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helloalycia · 4 years ago

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lose you [one] // leigh shaw

summary: after Leigh ignores your existence for a few days, you decide to force her out of her room and spend the afternoon with you, but it ends up leading to something more

warning/s: mentions of grief and implied death

author's note: this was requested and I finally got around to watching Sorry For Your Loss (which is so good by the way! i'm so mad it got cancelled), so here is a little Leigh Shaw imagine! It's a three-parter so stay tuned :)

part two | part three | masterlist | wattpad

"Where is she?"

Jules, her sister, pointed up at the ceiling, referring to upstairs, as she finished chewing on a grape. "What did she do now?"

I refrained from rolling my eyes at the reminder that Leigh had been ignoring my calls and texts for the past few days.

"Nothing," I mumbled before leaving her in the kitchen to eat her fruit.

I'd been friends with Leigh long enough to invite myself into her house and let myself head upstairs. When I reached her room, I knocked on the door and tried to hide my impatience with a sigh.

"Jules, I'm not in the mood," her voice grumbled from the other side.

Ever since losing her husband a year ago, Leigh's personality had become more... erratic, if you will. Understanding her mood changes and temper tantrums was a skill in itself, but I was determined to stick by her if it meant she'd be okay. Like now, for example.

"It's not Jules," I called back. She didn't reply, so I said, "You better have clothes on, I'm coming in."

Without wasting a second, I opened the door and found Leigh laying on her bed, thankfully dressed, and looking up at the ceiling. Her room was slightly messy and the curtains were half open, like she'd been in the same position for the past few days. I wouldn't have put it past her.

When I entered, her eyes glanced my way before she continued to stare a hole into the ceiling. I breathed out, unsure what to say.

"Don't look at me like that," she said quietly.

"I wouldn't have to if you'd replied to any of my texts," I retorted, though my tone was anything but harsh.

"I've been busy," she mumbled.

My eyes raked the room once again. "Yeah, I can see that... it's two in the afternoon."

Suddenly, she sat up and narrowed her eyes at me. "Look, if I wanted a lecture, I'd have let Jules in here. If you've not got anything nice to say, you know where the door is."

Rolling my eyes, I ignored her flippant attitude and went to the set of chest drawers pushed against her wall. I rifled through them, earning complaints from behind me, before pulling out some clothes and throwing them at her.

"We're going out," I told her sternly, crossing my arms.

She removed the clothes from her face and gave me a disapproving look. "No, we're not."

"I'm not leaving unless you come with me, so..."

She could be a bitch when she wanted to be, but she knew I could be, too. Our stubbornness was our weakness, since neither of us could back down in a fight. Nowadays, it usually ended with me giving in because I pitied her, but not today. Today I was adamant on cheering her up.

"Fine," she said through a sigh of defeat. "Just get out already."

I smiled victoriously. "See you downstairs."

After waiting for Leigh to get ready and out of the pyjamas I was sure she'd lived in for three days straight, we got in my car and I began to drive.

"Where are we going?" she asked, glancing over at me with mild annoyance, like she'd rather be anywhere but here.

"Not sure yet," I admitted, ignoring the disbelief on her face.

"Then why did you make me come?!" she asked, her attention fully on me now.

I shrugged. "Thought you could use the break." Shoulders relaxing, I added, "I also thought we could spend some time together since we haven't in a while."

I didn't want to say it was because of the fact that she'd been avoiding me, or at least been making no effort to talk to me. I also didn't want to make her feel bad because of those facts, but she seemed to take it personally anyway, resorting to a good old-fashioned Leigh-specialty eye roll.

"I'm not sorry for grieving," she said knowingly, getting comfortable in her seat and looking out the window.

I gripped the steering wheel harder and tried not to let her words make a difference. She had a bad habit of twisting my words or making things seem worse than they were and I knew it was a coping mechanism of hers. She only tried to cope when things got too much, which only confirmed my reason for taking her out today.

"You don't have to be," was all I said, before focusing back on my driving.

—

Halfway through our drive to nowhere, I pulled the roof of the car down so we could feel the wind in our hair and the sun on our backs, since it was a nice day. I also put the radio on, hoping it would ease the tension on Leigh's end of the car.

Pop songs blared through the speakers, some that I knew and some that I didn't. Of course, the ones that I knew I immediately sang along to. Leigh definitely didn't like that, opting to roll her eyes and pretend I wasn't there. But eventually, I knew she wouldn't be able to resist and she began to hum along, making me smile.

On the road that led to nowhere, I noticed a public footpath leading into the forest and decided to take a pit stop, utilising the car park nearby. When Leigh noticed what I was doing, she straightened up and looked around with confusion.

"What are you doing?" she asked, eyes falling to mine.

I tried not to laugh. "We, my friend, are going on a walk."

"You're kidding."

"I'm really not."

I felt her eyes on me as I parked up and turned the engine off. Unbuckling my seatbelt, I opened my car door and met her judgemental gaze, noticing she wasn’t making a move to leave.

"You coming?" I asked with a raised brow.

"Do I have a choice?"

"Of course," I said, not quite stepping out the car but hanging my feet out. "You can either come with me on a nice walk through the forest, or you can stay here and roast to death in the car because of the heat whilst you wait for me."

"Or I can steal your keys and drive home without you," she offered as a third option, smiling bitterly.

Grin on my lips, I hummed in agreement. "That's also an option, yes."

Letting out a sigh through gritted teeth, she wordlessly got out the car and I smiled with satisfaction, knowing she'd give in. Getting out the car, I stretched my arms before locking the doors and joining Leigh's side. She sulked like a child, but allowed me to lead her to the trail ahead.

It was a lovely day out, warm but with a slight breeze that cooled our skin as we walked. Sunlight peeked through the tall trees, reflecting off the greenery and filling me with a sense of awe as I appreciated mother nature up close and personal.

Glancing over at Leigh, I noticed how she fell into step with me but remained closed off. Hugging herself, she focused on the path ahead and stayed quiet, jaw clenched and lips pursed. Streams of light that shone through the trees shone onto her, spotlighting her and making her hair look golden, blinding but in the best way.

I'd never admit it aloud, but I always loved the way her green eyes sparkled in the light, and even when she turned to glare at me, I felt my heart rate speeding up at how beautiful she looked.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," she said dryly.

Not letting her mood get me down, I pulled out my phone and snapped a photo, making her smack my hand away. I laughed and, for her sake, pretended I didn't see the ghost of a smile on her lips.

"That's one for the books," I teased, putting my phone away.

"It's fine, I have plenty of you," she mumbled.

I smiled to myself but said nothing. We continued to walk through the woods, following the trail and myself remembering every turn we made so we could make it back the right way. There were a few other people out, but we passed them with a quick hello (from myself since Leigh was still sulking) and moved on.

Twenty minutes into our peaceful walk, I noticed a wooden footbridge up ahead, possibly built over a stream. Excited, I stopped and looked to Leigh who noticed I wasn't beside her and turned around to see what was up.

"Why d'you stop?" she asked, pulling her hair up into a ponytail impatiently.

I smiled eagerly. "I'll race you to the bridge."

"Y/N," she breathed out, raising her eyebrows. "We're not kids."

I walked forward slowly, smile fading into a frown. "Fine. Sorry for trying to liven things up."

She rolled her eyes and continued to walk beside me in silence. But my pace picked up, as did hers, and I exchanged glances with her, realising she was walking faster than usual. Before I knew it, we were breaking into a run, trying to reach the bridge before each other.

"Thought you didn't wanna race!" I said between heavy breaths.

"I don't!" she called back, her pace picking up as she managed to get ahead.

I sucked up a breath and pushed on, tailing her as she reached the bridge. When she got there, she began to cheer and point at me obnoxiously.

"Ha! I win!" she said with a grin, as I slowed down and bent over to catch my breath. "Sucks to be you."

Her laughter filled my ears as I straightened up, hands on my hips. She looked so happy, even if it was momentarily, and I watched her with adoration, not even caring that I'd lost. She was stunning when she was smiling and I could only hope she'd do it more as time went on.

"I let you win," I joked, waving my hand dismissively.

"Sure you did," she played along, leaning on the bridge's railing as she watched me with amusement.

"You literally exercise for a living," I told her with a shrug. "S'not fair."

"Whatever," she said with an eye roll, smile still dancing on her lips as she turned around to look over the bridge. A gasp escaped her lips as she said, "Wow."

I joined her side, holding the railing to see what had taken her breath away. Then I saw it. A stream ran beneath us and was framed by some beautiful flowers and tall, transcending trees whose branches curled outwards and were covered in green leaves. The sun's rays filtered down through the leaves and made the water look like it was sparkling, rippling with every rock it pushed past.

"Looks like something out of a children's book," I said with disbelief, smile of amazement on my lips.

