to be the one to save her now.

But as her vision began to blur, she quickly realized no one was coming for her.

In that instant, the old (Y/n) was gone. Finally.

She used the last bit of her strength to reach up behind her and claw at her attacker’s face. Her nails dug into the fabric of a ski-mask until they found purchase in the eyehole of the mask.

The man suddenly screamed and grunted in pain as (Y/n) scratched at his eye, the feeling of warm liquid running down her arm telling her she had done a number on him. She took the opportunity to elbow him in the ribs and knock him off the bed.

She coughed as she struggled to catch her breath, using what little oxygen she had to let out a blood curdling scream. (Y/n)’s chest heaved as she weakly crawled to the other side of the bed, groaning in anguish as she heard the door to the bedroom rattling against the hinges. It was painfully clear now that the assassin had blocked the door.

She could hear Yamamoto’s frantic voice on the other side of the door, soon followed by Kuroo’s then Akaashi’s. It was hard to understand what they were saying as another surge of adrenaline flowed through her veins at the feeling of the man grabbing her by her ankle and pulling her to the edge of the bed.

Another scream escaped her lips as she kicked at the assassin, trying and failing to hit his bad eye until she glanced at him over her shoulder. her heel connected with his eye, sending him backwards with another cry of pain.

(Y/n) pulled herself to the other side of the bed, digging into Wakatoshi’s nightstand. Her movements became frantic as she heard the bed springs creak under the weight of her attacker.

Just as the bed dipped beside her, she found the revolver her husband had kept in the nightstand. In a blur (Y/n) had pulled back the hammer of the gun just as the man yanked her by her shoulder to face him.

Kuroo felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach as he heard 6 gunshots echo from the bedroom. Bokuto had just begun ramming his shoulder into the door seconds prior, hoping that his weight would be able to break it open.

“Step aside!” Akaashi called out, approaching the door with an ax he had found in the gardening shed outside. He began hacking at the door, grunting with each hit until there was a hole big enough to reach through and remove whatever was blocking the door.

Kuroo flung open the door, rushing into the bedroom with Akaashi, Bokuto and Yamamoto by his side, each with their weapons raised and at the ready. The found (Y/n) curled up on the floor beside the bed, hugging her knees as she stared at the bullet-ridden body sprawled out across the mattress.

Kuroo ran to her side, cupping her cheek as he looked her over for any injuries, relieved to find none other than her bruising throat.

“Lets find out who this fucking dirtbag is.” Bokuto growled, yanking the ski-mask off the assassin.

The sound of the ax falling out of Akaashi’s hands and clattering loudly to the floor drew (Y/n)’s attention away from Kuroo and to the corpse. Kuroo turned his head as well, eyes going wide as his hands flew to cover (Y/n)’s eyes, but it was too late.

She had already looked into Semi’s lifeless but familiar brown eyes before Kuroo had a chance to shield her from the sight.

(Y/n) began screaming wildly and thrashing against his hold, sobs scratching at her already raw throat. Kuroo stood up, holding (Y/n) tightly as she went limp against him and wailed in despair. He uncovered her eyes to adjust his hold on her and keep her from falling, guilt forcing her to stare wide eyed at Semi’s now pale body.

Her screams continued to echo through the house until Kuroo managed to get her in the backseat of one of the cars in the garage, driving off with her in the direction of Tokyo and not bothering to look back.

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

(Y/n) stared blankly at the red liquid collected in the palm of her hand. A drop of water fell from a strand of her soaked hair and into the small pool of bloody water now rippling in her cupped hand.

A larger hand gently took hold of her wrist, extending her limb slightly and exposing the blood soaked skin of her forearm. (Y/n) further curled in on herself, bringing her knees tighter against her chest as a loofa gently brushed over her skin, leaving light red suds in their wake.

(Y/n) chewed at her lip, the slow ministrations pulling her from her haze as she cast a glance Kuroo’s way. He was kneeled beside the tub, eyes heavy with fatigue and squinting at harsh bathroom light.

He had rolled the sleeves of his thermal up to his elbows so as to prevent them from getting wet as he gently scrubbed her arms and torso of Semi’s blood. She had hardly moved since she stopped wailing on the drive from Miyagi, something told Kuroo if he even tried leaving her in the tub unsupervised she would slip under the water without realizing it.

It wasn’t part of the plan to start washing her, but the way she had just sat frozen in the bath, staring at the crimson clouds swirling in the water tugged at his chest and brought him to his knees beside her.

(Y/n) seemed unfazed as he ran the loofa over her chest, shivering at his touch only for a moment before returning to her motionless state. She rinsed off once the remainder of the blood had been scrubbed away, stepping onto the fluffy bath mat with Kuroo’s assistance.

Once she was dried and dressed comfortably, she allowed Kuroo to lead her to the bedroom. He checked the windows and shut the curtains as (Y/n) flopped onto the large bed behind him, releasing a breath she didn’t know she had been holding the second she felt the down comforter cradling her body.

“I’ll be right outside the door.” Kuroo mumbled, stepping towards the door only for (Y/n) to lightly take hold of his wrist.

“Please don’t go...” she said, voice hoarse barely above a whisper.

Kuroo couldn’t identify the whirlwind of emotions swirling in (Y/n)’s eyes. He could see the grief and shock from what had just transpired hours before, along with fatigue from barely sleeping a wink during the drive. But there was something lingering deeper. Maybe it was... no. It couldn’t be.

Kuroo wordlessly crawled into the bed, thankful he had put on comfortable sweats just before the incident. He laid rather stiffly on his back, his heartbeat thrumming in his ears when he felt (Y/n) move an arm over his waist. Despite his best efforts to calm himself, he only felt his heart pound faster as (Y/n) rested her head on his chest.

Her warmth slowly eased him to relax into the mattress, sleep slowly consuming him as he took in the sweet scent of her shampoo. His chest slowly rose and fell with each breath, only for it to tighten at the feeling of nails gently raking under his shirt and up his stomach.

It had to be his imagination, an inkling of a dream that he was slowly slipping into. Despite how incredibly real it felt, it had to be a dream.

The plush lips slowly working against his jaw, however, were not a dream.

Kuroo couldn’t help but shoot up in bed, cheeks flushing as he looked down at (Y/n), the unknown emotion in her eyes now painfully clear to him. “M’am-”

“It’s alright, no one has to know. Please...” (Y/n) murmured, lightly gripping the hem of his shirt as she sat up beside him.

Kuroo almost choked, fingers twitching at his sides as he struggled to think up a response. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t want to...

“(Y/n)...” he sighed, gently taking hold of her hands and bringing them to his chest. “Sex won’t make you feel better...”

(Y/n) bit her lip as her chest ached at his words, suddenly feeling foolish as she pulled her hands from him and looked down at her lap. “I just wanted to feel something good... for the first time in weeks.”

“When you’re in the right state of mind... we can try it.” he sighed, finding it increasingly difficult to take his eyes off her. “Right now I can stay with you, comfort you, hold you as much as you need... I just wouldn’t feel right doing anything else...”

(Y/n) stayed silent for a moment, internally screaming at herself to say something, anything to ease this tension. All she could do was wordlessly move her arms back around Kuroo’s waist and rest her head on his chest as he laid back, pulling the comforter over their bodies.

She stared at Kuroo’s chest, cheeks burning from embarrassment. It wasn’t until Kuroo began gently stroking her head that she relaxed against him as she had earlier. His thick fingers slowly worked against her scalp, pulling a content sigh from her lips as she began dozing off.

A small ‘thank you’ slipped past her lips before she finally fell into a dreamless sleep. Before she was completely overcome by slumber she felt a pair of warm lips press to her head.

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

The fact that the Tokyo faction hadn’t completely pulled out of Miyagi had (Y/n) more on edge than usual. She understood that Akaashi would have to do damage control, and that he would need a sizable group of guards there to keep him safe as he did so, but that didn’t make (Y/n) any less nervous about the situation.

According to Akaashi’s regular updates, Ushijima’s core group were up in arms about the turn of events. Some were in shock, evidently unaware of his turn away from the organization. Others had apparently seen it coming but elected to say nothing.

Meanwhile Daichi’s men were thrown for a loop by all of this, none of them having been in close with the late consigliere. That at least meant none of them worked with him on this plot against (Y/n)’s life.

It had been a week since (Y/n) and Kuroo left Miyagi. Since then only a handful of Kuroo’s men had returned to keep watch over the Tokyo residence. Kuroo would have been upset by this if they weren’t on their home turf, somewhere they knew like the back of their hand.