Leigh hummed in agreement and I glanced at her, seeing a similar expression on her face. Glad she was in a better mood, I looked back to the picturesque view before us and leaned on the railing, merely appreciating the sight.

"This is nice," Leigh said quietly, after a moment.

I tilted my head to get a look at her. She was already looking my way, leaning on her arms and meeting my gaze.

"Thanks, I put it all together myself," I said playfully, making her nudge me with her elbow as I chuckled.

"I'm serious," she said, before looking ahead again. "It is."

Knowing that was her way of saying thank you without actually saying it, I nodded in agreement. "It is."

We admired the sight for a few more minutes before deciding to head back, taking our time as we followed the route I remembered. Leigh was a little less tense this time, seeming to relax into her surroundings a little more. She even had a smile on her face at times which was all I wanted.

"You hungry?" I asked when we reached the car park.

"I guess I could eat," she said with a shrug.

"Well, according to this sign," I said, pointing to a board beside the start of the footpath, "there's a café a little way down the road. Wanna go?"

She motioned for me to go first. "After you."

Green eyes shone bright with amusement as she looked to me with a suppressed smile. Losing my words, surprisingly startled by her gaze, I cleared my throat and took the lead, making her laugh.

I sometimes wondered if she knew the effect she had on me or if she just liked catching me off guard. Maybe it was both.

—

After having a late lunch, or early dinner depending on how you saw it, Leigh and I got back in my car and I began to drive us back to hers. It was quiet, just like our meal was and just like she'd been for most of the afternoon. I was fine with that, I guess, but I felt like she was holding something in.

Turning off the radio, I earned her attention.

"You should try screaming," I suggested casually.

"Excuse me?"

I felt her eyes boring into me with confusion as I got comfortable in my seat. Looking in the rear view mirror, I noticed there were no cars behind us or in front of us. The road was empty as I drove on the edge of one of the many beautiful cliff-sides in Los Angeles.

"Scream," I repeated to Leigh. "It'll feel good. Watch."

Wasting no time, I began to scream at the top of my lungs, being sure to stay focused on driving at the same time. My voice flew into the air as my car sped down the road, leaving me feeling liberated.

"Geez, a warning would be nice!" Leigh snapped, uncovering her ears when I was done.

I laughed. "I did say to scream." Giving her a sideways glance, I added, "Come on. Try it with me. On the count of three."

"This is stupid," she decided, leaning back into her seat and pushing her hair from her eyes as the wind blew it about.

"No, it's not," I said with certainty. "Three."

"Y/N."

"Two."

"Stop it."

"One."

"Y/N!"

I looked to her with a grin before screaming at the top of my lungs. When I didn't hear her join in, I stopped and pouted.

"You gonna leave me hanging?" I asked, looking between her and the road. "C'mon. Last chance."

"Y/N–"

"Three. Two. One."

This time, to my surprise, she joined in and we screamed together, our voices echoing into the hills around us. It was exciting, thrilling and freeing all at once. Once we were out of breath, we stopped and caught it back.

"Felt good, right?" I asked with a grin.

She began to laugh, quietly, slowly, then loudly and hysterically, making me join in. Though, when my laughter faded, I realised she was still laughing, and then I looked over to her and saw tears streaming down her cheeks. With concern, I reached over to comfort her, but stopped when I realised it was weird to do, even for a friend.

"Leigh, I'm sorry, I–"

"No, no, it's fine, I'm fine," she cut me off, wide smile still on her lips as she wiped away her tears with the sleeve of her jumper. "They're happy tears. Y/N. They're happy tears."

I furrowed my brows with confusion, eyes flickering between the road and Leigh. "Are you– are you sure? Because it's okay if–"

"I'm okay," she promised, resting a hand on my arm. "I am. And the screaming helped. You were right."

I almost made a joke about how I'm always right, but my concern for her, despite the smile she wore, was still present. Teary eyes watched me with reassurance and she squeezed my arm gently before getting comfortable in her seat.

"Okay, if you're sure," I said, still uncertain.

We continued driving when I noticed the sun setting and decided to stop the car off to the side of the road. The hills were the perfect place to watch the sunset since it had a perfect view of the city whilst leaving enough space to see the sky in all its glory.

"Now why are we stopping?" she asked, though her voice didn't carry the same venom it did earlier.

"Isn't it obvious?" I asked rhetorically, getting out the car and motioning to the view before us. "We're gonna watch the sun set!"

I thought she'd put up a fight or complain like she had with everything I'd been recommending today, but to my ease, she simply got out the car and joined me. The two of us leaned against the car door as we watched the sun dipping into the horizon, casting an orange-pink hue across the skyline and the few clouds in the sky. It always reminded me of a watercolour painting, like someone had dipped their paintbrush in water and dragged it across the sky.

"Thank you for today," Leigh said, pulling me from my admiration. "I actually had a really nice time. As in, the part I spent with you and not the part where I moped around in bed."

I gave her a half smile. "Anytime, Leigh."

She winced, shaking her head in disagreement. "No, I mean it, Y/N. For everything, not just this." She paused, and I tried to ignore the way the last of the sun's rays made her skin glow and eyes shine brighter than anything I'd ever seen. "You've been here for me, even a year later when other people would have left."

"That's what friends are for," I reminded her, and her eyes flickered to mine, holding a million questions that I couldn't decipher.

"I'm not the best company," she admitted.

"You're not that bad," I said dismissively.

"I wouldn't want to be around me," she continued.

"Who likes to be left alone with themselves anyway?" I said jokingly, making her sigh discontentedly. Smile fading, I lost my humour for the moment. "You're not as bad as you think. And even if you were, I'd still stick around."

She locked her jaw, looking down to her shoes silently. I crossed my arms and looked back to the sun, it lowering into the horizon further and further as each second passed.

"I didn't mean to force today onto you," I said hesitantly. "I just– you didn't reply to any of my messages and I was worried."

She scratched the back of her head awkwardly. "I haven't really checked my phone."

"I figured." Finger playing with my shirt mindlessly, I said, "I got a promotion at work. That's–" I cleared my throat. "That was why I called you the first time."

She looked up, eyes wide with apology. "Oh my God. Y/N, I'm so sorry! That's amazing! I should have–"

"It's okay," I reassured her with a small smile, dropping my arms to my side. "I just wanted to tell you because, well... I just wanted to tell you."

I wanted to tell her because that's what we did. We told each other everything. She was the first person that came to mind when anything good happened in my life. Of course, with everything going on, it was hard to tell her the good stuff when she was going through so much.

"I'm so proud of you," she said softly, and I looked her way when she grabbed my hand. "You worked really hard for this promotion and I knew you'd get it."

A smile crept onto my lips at her words. "Thank you, Leigh. You know that means a lot."

She nodded, mirroring my expression, before squeezing my hand gently. I wanted to look away after a few seconds, but she was still holding my gaze, eyes piercing mine as if conflicted. I suddenly became hyper-aware of her hand in mine, fingers gently tugging mine subconsciously, and the way her shoulder brushed against mine, the contact so natural I almost didn't realise it was there.

When I finally decided to break our staring contest, deciding I'd never know what was going on in her head, she took me by surprise and pulled me forward before kissing me. Her lips pressed to mine quickly, hand letting go and resting on the back of my neck dominantly.

It happened so quickly, my mind working overtime as it tried to decipher Leigh's soft lips against mine, the shiver that ran down my spine from her hand on my neck, the tenderness of her cheek as it came into contact with my nose. I didn't even get chance to react, to kiss her back like I wanted, as she pulled away in an instant.

Seemingly startled by her own actions, she let go of my neck and took a step back. I already missed the contact, my lips feeling cold as she pulled away. I, myself, was taken aback, still frozen with shock at the fact that she'd just kissed me.

"Th– that was a friendly kiss, obviously," she stuttered out, eyes avoiding mine.

I licked my lips awkwardly. "Yeah, obviously..."

"To say thanks," she added unconvincingly. "Y'know?"

"Mhm."

Neither of us looked up as we stood apart trying to understand what happened. Why did she do that? Did she actually want to? Was she caught up in the moment or was she just seeking comfort? I wasn't sure. But I knew I wished I had reacted quicker than I had.

"We should go home," she mumbled.

I nodded in agreement. "Right. Yeah. Home."

The two of us got back into my car, neither of us saying anything as I drove her back to her place. The radio played quietly in the background, filling the uncomfortable silence that formed between us, and I hated that a good day had ended on a bad note.

Pulling up outside her house, I chewed on the inside of my mouth with discomfort. She cleared her throat and still didn't look my way as she spoke.

"Thanks again for today," she said, before opening the door. "I'll, er, see you whenever."

I nodded, eyes focused on the steering wheel. "See you. I, erm–" I wanted to say something about the kiss, but she clearly didn't and I didn't want to piss her off. So, I said, "Tell Jules and your mum I said hi."