Over the course of that week, Kuroo seldom let (Y/n) out of his sight. He did what he could to ease (Y/n)’s nerves, well what he could do while basically keeping her under house arrest.

Whenever she wasn’t mulling over her work, he was dragging her out of her office to keep her occupied in other areas of the house. They quickly learned the kitchen was no place for them when they almost set it on fire their first night after they arrived.

They ordered a lot of takeout, eating in the house’s small theater room rather than the dining room and watching whatever movies they could find online or in Wakatoshi’s old dvd collection.

The two were settled in their usual chairs, a box of pizza set on the armrests between them as their movie selection for the night filled the silence between the two.

“You think that actually works?” Kuroo asked mid-bite, eyes never leaving the projector screen as he spoke.

“What works?” (Y/n) quirked a brow at him.

“The crying technique.” he responded, motioning to the screen with his free hand as the two teens practiced making themselves fake cry.

(Y/n) snorted as she bit into her pizza, whining softly as it lightly burned the roof of her mouth. “I ‘unno, never had to fake cry before...”

Kuroo snorted back, handing her an unopened can of soda to cool her mouth. “I’m not saying you have, I’m just asking if you think it works.”

She thanked him before quickly gulping down the soda and setting the can aside. “We can always try it if you’re that curious.” He couldn’t help but roll his eyes, but before he knew it (Y/n) was pausing the movie and turning to face him. “Cmon, since you’re so interested let’s try!”

“Noooo nononono, we don’t have to do that-”

“As your boss I am now ordering you to find out if the crying technique works with me!” (Y/n) giggled, tugging on his wrist to face her.

He could tell by the look in her eyes she wasn’t going to let up. Rather than argue he faced (Y/n) and huffed dramatically as he looked her over. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

(Y/n) smiled excitedly, bouncing lightly before composing herself. “Okay... tiny gulps of air. Ready?” The small nod she received from Kuroo signaled her to begin.

Her chest began to heave up and down rapidly as she started taking shallow breaths, eyes closing until she heard Kuroo snickering behind the palm of his hand. (Y/n)’s cheeks grew hot as she lightly smacked his arm, causing his laughter to grow in volume. “I’m not gonna do it if you’re gonna laugh at me!” she whined.

“Sorry sorry!” he smiled, raising his hands in mock surrender. “Taking it seriously now! This is very serious!” He chuckled, quickly composing himself.

“Good! Because this is serious! Now breathe!” (Y/n) playfully scolded, cracking a small smile before she started taking her shallow breaths. Kuroo followed her lead, fighting back a smile as they continued their antics.

(Y/n) let out a small whimper, the lack of air now pulling small noises from her parted lips that now actually made it harder for Kuroo to breathe. “I-Is it working?” she breathed.

Kuroo quickly shook his head, watching her closely as she stared at the ceiling, refusing to meet his eyes. “I can’t tell with you looking to the heavens like that, you cheater.” he said, moving closer to her as he continued taking his small gulps of air.

His close proximity forced (Y/n) to finally look at him, lips quivering at the intensity of his eyes. Their breaths mingling as their chests heaved in unison.

Kuroo couldn’t stop himself from glancing at (Y/n)’s lips, something that didn’t go unnoticed by her. He couldn’t deny he was satisfied she had seen it. Especially now that he saw her looking down at his.

His fingers twitched, longing to cup the back of her neck and hold her against him. Longing to taste her lips, but unwilling to cross that line unless she was ready.

Before he could further question himself, (Y/n) slowly took his cheeks between her hands, pulling him close enough to where their lips were barely touching. Kuroo exhaled shakily, the realization that she was waiting on him to close the gap sparking a burn deep in his chest.

He took a deep breath before finally smashing his lips against hers, drawing a moan from her as she returned the kiss with the same amount of passion. (Y/n)’s hands trailed down to his chest, gripping at his shirt as Kuroo cupped the back of her neck and deepened the kiss.

Kuroo was about to maneuver (Y/n) past the armrest to sit in his lap, the need to feel her body against his overwhelming his senses until the sound of the theater room doors opening forced them apart.

They were both very grateful at the height of the chairs, had they been shorter they would have definitely been caught. God, it was enough to make Kuroo feel like he was back in high school, having to sneak around with his crush or else he’d get grounded.

(Y/n) stood up from her chair, quickly composing herself when she recognized Akaashi standing at the door, clutching a file folder to his chest. The look in his eyes had (Y/n) completely forgetting her small tryst with Kuroo and rushing to get to her office with Akaashi.

“An autopsy showed that your driver that night had ingested a large amount of diazepam earlier that night... something none of his medical records show he had never been prescribed.” Akaashi explained, watching intently as (Y/n) paged through the numerous reports and documents he had collected over the course of his investigation.

Kuroo read what he could over (Y/n)’s shoulder, occasionally glancing between the papers and Akaashi as the man spoke.

“Meanwhile... Semi had been prescribed diazepam about three months prior to the accident. One thorough search of his residence later and...” Akaashi trailed off before pulling a sealed bag from his large briefcase and setting it onto the desk. Inside the bag was a half-full bottle of pills, labeled with Semi’s information as well as the name of the medication.

(Y/n) breathed shakily as she set the files down, forcing herself to look at Akaashi through the tears in her eyes.

“It’s evident that he drugged your driver earlier that night, knowing the heavy dosage would cause him to pass out at the wheel. Resulting in the accident... And since you didn’t die in the crash, he took action to remedy that when he knew for certain you’d be home.”

“So the ambush, he orchestrated that to make sure she’d be at the residence where he could try and...” Kuroo trailed off, earning a nod in response from Akaashi.

“Some quick hacking from Kenma showed a banking transaction between Semi and the three hitmen took place a few days before the attack... I’m sure he hoped they would get the job done before he ever had to intervene.” Akaashi explained, taking the file from (Y/n) as she handed it off to him.

She held her head in her hand for a moment, sighing deeply as she processed the information that Akaashi had gathered for her. She wound a hand through her hair, brushing it out of her face before she sat up to meet his eyes once more. “And the others...? Did they have a hand in any of this?”

Akaashi slowly shook his head as he placed the evidence back in his briefcase. “It doesn’t appear so... however I think it would behoove us to bring them here and interrogate them with you present.”

“Good. Send for them tomorrow. I want this over and done with.” (Y/n) declared, earning a bow from Akaashi. “I’ll leave you and Kuroo to discuss the security protocols for tomorrow. For now I need to rest. Thank you for your hard work.”

Kuroo silently watched her leave the room and was immediately met with a glare from Akaashi. “Did you fuck her?”

The bodyguard practically choked at the question, “What?! No! What the Hell is wrong with you?!”

“I’m not fucking stupid, I saw the way you two freaked out when I walked into that room. You’ve been alone with her a week and you’re telling me nothing’s happened?” the smaller man snapped.

“Nothing. Happened. And even if it did we have more important things to worry about than who she’s sleeping with right now.” Kuroo sneered, narrowing his eyes at Akaashi.

“That may be true, but we can’t risk giving anyone in the organization any reason to try and undermine her right now. You can both do what you like, but wait until this matter is settled... understood?”

Kuroo rolled his eyes at that, crossing his arms as he leaned against the desk. “Whatever you say...”

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

Kuroo had gotten a surprising amount of sleep that night considering the last minute preparations he had to take care of for the meeting set to take place that day. He was grateful for the small break he had gotten from his suits that week he was alone with (Y/n), but that only meant having to wear them once again felt constricting as fuck.

He adjusted his tie for the umpteenth time that afternoon, waiting patiently with Bokuto and Akaashi for (Y/n) and their ‘guests’ to arrive. Just as he began to wonder if (Y/n) had slept in, the door to the office creaked open, revealing a very professional, very sexy looking (Y/n) at the door.

She wore a form fitting blouse black blouse and a tight, black pencil skirt with tiny white polka dots and a small slit at the back. Her red-bottom Prada heels clicked against the hardwood as she approached her desk, seemingly unaware of the way the three men were staring at her.

“Is everything ready for our visitors?” She asked, smoothly sitting in her chair as she glanced between the three.

Akaashi quickly cleared his throat, causing Kuroo to realize she was primarily addressing him. “Yes, m’am. My men are all in place and Kenma is closely monitoring the residence’s cameras in case of any attack.”