"Will do..."

With that, she got out the car and headed to her front door, leaving me sat there for a moment as I tried to comprehend the situation I was now in.

Why did Leigh have to be so confusing?

#leigh shaw x reader #leigh shaw imagine #leigh shaw x you #leigh shaw #sorry for your loss imagine #sorry for your loss #elizabeth olsen #elizabeth olsen imagine #elizabeth olsen x reader

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mayans-sauce · 4 years ago

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Gemma’s Daughter (1/?)

Pairing: Angel Reyes x Female Reader

Word Count: 1.8K

Warnings: Cursing, angst, yelling, cheating, heartbreak, physical fight

Request by anon which you can find HERE

A/N: thank you for the request! Sorry it’s a little late. I changed it up a bit by having Jax and Gemma still be alive as well as some other things. I’m really happy with how this turned out so I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it <3

GROUP CHAT for updates!

Gif Credit: @pedropcl

This was the third time Angel’s phone went straight to voicemail. It was the middle of the night, and he said he would be home 3 hours ago for his and your movie night which at the end of it, you would share some thrilling life-changing news. You were worried sick about him not returning your calls, worried that something serious had happened. What if he was hurt? Or worse, dead? You decided to shoot him a text; maybe he was doing something important, making it so he couldn’t pick up right now.

📲 Angel😇

Baby, where are you? I’m worried! Please just let me know if you’re safe ok? I have something exciting to tell you. Love you❤️

You texted some of the other guys. None of them had heard anything from him. They told you not to worry. He was probably caught up with something and would turn up eventually. Luckily your brother Jax picked up when you called. You asked him for some guidance on if you should sound the alarm or wait until Angel gave off noise. Since he was in the same life as your husband, you figured he would know what’s best. He told you better to wait. That he was most likely dealing with something that had taken his full attention. If he didn’t turn up tomorrow, Jackson said he would take the drive over to help you look for him. You were so thankful for your big brother. He was always there to help you whenever he could. To protect and love you.

You refused to go to sleep before he came home or before he called you, so you knew he was safe and sound. Some movie was playing on the TV that you didn’t pay much attention to. The battle between you and your eyelids was still going strong. All of a sudden, you were woken up from your zombie state by the front door opening and closing. Footsteps that belonged to no other than Angel made their way into the dim-lit living room.

“Angel!” His movements were sort of clumsy. A sign that he had been drinking. You came to stand at his side. Holding him up by his forearm as it looked like he was going to faint face down ass up on the floor any second. Your nose scrunched up at the strong smell of the alcohol on him. “Angel, I was worried sick! Where were you?” “I was out with my brother.” His words had a pinch of sluggishness in them as he spoke. “We were supposed to have our movie night! We haven’t seen each other all week, and this was going to be our evening together.”

“Ugh,” he tugged himself out of your grasp, which took you by surprise. “Why are you so bossy all the time? I’m a grown man. I can take care of myself.” His words started to sting a little, but you didn’t think that much of it. He was shitfaced drunk, and he wasn’t his usual self. “Angel I-“ “No, you listen here, I’m sick and tired of you always going; oh Angel this oh Angel that,” he tried to mimic your voice but failed miserably, “like shut up. Shut the fuck up for one goddamn second in your life and stop being so fucking clingy.” You couldn’t believe what you were hearing from him. The tears in your eyes started to build up as you held two protective hands over your stomach. Your mouth was slightly agape in disbelief. “A-Angel ple-please-“ “No, I don’t fucking care right now. I’m leaving.” And just like that, he turned around and walked out. The force of the door slamming shut shook the whole house as you were left with an emptiness inside you.

The tears ran down your cheeks like it was pouring rain outside. Your body trembled at the anxiety and stress you were feeling at what just happened. You looked down at where your hands were laid over your stomach. “I-I’m so sorry li-little bean. I’m so so-sorry, my sweetheart.”

In the morning, you woke up in the worst state you have ever been in. The same clothes as yesterday were still on you. The pounding in your head wouldn’t seem to stop. Your eyes raw from crying, and your throat felt like rough sandpaper. Wrapping the blanket around yourself, you padded down to the kitchen to get a glass of water. As you stared out the kitchen window, you saw your neighbor playing with their kids, which started the production of tears again.

A gasp left you of the sound from the front door opening and Angel’s voice calling for you. You met him in the living room—both of you staring at each other without saying a word. You should be mad at him, shouldn’t you? To scream at him for saying those hurtful things? But for some reason, your heart wouldn’t allow you to do so. You were just relieved that he had come home.

Angel was the first one to break the awkward silence. “Please… sit,” he pointed towards the sofa. You sat at one end while he took his place at the other. His face was in his hands. It looked like he had something to share with you. “Angel… what is it?” Your voice was nothing but a whisper. His eyes locked with yours and his heart broke when he saw what mess he had left you in. “I’m sorry for how I acted. Yelling at you like that…saying things that aren’t true… it’s not what you deserve. I don’t know what came over me and… I have something I need to tell you.” He looked up to you as tears welled up in his eyes. You gave him a slight nod, a sign that he could go ahead with whatever it was.

“When I left in the night, I was supposed to go over to pop's house to sleep. I didn’t take the bike because I was too shitfaced to drive, so I went on foot hoping that it would sober me up… and... I just kept walking and walking until I found myself… not at Felipe’s.” He peeked up to you from where he was looking down at the floor just a moment ago. His heart broke into microscopic pieces when he saw on your face that you knew where his story was most likely going. As much as he didn’t want to finish, he had to. He had to come clean and straight with you. You deserved that much.

“I found myself at Adelita’s place… and… we hooked up.” The silence after he said that was hefty and long. Once again, he was the one to break it. “Querida… it’s the biggest fucking mistake I have ever made in my fucking life. I don’t know what the fuck came over me to do something like that to you… to us.”

He tried to get a hold of your hand, but you pulled away in disgust. You didn’t want him to touch you after he had been feeling all up on her in the night while you were home alone crying yourself to sleep. You had no words, none. Your mouth was opening and closing, but nothing seemed to escape it. “Please say something.” “Where is she?” “I don’t see ho-“ “Goddammit Angel, just tell me where the fuck she is!” The scream you let out startled him. “Sh-she’s at the clubhouse… there was some emergency that needed to be taken care of, and it couldn’t wait till later.”

At lightning speed, you had grabbed the car keys and were out the door. Angel registered what the fuck was going on when he heard the engine's roar from the car. He was quick to his feet and on his bike to try and catch up before you did anything stupid.

Not thinking straight, you barge through the Templo doors to be met with Adelita and the rest of the MC standing over a map planning something. “Sweetheart, you aren’t supposed to be here,” Bishop said with a stern manner. You didn’t hear him. You didn’t care that you weren’t supposed to be in the room. All you could think about was the rage filling you up as she stood there gloating at you. A smug look on her face that you knew where your man had been last night, all cozy and tangled up together in her sheets.

She didn’t expect you to jump her and start beating the shit out of her; she knew you weren’t that type of girl, so it startled her when you did. That’s when Angel walked in out of breath and saw the scene in front of him that had him stand dead in his tracks as he watched. Your hands punched and scratched as you screamed, "I'm the mother of his child, not you bitch! Don’t ever touch him again!” You didn’t register what you said, and now everyone knew. She tried to fight back, but you were much more powerful than her.

It took the guys a few moments to pull you off as they were in sheer shock at what was going on in front of them. You were usually a shy and sweet girl that wouldn’t even hurt a fly. They were surprised that you so quickly took her down. Once pulled off, Taza escorted Adelita out since it was time for her to leave. “How in the fuck did you do that?” They almost said in unison. "Jax may be my brother, but my mother is Gemma, and you definitely don’t want to fuck with us.” You knew your mother would be proud of you for standing up for yourself and for putting that bitch in her place.

“Wait… you’re pregnant.” “Yes, Angel, I’m fucking pregnant, and you’ve just fucked up our whole relationship, our future.” The tears that were threatening to spill were managed to be put under control by your choice of not showing any of them how you truly felt, sad, empty, alone, and betrayed by Angel’s choices of thinking with his dick and not his fucking brain.

You were about to storm out when he grabbed you by the forearm. “Wait, please… we can fix this! Please let me fix this dulce.” “No, Angel,” you twisted your arm to get loose of his grip; the touch of him made you cringe, “the damage has already been done. I can’t fucking stand to look at you. Not now. I’m going home… I’m going home to Charming for a while.” And with that, you left Angel there to mend his broken pieces at losing the two of you…

To Be Continued

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ANGEL REYES TAGLIST: @spnaquakindgdom @Negansnympho89

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earnestly-endlessly · 3 years ago

Note

Cherik angst!

Ooooh the angst!! The cherik fandom has an abundance of angst fics and I could probably make a list of hundred fics to recommend, but these are some of my favourite angsty cherik fics. I should warn you though, some of these require tissues.