(Y/n) gave him a small nod, glancing Akaashi’s way. “Do we have an ETA?”

“Approximately 30 minutes...” He replied, glancing at his watch.

“Good. You and Bokuto wait downstairs to receive them. Kuroo and I have some matters to discuss.”

Kuroo felt his heart jump into his throat, the sideways glance Akaashi sent him going completely unnoticed before he and Bokuto left.

(Y/n) beckoned him to approach the desk and he wordlessly obeyed, standing from his chair and moving around the desk to stand before her. “Is everything alright...?” he asked, the air around them thick with tension.

He watched intently as she licked her lips, her head slowly shaking in response. “No... I need you...”

Kuroo almost pounced on her in that moment, aching to touch her but showing restraint. “Is this what you want...? It isn’t the grief or the shock or anything else?”

(Y/n) quickly shook her head once more as she stood and gripped the lapels on his suit. “It’s none of that. I want you. I need you. I need you to fuck me and fill me before I deal with this bullshit. If you want the same thing, take me.”

He eagerly leaned in and kissed her hard, with just as much passion as he had the night before. Now there was no pesky armrest separating the two as they ground against one another.

A squeal of surprise escaped her lips as (Y/n) was lifted off her feet and rested on the edge of the desk. Kuroo gripped the hem of her skirt and bunched it up around her hips, revealing her lace underwear to him and pulling a deep moan from his throat.

He settled between her legs, hips grinding against hers as he greedily tasted her lips. (Y/n) hastily unbuttoned his shirt, exposing his toned chest and allowing her nails to drag down his bare skin.

Kuroo moaned against her lips, the pain mixing with pleasure as he ground his erection against her heat. He carefully started unbuttoning her shirt and littered her cleavage with hot kisses once he caught sight of her lace bra.

(Y/n) wound her hands into his hair, whining desperately as she struggled to get off her panties. Kuroo couldn’t help but chuckle as he assisted her, tugging off the soaked material and shoving them in his pocket. As much as he wanted to tease her and take his time with her, he knew they didn’t have very long.

He hastily undid his belt and his slacks, letting the material pool at his feet as he fisted his cock, lips quirking into a cocky smirk at the way (Y/n) stared at his length.

Kuroo gripped (Y/n)’s hip with one hand, using the other to guide the tip of his cock into (Y/n)’s entrance. He searched her eyes for any hint of hesitation or reluctance, but only melted when he saw the lust burning in her half-lidded eyes.

He fully entered her with a slow and deep thrust, unable to keep himself from moaning at the feeling of her tight pussy gripping his cock. (Y/n) whined and bucked her hips weakly in hopes of gaining some form of friction, earning a breathy chuckle from her lover before he answered her prayers.

Kuroo’s thrusts were quick and deliberate, the head of his cock pounding into her sweet spot once he found it. (Y/n) roughly took her lip between her teeth, trying to keep her moans quiet as ecstasy and pleasure rippled through her veins.

It worked to keep her quiet until Kuroo pulled her legs to wrap around his hips, somehow fucking her even deeper and harder. A small shriek almost escaped (Y/n)’s parted lips, but Kuroo quickly captured it in a heated kiss. Their lips and teeth and tongues clashed as their pleasure overtook them, orgasms approaching fast as he bucked wildly into her.

With one last snap of his hips, (Y/n) was pushed over the edge and moaning wantonly into the kiss as her orgasm washed over her. Kuroo reluctantly parted from the kiss, hissing as her pussy clamped down on him and soaked him with her juices.

“Tell me where, baby...” he groaned, thrusts getting sloppier by the second as he felt himself reaching his peak.

(Y/n) breathed hard and tugged roughly at Kuroo’s messy hair, back arching at the overstimulation. “I-inside. Please, inside...”

Kuroo felt his cock twitch at her words, unable to stop himself from finally cumming and painting her walls white. He hid his face in the crook of her neck to stifle his moans and groans. (Y/n) sighed happily at the feeling of his warmth inside of her.

A knock at the door cut their post-coital bliss short and sent them scrambling to tidy up and re-dress. Kuroo quickly helped clean up her smeared lipstick and dabbed the sweat from her forehead before drying his own.

Once they were both sure they were freshened up, Kuroo went to open the office door. He was quickly stopped as (Y/n) took his hand and turned him to face her, pressing one last kiss to his lips before she sat back in her chair.

Kuroo couldn’t help but chuckle before he opened the door, noting the knowing expressions on Akaashi’s and Bokuto’s faces. Akaashi was red with anger, whereas Bokuto was grinning smugly at the taller man.

“If you’re both finished...” Akaashi sighed, repressing his anger. “They’re here...”

Kuroo glanced behind them at the nervous looking group of men before he smirked and moved aside for them to enter.

The men shuffled into the room, each taking a seat in the office and flinching slightly as Kuroo shut the door behind them. He moved to (Y/n)’s side, looking over the group with (Y/n), unable to keep himself from smiling as she spoke.

“So... shall we?”

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Tag List: @iwaxme​ @vventure​ @ochacostrange​ @yams046​ @the-broken-halo-writer​ @tokyoghoose​ @madireyn​ @global---weaboo​ @achoohq​ @daiseukis​ @bb-noya​ @lydzisanerd​ @gemini-writes​

[do-not-careissa]

Now that Men in Black has reinvaded my mind so have new plot bunnies. So have 2 Jason joins the min ideas/options.

1. Sort of a Mr and Mrs Smith type thing, jaykyle, only sadder and angstier:

Post death and resurrection Jason wasn't picked up by Talia, instead it was MiB. Using their alien tech they're able to heal him and put his mind back together. They know who he is, just like they know who Bruce and the Justice League are (for how much the Kents believed no one noticed their sudden baby acquisition, they were wrong. MiB's known all along, if anything they're the reason the Kents and other alien adopters and adoptees have done so well at staying hidden.) They give Jason the choice to either return to Bruce, go with a normal family (in both cases he'd of course have his memories wiped), or stay and work with them. Now while Jason might not have the Lazarus Pits affecting his emotions and mental stability here, he's still a teen/young adult (say like 18 or 19 by the time he's healed enough to leave) and his last memories of the bats and his bio mother weren't exactly the greatest. Add on top of that the feeling of being forgotten/replaced that would undoubtedly come at seeing the addition of, what, at least three more people to the batfam. He doesn't believe there's a place left for him there, decides to stay, at least he can do some good while he's at it.

Cut to a few years later, Jason's moved up the ranks, he's one of the organization's best agents (could be just that branch, division, or overall) but of course the job doesn't really leave much for certain other needs. So on his rare time off he'll slink off to this nice bar or something and just enjoy himself, feel human, all that good stuff. And that's how he gets involved with a certain Kyle Rayner. The guy seems normal enough, an artist with laughably bad pickup lines but a smile and eyes that make you want to laugh with him rather than at him. They have a night together, and that one night turns into two, then three, and by the fourth Jason's sure he's making a mistake here. Regulation says to keep contact with non-mib individuals to a minimum and don't give them a reason to remember you if you have to interact more than once. He shouldn't be doing this, really, but he's also given up so much over the years, both to mib, to the bats, to the universe, can you really blame him?

Between the two of them rain checks are a regular, either one or both claiming a sudden work trip that couldn't be skipped. It made Jason guilty every time but he couldn't just not go. This was his job after all. And Kyle, well he was just a normal guy who happened to be a bit loose in the head sometimes, it made sense for him to forget to call off meetups and hookups, that's just what normal people their age did right? It takes far too long for him to admit that he's in too deep, that he's fallen for this loveable dumbass. But the same could probably be said for Kyle too.

The moment they meet not as Jason and Kyle but as MiB and Green Lantern you could hear a pin drop. Jason couldn't believe this, not in a million years. Kyle? A fucking Green Lantern? Are you kidding?!

Because you see, while the general population and even the capes might be unaware of MiB, MiB is more than aware of them and they have a very big problem with them, especially the Lanterns. Because they know the GLs and Guardians would argue that earth is their terf and that minehas not right to set up rules and protocol, byt MiB has been on Earth longer, they've existed since Roswell if not earlier, GLs haven't touched Earth til maybe 15-20 years ago. And MiB's work is to protect not just the humans of Earth but the aliens who've made a home here, or even just those ones that are here for a visit. Thanks to the GLs, and by extension the Justice League, not only is MiB and its agents in so much more danger of being exposed or attacked, but so are those aliens.