Cherik Angst

Everyday Love in Stockholm – tahariel

Summary: Magneto is the ruler of the posthuman world.

His only secret? Charles Xavier, the human he's kept locked in his bedroom ever since his right-hand woman, Mystique, came to him pleading for mercy for her stepbrother, who accepted her mutant form and protected her as a child. The human he started fucking after Mystique was killed in battle, despite the guilt he feels at contaminating even this last promise to the woman who was integral to his life's work and happiness.

Boden’s Mate – kaydeefalls

Summary: "Shaw has information that we need, and we need him alive to extract it," Moira says, and there it is: the job is on the table. Extraction.

XMFC/Inception fusion AU. Erik is an extractor, Alex is his point man. They're assembling a team to go after the most dangerous mind in dreamsharing: Sebastian Shaw. But unless Alex and the team can keep him in check, Erik's desire for vengeance might just rip the whole job apart around them -- and then there's the shade that haunts his dreams...

Ritual Self-Torture – TurtleTotem

Summary: Shaw is King, Charles is his royal consort and Erik is a Knight/Lord. Shaw is sterile but his kingdom can't find out, so he asks Erik to impregnate Charles.

He doesn't know Erik and Charles are in love.

The Winter of Banked Fires – Yahtzee

Summary: Charles Xavier has returned from the dead -- but is lost within his own mind. Rogue has cast aside her own power and doesn't know where she fits in the world any longer. The production of synthetic Cure means mutantkind itself is newly at risk. And Magneto, turned human against his will, is in despair until the day he feels a familiar consciousness tugging at his own

Us – Pangea

Summary: “Charles,” Erik says, and if his voice hits a pleading note then who can really blame him, “Charles, it’s me.”

It takes several longer moments before Charles musters up the strength to answer, breath stuttering horribly as he tries to breathe. He’s shaking, entire body trembling.

“Erik,” Charles says, his voice cracking, “Erik, I want to die.”

Enigma – Yahtzee

Summary: Erik dies, or finds a reversey-time mutant, or a magical time travelling device, and wakes up in the past. This time, though, it's before he ever met Charles - in fact, it's before his mother died.

He can save his mother that one time (thanks to his mastery over powers carrying back), but what does Erik do after that? Does he stick around, or escape and run to find Charles again (and hope everything doesn't go wrong)?

By Faint Indirections – kianspo

Summary: Erik is in his ~50s, and lonely and bitter. He survived the Holocaust and was only ~14 when the war ended; and even ~40 years later, living in a country that helped to end WW2 and the Third Reich, homosexuality is still a taboo topic. Then one day, he stumbles over Charles, who is young(early 20s) and bright and smart and cheeky and full of energy and beautiful. And moving in the same street where Erik lives.

Lonesome on the Shelf – ikeracity

Summary: After three years of marriage, Charles has to admit that his relationship with Erik has significantly cooled off. These days, they're barely ever home at the same time and it seems like every conversation they have turns into an argument. Charles misses the way they used to be, misses the spontaneous dinner parties and the surprise morning sex and the wake up calls in the early mornings to catch the sunrise. But it's going to take two of them to fix this marriage, and some days, it seems as if all Erik wants is to be rid of him.

A fic about rekindling marriage.

When the Spell Breaks – kianspo

Summary: Erik, a high-profile lawyer with a successful career, meets a 21-year-old grad student in a bar, and within a few short months marries him. He and Charles are blissfully happy, until Erik's boss runs a background check on Charles and discovers he's been cheating on Erik. Charles denies everything, as there was no affair, but Erik doesn't believe him and throws him out. As Charles tries to figure out how to survive and stay at school that he can no longer afford and makes a lot of bad if not plain dangerous choices, Erik has to fight his own battle of discovering the truth and winning Charles back.

The Tower and the Hurricane – dreamlittleyo

Summary:(Post-movie AU.) Five years after Shaw's death, Erik's predictions prove painfully accurate. Violence rages on both sides of the human/mutant conflict. In a world ravaged by war, it doesn't really matter who's more at fault. Charles struggles to teach his students a better way, but what choices will he make when peace really isn't an option?

The Attempt – Yahtzee

Summary: Charles knows everything about Erik, knows how obsessive and self-destructive he is, how Erik would do anything, give anything, in his quest for vengeance against Shaw. But he also knows that Erik loves him in ways that aren't exactly platonic.

I'd like to see a completely straight!Charles, out of pure love and care of Erik, initiate a romantic relationship with him. It can be because he wishes to give Erik something positive in his life or because he thinks it might help change Erik's mind about Shaw, the reason is up to author. Also, while Charles finds intimacy with Erik strange and awkward, he does enjoy the new, non-romantic layers that have developed in their relationship.

Apple Seeds – pprfaith

Summary: Charles, Erik, apple seeds and Shakespearean love affairs.

Ashes, Ashes – winterhill

Summary: Post-apocalyptic AU — When the bombs fall, and mutually assured destruction occurs, it turns out that Shaw was right and radiation does enhance mutant powers. Snapshots of the XMFC main ensemble in the time after the bombs: Erik decides to stay, Moira thinks she might be the only human left, Raven is having trouble sleeping, and Charles is losing his mind.

Warnings: nuclear holocaust: death (death in general, not a specific character), cancer, burns, medical procedure, mutant powers gone awry

Five Bullet Points – Sperare

Summary: It was supposed to be Erik locked away in a prison one hundred stories below the ground.

Charles was never supposed to be there with him.

Tequila on a spaceship – faerie_ground

Summary: In 2014, Charles Xavier gets brutally murdered and Erik Lehnsherr spends the rest of his life mourning his death.

In 3014, Captain Lehnsherr and CMO Dr Xavier are colleagues, best friends and maybe a little more besides that aboard the Magneto I.

The Tower and the Hurricane – dreamlittleyo

Summary: Post-movie AU.) Five years after Shaw's death, Erik's predictions prove painfully accurate. Violence rages on both sides of the human/mutant conflict. In a world ravaged by war, it doesn't really matter who's more at fault. Charles struggles to teach his students a better way, but what choices will he make when peace really isn't an option?

Simple and Uncomplicated – Pookaseraph

Summary: Erik and Charles had been fuck buddies for some, but when Charles is in an accident he figured their relationship would be over. Erik's visit to his bedside in the hospital changes his assumptions even as he has trouble believing Erik is sincere.

Lazarus – Clocks

Summary: Erik is 19 when he says ‘I love you’ for the first time.

It would take five long years before Charles says it back.

Broken Eternity – CractasticDispatches

Sumnmary: It starts with being alone. It shouldn’t, perhaps, but it does because, of course, alone is what no one ever wishes to be.

Shout it Out Loud – dreamlittleyo

Summary: (Movie-Concurrent AU.) When Charles forges a telepathic link between himself and Erik, the two men find themselves bound together by more than just destiny. With the world on the brink of war, Charles and Erik struggle to cope with a psychic connection that may well be permanent.

Call Me By His Name – sinuous_curve

Summary: Charles wakes from the absence of noise.

There is an empty space in his room, beside his bed. Not quiet as in an abandoned room, but utterly, featurelessly blank. Like a box made of unblemished, impenetrable metal and Charles knows before he opens his eyes.

The Longest Word – septicwheelbarrow

Summary: "I'm Charles Xavier," he says, smiling from ear to ear. Then he gestures to his wheelchair. "Terminal spinal osteoblastoma, reaper due to collect in a year."

After some time, the man gestures at himself with a sardonic smile. "Same, one year. Lung." And then, reluctant, as if trying to keep his name to himself, "Erik."

I reject your reality and substitute my own. Doesn't really work that way, both ways.

Copy – chantefable

Summary: Charles wakes up without his memory. His sole caretaker, Erik, claims to be his husband, and tells him he's recovering from a car accident on their honeymoon.

Slowly falling for Erik again, Charles begins to regain his memories. He starts to notice strange things about his body, Erik, and their secluded mansion.

Myosotis – SomeCoolName

Summary: When Charles got back from Cuba, he lost the two things which made him stand: his legs and the love of his life, Erik Lehnsherr. Charles can get used to the wheelchair but he won't ever be able to get pass the loss of Erik.

"I wish I never met him" is something Charles says one night, maybe a bit drunk, absolutely wrecked for sure. It's a bit silly but Charles figures out his only solution is to use his own powers to erase Erik from his mind, progressively.

Except one day Erik comes back to the Xavier mansion to win him back. And even if Charles doesn't want to stop forgetting about him, Erik will do anything he can to convince him otherwise.

Das Haus am See – sareyen

Summary: The Lake House AU:

Erik is an estate planning lawyer who takes some time off to get away from the big city after his marriage fell apart. He lives in a picturesque lake house by Chautauqua Lake for almost two years, before moving back to New York City. This is in 2019.

Charles is a famous but very private author stuck in a creative rut, and moves to his lakeside estate for a short while to try and find a reason to write again. This is in 2017.

By magic or fate, Charles and Erik discover that the letter box at the lake house has the ability to send letters through time, between Charles in 2017 and Erik in 2019. Through letters that transcend the barriers of time, Charles and Erik fall in love. Charles vows to find Erik two years in his future, and Erik promises to wait for him. Two years - just two, meagre years.

But, fate is fickle, and time waits for no one.

Appropriate Boundaries – Yahtzee

Summary: Charles has been having serious problems with back cramps in the year and a half since he's been in a wheelchair. His doctor prescribes massage therapy. But when Charles meets his masseur, Erik, in some ways they begin to heal each other. So how do you cross the boundaries between professional touch -- and the personal?

Unbound – Cesare, helens78

Summary: Thousands of miles apart, Erik Lehnsherr and Charles Xavier form a soulbond. But when that bond is severed five years later, they have to spend the next ten years trying to rebuild their lives alone.

Do You Love Me – cgf_kat

Summary: Charles and Erik have been married for 25 years, thrown together by a mandatory post-apocalyptic pairing system attempting to increase and strengthen the population. They have seven children. They have never spoken of love, but change is on the horizon.

A Quiet Riot – cloudstroke (aQuired)

Summary: Erik can't stand the fact that his father has brought home a boy less than half his age.

But mostly because he's madly in love with Charles Xavier himself.

#cherik #cherik fic recs #fic recs #angst #asks #earnestly answers

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stiliskishit · 3 years ago

Photo

fighter!stiles stilinski

Noah doesn’t know what to do with Stiles anymore. He knows, of course he knows, that he shouldn’t be so tired of listening to his own son, of seeing the boy around the house, but he is and if he doesn’t do something to get the boy out of the house, he could end up doing something he’ll regret forever.

That’s why he enrolls the boy in Finstock’s boxing academy, the boy is too agitated, too anxious, and too much everything after his mother’s death, Noah and the psychologist have agreed to put him to do some sport, the gym is cheap and Stiles can manage to punch a sandbag for sure.

So the sheriff put him there and begged to any greater power to make his son better so that Stiles would calm down, stop crying just at the sight of a glass of whiskey in Noah’s hand.

The sport paid off and although Finstock seems a little crazy in the head, the guy did a good job with Stiles.

Well, that was what Noah thought back then.

Years passed, Stiles grown up and just made it quieter, whenever the kid came home he looked tired but much better than the sheriff could have asked for after the panic attacks had passed.

He should have been more attentive, more observant with his own son.

The first time Noah learned of the possibility of Stiles being gay he admits, he didn’t take it very well. Some of his subordinates were talking about the increase in the death rates of LGBT people at the police station, one of them, Mahealani talked about worrying about Danny, his favorite nephew and who had come out to the family some time ago.

“But what can you do? It’s not like the kid is to blame for the bad people in the world,” the man said, sighing “If people kill others because of who they love, it’s not the fault of the person who dies. Of course, I don’t want Danny to get hurt, but I won’t hurt him myself. I know you understand me, don’t you, Sheriff? I know there is a difference between Danny and Stiles, but I also worry about the boy, even if he takes fighting lessons.”

Noah stared at the man, he doesn’t know what Jayden was talking about, but he doesn’t disagree too, doesn’t want to offend the man and his nephew.

“Stiles is tough” He suggests nonetheless “But I understand you.”

After this day, Noah began to pay a little more attention to Stiles, began to be aware of his own son. Sometimes, Stiles will be home with bruises because of training, sometimes he’ll be home with hickeys and bites. The sheriff doesn’t know how to talk about it with the boy, since his mother’s death Stiles became a very independent child, dealing with his own problems and needs.

Noah shouldn’t be proud of that, proof that he was a neglectful and selfish parent, but he is, because his boy, his son, was able to handle problems that not even the sheriff was.

Noah let the talk slip of his mind, Stiles is almost an adult, he managed to basically raise himself after his mother’s death, why he should be worried? His son is in a boxing gym, of course, he will appear with some bruises, and he’s young, he doesn’t need someone pointing to his hickeys and marks.

Nevertheless, on a night when the two of them are home for dinner and order a pizza to eat together, Noah makes a comment about being "safe."

He didn't expect stiles to respond with a mocking laugh.

“So now you care?”

He doesn't gapes, of course, but he is shocked. Stiles never spoke to him like that, never answered him that way. Before he manages to recompose himself Stiles is out, catching his hoodie and fast in his car, running off him.

“God” Noah mutters, running his hand over his face “Why did you take Claudia and leave me here when I'm such a horrible father?”

He doesn't get an answer, as always.

_____

The next days Noah realizes that he's been a horrible sheriff in his own house and an even worse father.

Stiles' room reeks of cigarettes and marijuana, a few quarts of vodka are scattered on the floor, and the boy doesn't look like he's slept in the bed in days. Not only was he a failure, but he also contained being and Stiles seems to be following in Noah's footsteps. He doesn't want that for his own son.

The sheriff contacts Bobby Finstock, he wants to know what the other knows about Stiles' life, why he is so angry right now. He doesn't even need to ask. Bobby greets him with a sigh and says:

“I was wanting to talk to you Sheriff.”

When Bobby starts to talk about stiles and how he is talented and has a gift for the sport, Noah knows that his son is in trouble. Stiles' teachers always seem to try to placate the Sheriff with a few nice words before unleashing all the wailing about Stiles.

Bobby, for some reason, don't do that. He just says he's worried because the boy recently seems to have been the victim of bullying and, if the Sheriff doesn't do something, Bobby will have to do it himself, because he doesn't want stiles tossing his gift in the trash because of “some homophobic shit” and going to jail. Finstock also has a few choice words to talk about how Noah is being negligent, how he must talk to his own son sometimes before he loses the boy.

He knows that Noah has been negligent but he's not dumb. He worries more about the “jail” part of the conversation, though.

______

Noah contacts an old acquaintance. Chris Argent isn't the best person in the world, but he owes him, and the Stiles needs someone who would listen to him, and who he would listen to.

“Do you want me to train your boy to be a professional wrestler?” Argent asks, seeming skeptical.

“Yes.”

“You know that I'm in France right now, don't you? And Peter loves here, he doesn't want to go back to Beacon Hills anymore.”

“Yeah, I know. If stiles need to be there to stay out of trouble, even better.”

Argent sighs. Noah seems to be hearing this sound from a lot of people lately, himself included.

“Fine. I'll talk to him next week.”

“Excellent. very good indeed." Noah thinks for a moment, then adds, "I'd rather you not tell him it was my idea, make it look like a recruitment."

Argent snorts but agrees anyway.

“You're getting weirder with the age Noah.”

He laughs, even if he doesn't agree. He's not getting weirder, he's getting a little better.

#stiles stilinski #noah stilinski #bobby finstock #original character #chris argent #fighter stiles stilinnski #moodboard #the sheriff isn't a good parent #bad boy stiles stilinski #prompt?#writing idea #negligence #noah stilinski is negligent #dead claudia stilinski #but she did her damege #sheriff pov #writing prompt #implicit homophobia

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chocosvt · 4 years ago

Text

⚬ pairing: seungcheol x fem!reader ⚬ word count: 4342 ⚬ warnings: brief drug mention ⚬ genres: mainly just fluff! college/uni!au

✧✎ synopsis: your longtime campus crush just received an interesting dare: to ask you out on a date. while the circumstances are questionable, you aren’t going to decline. maybe this is your ticket to romance.

✧✎ a/n: if this title or plot sounds familiar, then that’s bc i finally accomplished a goal of mine: to rewrite i dare you. this was a fic i originally wrote in 2016!! i did change some aspects, so not everything is identical. PLS ENJOY ;w;

The bells to the café door jingled.

Normally, you wouldn’t be so attentive about the customers filtering in and out, but at that moment, your gaze shot over the lid of your laptop like a harpoon. It was roughly the right time, the right day. According to your judgement, this was when they usually came for their morning coffees. Jeonghan, Joshua, and Seungcheol: a very popular trio amongst the likings of your campus.

Jeonghan was a nursing student. Clean-cut, charming to a degree of annoyance, and always ordered a boring black coffee. The second boy, Joshua, was cute enough to stop you in your tracks and force a double-take. However, he liked mathematics, numbers, weird formulas which looked more torture than learning. He preferred lattes with foam. And then there was Seungcheol. You wouldn’t call him your true love, because you didn’t know him all that well, and as far as he was concerned you were the lunatic who accidentally set pages of Joshua’s chemistry homework on fire. But that was a story for another day (you haven’t been near that Yankee candle since).