Suddenly Jason's happy go lucky secret relationship has been soured if not ruined. Kyle, he'd trusted him, even l-, he actually liked him as more than just a fuck buddy, but this? He's devastated, he's angry, and while he's sure Kyle's feeling something like that too, he doesn't get to, not when he's siding with the group putting innocent people in danger, not when he's siding with the bats and Tha Guardians and everything Jason stands against.

He manages to catch Kyle off guard, taking him down and neuralyzing him quick enough that him can't take him down too. It hurts to see that blank look take over Kyle's face once the light fades, but he can't let that affect him. Kyle made his choice, and he needs to make his.

Idea 2: much angstier in the "fuck Bruce and the JL" sort of way

Post rhato 25 and Roy's death, Jason's health is deteriorating quickly. Maybe he lied about how well he was out of guilt so Roy wouldnt feel like he had to stay with Jason instead of going to Sanctuary. Now with no one there to help him, along with the mental and emotional toll, Jason's body is shutting down. This is it, he's accepted it, he fucking hates that this is how he goes, but well, it's kinda poetic that Bruce would ultimately be the reason for his deagb this time wouldn't it? Between the physical injuries he gave Jason and the mental ones he's caused, everything all ties back to Bruce.

So Jason's just there, accepting his fate, but then out of nowhere these suits just show up and they've got an offer for him. They know who he is, what he's gone through, they know how to help him and keep him safe. They can heal him. But the only way they can let him know exactly what they're doing or who they are is if he joins them. They say they've been watching him for a while, we're actually planning on approaching him, but the situation with Batman and now with the League and Jason's health has pushed their time table up. He's obviously skeptical til they really go in on everything, breaking down mib, breaking down what they try to do, and you know what, he's in. Fuck Bruce, fuck the JL, fuck them all.

None of them stepped in to help him, none of them did anything to stop Bruce, no one except Roy, Roy who's now dead because of them. They don't get to tell him what to do anymore, they don't get to control him.

So they bring Jason in for the procedure, and there's a few ways this could go. A) They just use whatever alien tech they have that heals him no issue, maybe need to replace a few bones or joints or something, whatever it is he's healed. B) they need to meld his DNA to a sample from an alien species that heals quickly (personal favorite, could go down the route of this giving Jason superhuman abilities, or even something akin to energy absorption as the reason he's able to heal which would make him a massive threat to everyone especially the gls (imagine him just draining their rings in minutes and then using that power against them)). C) the Lazarus Pits are actually of alien origin, and since Jason's already been dipped in one before and had his brain and body altered/healed by it, it still remains dormant in his system, they just need to activate it.

Whatever they do it works, and soon enough we get Jason as MiB and Bruce and the others all believing Jason to be dead ala MiB​ tricks. Months or even years later there comes a confrontation, the "I thought you were dead!" Shit. Or the GLs/guardians learn about them and try to impose their bs on them, try to scare them into disappearing, and guess who MiB sends to deal with them? Why their star agent of course.

[sarsaparillia]

chapter title: with the twilight slow summary: A baby. He brings her a baby. Oh, Creators. — Merrill/Fenris.

rating: yop, remembered to boot it up to an M-rating word count: 3500~ genre: fluff, family, accidental baby acquisition notes: happy zombie jesus day, y’all. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 / 7

FFN | AO3

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Her shoulder in his mouth is a revelation.

The witch makes the softest sound when Fenris pins her against the wall, half-whine, half-need, all pleasure. It slides out of her, a drop of heady, honeyed light.

"You ought to be quiet," Fenris murmurs into the soft warm skin of her throat. "We do not wish to wake Iseth, do we?"

"You're awful," she whispers, gasps, frantically covers her mouth to muffle the sound. "Creators, if he wakes up, Fenris—"

"He will not," Fenris says, distracted by the sudden sharp rise of her chest. He hooks a thumb into the band of her leggings, tugs. He wants to puts his hands on her skin more than he ever wanted anything in his life. "Off, witch."

Instead of an answer, she writhes. Roll of hips like a wave, and the fabric carves off of her like snakeskin. Fenris moans a curse, closes his eyes, buries his face in her throat for a hot moment. The image of this is going to stay with him until the day he dies: the witch in the halflight, eyes glazed, mouth red, the column of her neck bruising already with the shape of his teeth.

It is not enough.

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