Nonetheless, you were crushing on him. Badly. To the point where you arrived at the café early, pretending to type a document on your laptop, just so you could flit your eyes every so often at his table while he slurped his chocolate mocha. You even had their scheduling memorized. It was a bit weird, and you would be the first to admit such a thing, but nothing was going to thwart you from daydreaming about those eyes of his. Or that dazzling smile. His short bursts of laughter which were usually tweezed out at Jeonghan pulling some stupid prank on Joshua. Everything about you adored him.

The trio gathered at their usual table, sat obliquely to your nook by the window. You had opened an older document that was already finished, pretended to tap against the keys while they ate a small breakfast before class. Something was different. They were giggling more than usual. And you couldn’t help but blatantly stare with concern when Joshua tore open a salt packet and poured it straight on his tongue. Jeonghan was grinning so widely that you were positive his face must be aching, and Seungcheol cackled into his fist while Joshua immediately grabbed for his latte.

A game. They were playing some sort of game.

Once Joshua had recovered, you noted that he began surveying the café, running his narrowed gaze to each table.

The second he found you huddled in the corner, attempting to shrink behind your laptop and pretend your presence was nothing but invisible, Joshua leaned into Seungcheol’s side to make a very smiley whisper. Pretend I’m working, pretend I’m working on something so damn important I can’t look up for even a second, you reiterated to yourself quietly, ignoring the panic ballooning inside you. A minute later, someone had just pulled out the chair across from you. They sat down with a slight groan, clasping their hands together.

Of course, it was Seungcheol.

“Hey.” He said, watching as you tentatively lowered the lid of your laptop, probably wondering why the hell you looked so stunned.

“What are you, um, doing?” You asked.

Seungcheol could not be sitting across from you just because he wanted to. It was impossible. And as much as that stung to admit, you knew the truth was simply that. He was definitely put up to this.

“We know each other pretty well, correct?” The boy completely ignored your question. “I know that you set Josh’s chem notes on fire. We take toxicology together. Need I say more?”

“Wow,” you replied, twiddling your fingers anxiously under the table, “that’s a whole two things. I can’t even count that high.”

“We can’t all be mathematicians,” Seungcheol moved the conversation along while he angled a white jar of sugar, “and I guess I should tell you, I’m in a predicament, which involves you.”

Your hands squeezed together so firmly that they nearly moulded into permanent fists. Seungcheol was staring at you now rather than flickering his gaze between the objects on the table, with those eyes as dark as sapphire. You were burning up, sweltering, felt like you needed to burst from your clothes and bathe in ice.

“A predicament?”

Seungcheol folded his muscular arms on the table and nodded. “Yeah, I got a dare from Josh. To ask you out. The thing is, I’m not supposed to tell you. But you seem like a nice girl.”

You swallowed very tautly and pushed down the lid of your laptop a little more. Over Seungcheol’s shoulder, you spotted both Joshua and Jeonghan observing, chuckling amongst themselves.

“Another thing,” Seungcheol added, raking a hand through his black locks, “I don’t want to lose to tweedle-dumb and tweedle-idiot over there – you can decide who’s who – so you should accept.”

Straightening your posture against the chair, you decided to spell out the situation, more for your sake than Seungcheol’s. “Let me get this straight. You got dared to ask me out. You have nothing better to do tomorrow night, so you accepted it. And I don’t have a choice.”

“Your wording is a bit disparaging. But essentially, yeah.” He leaned back with a gorgeous smile, turning up his palm. “So, down?”

At that moment, you could not believe the universe had just ladled this ridiculous possibility into your lap. A date with your biggest crush on campus. A date that so many people would be wrangling your neck to steal from you – even if it was based on an innocuous little game which Seungcheol refused to submit because he was too competitive at heart. It might not have been your most prideful choice in life, but you accepted. Any chance to spend the night with him would not be wasted as long as the offer stood.

However, you had one condition.

“I’ll do it,” you grinned, watching the boy’s expression perk like a child who just got handed a cookie, “on the account of another dare. Which you’ll find out on our fake date.”

“Fine.” Seungcheol shrugged, sliding his phone across the table so that you could enter your number. He stood up afterward, on the verge of returning to his friends when he suddenly paused.

“See you tomorrow night, sweetheart.”

There was such a rush of butterflies in your stomach, you were surprised one hadn’t flown out your mouth.

You didn’t know why you cared so much about a date that was most likely intended to humiliate you. Was Joshua still not over those chemistry sheets? Even after you spent a good two hours in the library attempting to rewrite them with your nicest, smoothest gel pel? Thoughts of what to wear, your style of makeup, and which perfume you should choose amongst the few on your dresser were awfully overwhelming. In fact, you were almost late to the park, the area Seungcheol had picked as a rendezvous point.

He rose from the bench in front of the duck pond once you arrived, checking the time on his wrist while making a tsking sound.

“Four and a half minutes late,” Seungcheol said, shaking his head, “you’re not making a good first impression, my lady.”

Obviously, you weren’t going to admit how you were stressing about a technically-fake date. In the end, you threw on a simple outfit and applied some lipstick on your way out the door, shoving the tube into a small purse hung over your shoulder. It’s not like he was treating you to a five-star restaurant by romantic candlelight. But if he ever did, you had the perfect outfit planned.

“Well, I’m here now. And with your dare.” You grinned.

Seungcheol stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Let’s hear it.”

“I dare you to buy me a week of coffee.”

At first, Seungcheol didn’t utter a thing. But then he erupted into a fit of laughter until his cheeks turned rosy like peaches.

“That’s not how this works,” he half-sighed, half-chuckled while removing a tear from his eye, “I’m rejecting it.”

“You can’t reject it! You definitely owe me. I didn’t let you lose to tweedle-dumb or tweedle-idiot. Plus, it’s low to ask someone out on a dare. I didn’t even have to show up.” Ensuring your tone was confident, you folded your arms over your chest, raised your brow at the boy, and observed him as he tapped his foot in contemplation.

“Can I have time to consider?” Seungcheol asked.

While it was tough to capitulate so easily and let him have his way, you didn’t want to spend the entirety of your night standing next to a slimy pond, debating the regulations. So you bit the bullet. Besides, Seungcheol announced that there was a party he needed to stop by, that there was a particular someone to which he owned money. It was a short walk to this brick house that reverberated with music, cars stalled up and down the street while a flood of strobing colours illuminated in the windows. Seungcheol knocked on the door quite loudly, and then he reached for your hand, wrapping his fingers around yours. You shot him a puzzled glance just as the door swung open, the stench of marijuana mingling with the cool, night air.

“Well, well, well,” a fox-eyed boy murmured after taking a long puff from his blunt, “Choi Seungcheol. It’s about damn time.”

“I was in the neighbourhood. Heard you and Soonyoung were lighting this place up. What a good turnout, huh?”

“Mmhm,” the other boy hummed unenthusiastically, leaning his wide shoulder against the doorframe, “you got the money or no?”

Seungcheol laughed. “C’mon, Wonwoo. We don’t even get to go inside? Hang out for a bit? Have a drink? You’re a shitty host.”

Wonwoo slid a finger under his chin, rubbing in contemplation. It was starting to get colder out, for you could hear the tree leaves rustling together as a wind whisked through the dark. You squished yourself a bit closer into Seungcheol’s side, and to your surprise, he let go of your hand and wrapped an arm around your shoulders. Finally, Wonwoo concurred, sticking the rolled paper back between his lips while stepping aside with an inviting gesture.

“Make yourselves comfortable,” the boy muttered, “but I’ll be coming to find you in about ten minutes. And I wanna see cash.”

“What’s his problem?” You whispered by Seungcheol’s ear as he guided you around an illy lit corner, into the kitchen.

His warm breath feathered your ear as he said, “I lost a couple bets to him and was slow getting the money back.” Seungcheol then grabbed two solo cups organized in a stack on the counter, filling each with a red, fruit-mixed alcohol which sat in two glass bowls.

“Don’t worry, he’s harmless.”

You accepted the cup and took a sip. “Oh, in case you needed to beat him up? I don’t know,” you lilted, “he looks pretty sturdy.”

“Are you kidding?” Seungcheol gawked.

He slapped his drink down on the counter and threw his jacket over the back of a chair. With a perplexed, is this man crazy expression, you watched him roll up his sleeve and flex his bicep.

“Go ahead,” the boy grinned, “you’ll see.”

You made sure to roll your eyes and sigh incredibly loud in order to really establish your indifference. Meanwhile, your inner-self was fizzling like a carbonated soda. Grabbing onto Seungcheol’s muscle, you pressed down, forcing back a surprised chuckle at the fact his arm was hard as a rock. In that moment your meter of attraction toward the boy was ticking so absurdly you thought it could break.

“Okay, I’ll give it to you, Seungcheol. You’re strong.”

He tugged his sleeve back down and slid into the jacket again, a very brash smirk beaming on his face. You couldn’t decipher if he’d actually been attempting to impress you or if that was just a display of his cockiness. And yet, you didn’t really care which category it fell into, because you were still blissfully afloat thinking about Seungcheol’s arms. You lifted your drink and took another sip, swishing the sweet but tangy flavour between your cheeks. At that moment, a man you didn’t recognize attempted to scoot behind you – except there was definitely enough room for him to get by without planting his hands on your hips and squeezing them.

“Hey! What the hell?” You squeaked, quickly turning around on your heel to see the crookedly amused look he stared at you with.

“What?” He somehow had the audacity to respond.

But you weren’t going to accept his disgraceful maneuvers, and neither was Seungcheol. He abandoned his cup on the counter and pushed up his sleeves.

“Did you just put your hands on her?” Came his demand. It didn’t sound like the normal, relaxed Seungcheol who liked his jokes, but someone with an unnerving amount of authority and fearlessness.

“I-I was trying to get by.” The man stammered, clearly uncomfortable with the thought of confrontation. He was already stepping backward as Seungcheol approached him.

“Don’t touch other people like that,” Seungcheol admonished him in a deep, staid voice, then pointed toward the threshold of the kitchen, “just get out, man. Seriously. Don’t even go near her.” And like a saddened puppy who received a scolding from its owners to lay down in the pen, the man slinked away without another word.

You were unsure of what to say to Seungcheol for diminishing the situation. Folding your arms tightly, you nodded at him.

“Thanks.”

Wonwoo came wandering into the kitchen. His eyes brightened the moment he saw Seungcheol, and he rubbed his fingers together to wordlessly convey that he wanted his money now.

“It’s alright,” Seungcheol gave you a soft smile while he revealed a large wad of cash from his pocket, “he was a weirdo.”

“Yeah.” You laughed as Seungcheol handed the sum to his friend, who fleshed out the paper notes to count the correct amount.

It took you a moment to realize that Seungcheol’s arm had wrapped back around your shoulders, this time a bit more securely. When you leaned into him, it wasn’t because you felt a draft or a chill, but because he was comfortable. He felt and smelled like safety.

Later that night, you returned to the park, throwing stones into the duck pond while the moon was hidden behind a thin curtain of clouds. Seungcheol claimed that he could throw his stones farther than yours, which prompted your short-lived competition. It had ended so abruptly because you ran out of stones to throw. At one point you tried tossing sticks, but they didn’t travel as far, and they definitely didn’t break the surface of the water with a satisfying plop.

“Hey,” Seungcheol said, nudging your elbow excitedly, “I dare you to get in the pond.”

“No way!” You cackled. “It’s freezing. And that pond is nasty.”

“Just dip your toe in or something.”

“You dip your toe in!”

“I don’t wanna take off my socks.”

You huffed, a plume of your breath escaping into the crisp air.

“Well, we’re at a crossroads then, aren’t we?”

Rather than continue bickering about the dare, you were starting to feel these annoying hunger pangs. You didn’t eat dinner because of how nervous you were toward this fake date (which was rapidly morphing into a very real date) with Seungcheol. The most you ate today had been some toast and pieces of apple your roommate cut the night before. Directly on cue, your stomach gurgled, and your face swelled hot with embarrassment. Seungcheol grinned.

“Hungry?”

“Starving, more like.” You corrected him.

He pulled out the white fabric liners of his pockets, revealing they were completely empty. “All my cash went to Wonwoo.”

You flashed a playful smile while repeating his statement from earlier. “Oh, wow. Not being able to cover the meal on a first date? You’re not making a good impression, sweetheart.”

In an instant, Seungcheol had snatched your hand, interlocking your fingers together warmly. He began tugging you out of the park and onto a familiar street, where there was a twenty-four-hour diner that the students absolutely loved. Admittedly, you had been there a few times. Once as a giggly drunk who just wanted a waffle plate at three in the morning, and also as a struggling student who was desperate for a cup of coffee in order to power through a procrastinated essay. Now, it seemed you were returning for a date.

“I’ll pay you back, promise.” Seungcheol said as the server placed a nacho platter onto the table. “It’s my new priority.”

The diner was quiet and mostly empty apart from a group of three seated at another table. You didn’t realize just how hungry you were until that first taste of melted cheese, salsa, and seared chicken hit your mouth. Seungcheol didn’t like black olives, so he kept picking them off. You were eating too ravenously to inspect your food.

“You’re taking the olives off?” You smirked. “Baby.”

Seungcheol scoffed. “I am not a baby.” He looked up at you as he shoved another delicious chip in his mouth. “And I know it gives you some sick, twisted pleasure to say that. You should be ashamed.”

Nearly choking on the water you just sipped, you dropped the cup back on the table to cough a few times.

“You know what’s sick? The fact I’m paying.”

The boy reached for his glass of coca cola. “Yeah, but technically this isn’t a real date. So, doesn’t count.”

“Really?” Raising a questioned eyebrow, you watched Seungcheol take a long gulp from his drink. “Are you willing to say that with your entire chest? That this isn’t a real date?”

And in that moment, Seungcheol genuinely seemed to have met a stupor. In fact, there was a red tint dusting the crest of each his cheeks. He leaned back in the booth, folded his arms over his chest, and pursed his lips. You waited patiently for his response, lifting a nacho to your mouth while threads of cheese dangled in the air.

A smile broke through his stiff, musing expression.

“Okay,” he nodded his head, “maybe this is a real date,” (your heart impossibly fluttered), “you could be right about that.”

“I’m glad we’re on the same page.” You answered.

In truth, you couldn’t have been more delighted to hear Seungcheol agree, because if he hadn’t, you would have dined and dashed, fled straight out the restaurant in a haze of shame and embarrassment. In the span of just a few hours, your attraction toward this boy had impressively expanded like a sponge soaking up water. Before, you weren’t positive that he could be your true love. It was mostly a running joke between you and… well, yourself. However, this one night was proving that perhaps your joke could have some actual weight to it. And as Seungcheol continued to make you laugh, choke on your food, stare at him in complete adoration like he was a crowned jewel, you completely lost track of time.

It wasn’t until you burst into another frenzy of laughter at his story and spilt water all down your shirt that you finally checked your phone. Almost one in the morning. The server whisked your cutlery and plates away with a tired expression. You tipped generously, feeling rather guilty for creating such a racket at this hour.

“Do you want my jacket?” Seungcheol asked as you prepared to leave. There was a huge water stain soaking through your shirt.

“A-Are you sure?” You asked him, pulling a few strands of hair from your face. He nodded, already wrestling the jacket off.

“Go change, sweetheart,” Seungcheol told you so casually that you couldn’t hide this blatant look of surprise, “I’ll wait outside.”

Entering a washroom stall, you peeled the damp shirt over your head and folded it to pack nicely within your purse. You then slipped into Seungcheol’s jacket, which had this wonderful, warm fleece patched to the inside. It was soft against your bare skin, and it smelled like a fragrant hint of his cologne. After spending an extra moment freshening up at the sink, you wandered back into the cool night, where Seungcheol was leaning against a street pole. You weren’t sure if your eyes were playing tricks at the late hour, or if he’d actually given you a very smug, very relishing once-over.

Considering you had class early the next day, you asked Seungcheol if he’d be willing to walk you home. He obliged, and you paced together in comfortable silence until reaching the bridge. It arched over a swirling, gushing river which ran through the city, the current black as kohl and reflecting the lights of the nearby architecture. In the daytime this bridge wasn’t anything spectacular, but it was a beautiful vantage point during the night; a place to watch the city sparkle and flash like the cosmos.

“Hey,” Seungcheol whispered, grabbing your hand, “I have another dare for you, since you chickened out on the pond.”

You looked at the mischief compiling in his gaze. “What?”

“Climb up there.”

Seungcheol pointed toward a thick, metal beam that slanted upward, like a ramp. It flattened out at the top, and sometimes when you walked by during the day, there would be a few students sitting down after class, eating sandwiches or cracking open sodas. A placement of bars was set behind, only wide enough to stick your leg through. You glanced back at Seungcheol and nodded.

“Okay, fine.”

And so you began to climb up the slanted beam, feeling the breeze nip at your cheeks, your hair, like the smallest of kisses. At the flattened section, you turned around and looked down at Seungcheol, feeling like the empress of a powerful kingdom. His face ignited in the moonlight. He was smiling very wide as you stuck out your tongue.

“Easy. I dare you to climb up here.”

Seungcheol shook his head. “I, uh, can’t.”

“Why not?” You laughed, folding your arms. “Scared?”

“No, I just—I twisted my ankle, so I can’t.”

“When was that?”

“You weren’t looking.”

Rolling your eyes, you decided to tease him. Taking the zipper dangling from his jacket, you began to pull it down slowly, revealing a hidden amount of skin which turned the boy’s face an adorable pink.

“If you come up here, I’ll take the jacket all the way off.” You sang in a promiscuous tone, lifting up the strap of your bra and snapping it. Seungcheol grinned, cupping a hand over his gaze.

“No way. I’m not falling into a trap like that.”

“Fine,” you huffed, lowering to your butt and carefully scooting your way down the metallic beam, “you missed out.”

Seungcheol merely held his tongue; however, he did take the zipper on his jacket and pull it back up, right to your chin, hiding the expanse of flesh from the bright moonlight. You weren’t sure what courageous energy had just taken over your body. In fact, you’d probably regret such a thing by the time your alarm clock erupted tomorrow morning, pulling you from the pit of your sleep.

“I don’t want you getting cold.” He said. “And I can’t believe you nearly gave me a strip tease from the support beam of a bridge. That’s a first.”

“I’m just making sure you don’t forget this date.” You chuckled, half in nonsense, half in truth.

As he promised, Seungcheol walked you back to the house and made sure the door unlocked using the spare key under the letter box. Thankfully, your roommate left the lights of the front porch on, the bulbs now swathed in grey moths. It was a strange night. A night that wouldn’t have happened if not for the antics of Seungcheol and his two equally competitive friends. Maybe there was a positive side to burning Joshua’s chemistry notes, though you weren’t sure he’d be thrilled to hear you admit that. A game of I Dare You, turned into a fake date, turned into a real date, turned into a sweet affection.

You yawned, feeling the faint glisten of tears stretch in your eyes. “I had fun. And I guess I’ll see you tomorrow in toxicology.”

“With my jacket.” He reminded you.

“Yes, of course. With your jacket.”

And while you expected Seungcheol to simply bid his goodnight and perhaps take a late bus home, firing question after question of why he decided to accept such a stupid dare as he stared out the window, you were surprised when he reached for your hand.

“By the way,” he said, “I accept.”

You crinkled your nose. “Accept what?”

“The dare. I’ll buy you coffee every morning this week.”

“Oh!” There was a small flare crackling to life in your eyes as you recalled the original dare of the night. “That’s right. I forgot.”

“Yeah, I’ll do it.” Seungcheol agreed. He then squeezed your hand. “On the account of one very simple condition.”

“I don’t think you can do that. Doesn’t seem rule-abiding.”

The boy discarded your comment. Instead, his grasp became tighter around your hand. He pulled you swiftly into his chest and stared straight into your helpless, panicking eyes as though he were going to confess something profound and utterly dire.

He smirked. “I want you to kiss me each time.”

Seungcheol lifted his brow in anticipation of your response, which was an undoubted agreement. Probably the fastest, easiest agreement you had ever made in your life. He moved in close to your ear, whispering something about how you should meet at the café tomorrow morning and walk to the lecture hall together, though you were ultimately buzzing and experiencing such a bold heartbeat that you missed most of the details. When he pulled away, you smiled.

“That sounds good. I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight.”

Stepping off the porch, he turned back with a wave.

“Goodnight, sweetheart.”

✧✎ a/n: the reason i wanted to rewrite this fic was bc i still rly enjoy the concept. however, i cannot STAND my old style of writing, thus i decided to just rewrite the fic and appease the nagging in my head lol. this is how i would have written this fic today if i hadn’t already done so four years ago. i’m also questioning the possibility of rewriting love café for jeonghan (pls don’t go reading it if u haven’t already) but that would take much longer ,,,, JUST AN IDEA THOUGH. i hope you enjoyed!!

#seventeen scenarios #seungcheol scenarios #svt fanfic #seungcheol fanfic #choi seungcheol #s.coups scenario #svt fluff #seventeen fluff #seventeen imagines #scoups fluff #svt x reader #seungcheol x reader

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be-ready-when-i-say-go · 3 years ago

Text

Don’t You Forget About Me

Calum’s been a dad for sixteen years now and it’s gotten easier in some regards. But it’s gotten a lot harder in other regards. When his eldest starts to push away from him, Calum realizes he’s got to make some choices for his family.

Dad!Cal, Gender-Neutral Reader (Non-binary parent described). Dad!sos (Luke, Michael, and Ashton).

CW: There’s like one (maybe two if you squint) steamy scene, but it like fades to black. So: Smut adjacent, so 18+ readers please!

Masterlist (on a semi-hiatus)

___________________

Calum gets the last of the bags into the trunk of the car when he feels his phone buzz from his coat pocket. He takes note to check it once he’s inside the car and before he heads home. Closing the trunk and returning the cart, Calum takes a small moment to glance up to the cloudy skies. A few rainy days have been predicted in the forecast and while Calum had planned on taking the family up to the beach house, a weekend at home isn’t a bad alternative.

His phone buzzes again and Calum digs out the device. I’m making no progress. I don’t know what else to say to them. I can’t lose Ro.

Roslyn, the eldest, was growing distant. Calum hadn’t been there to notice the beginning of it. But he did notice when he came home on a break between legs of the tour that Ro had done a 180. Once a child that couldn’t be pried away from him was now barely speaking to him. They spoke to you, which was a relief. But they still hadn’t opened up about what was bothering them.

It hurts. Calum’s flight got delayed several times over to the point he missed their opening night in the school’s play. He was there for every other showing and they said they understood, but Calum knew. The delay, no matter who’s fault it was, hurt them. Calum had promised to always be there no matter what. And Ro, who he couldn’t fault, believed them. Having a promise broken was no fun thing.

And there was you--in the middle trying to help Ro, get them to open up so maybe you could mediate. But Calum had told you time and time again that it was his mess to clean up. And he, again, couldn’t fault you for trying. Twenty years together and sixteen married with kids, there was always going to be a part of you that fought to keep your family and work through whatever issues arose.

I’m on my way home. Let them be. You won’t lose Ro. It’s just going to take some time. Did you sign Yvonne’s permission slip for them to turn in on Monday?

Signed and made double sure she put it in her backpack. INSIDE a folder so she can’t lose it.

Calum chuckles. Yvonne’s always had a little bit of trouble keeping track of things. Distracted sometimes because a lot is happening in her head, or at least that’s the way she’s described it to them. She’s still a good kid--decent grades though a lot of times they still get notes about Yvonne being chatty in class. A ball of compassion compressed into a ten year old as she’s proudly noted her passion in life is saving animals. The trip to the local animal rescue is right up her alley and it’s imperative to keep that permission safe for her.

We’ll have to double check Sunday afternoon, just to make sure. And the field trip is scheduled for next Saturday?

Yes, next Saturday and No doubt we’ll have to do a double check. The house has voted to order Chinese food for dinner. Do you want that or something different?

That’s fine with me. It’s the last text he sends before walking back to the truck and slipping into the driver seat. He reclines his head into the headrest, exhaling hard. Ro’s not six anymore. He can hug them and promise a solo trip to McDonalds for ice cream and the park for them to talk. He can’t snap his fingers to fix their moods anymore. But he wished he hadn’t hurt them--he wished the universe was kinder to him for his kid’s sake.

A small tear tracks down his cheek and he lets it track down his skin. It reminds him he’s human too, but a human with so much to fight for.

The house is alive, like usual, as he cracks open the door and pushes into it with a handful of grocery bags. Two sets of paws come clicking down the hallway to greet him and he greets each of the dogs. He’s careful of their wagging tails and bodies as he walks down the foyer into the kitchen, setting the bags down on the floor next to the fridge.

You stand against the counter, phone to your ear, with the menu in the other hand. “Yes, that’s all.” When you spot Calum, you smile and push up to press a kiss to his cheek. He slides a hand around your waist to still you. He can faintly hear the voice on the other end confirming the price and estimated time it’ll be ready to pick up. You thank them and then stretch up to kiss him properly.

“I’ll pick it up. I tried to order it before you’d be home. But Yvonne needed help with some math homework.”

Calum nods. “It’s alright. You sure you don’t want me to get it?”

“Hi Dad!” Yvonne exclaims, feet thundering down the stairs.

Calum turns to the sound, smiling at Yvonne. “Hi, sweetheart. Have a good day at school?”

She nods, reaching out for a hug and Calum happily obliges. He hoists her up, knowing these days won’t last much longer. But he hopes they last longer than he’s anticipating. He needs them to last longer. “I got a B on my Spanish quiz! But I swear the lights were going to drive me insane. There’s one in the classroom that’s been flickering for a few days and I don’t know when they’re going to fix it.”

“I’m sorry about the distraction. ButI’m glad you got a B.” Calum sets her down and Yvonne grabs a water from the fridge before jetting back up the stairs. Calum watches her go, to make sure if she goes to the study room the door stays open. Which it does. “I have a couple more bags to get, and then we can grab the food.”

“We?”

“Yeah, yeah, we. Sue me for wanting to spend time with my spouse.”

You laugh, rubbing at his back. “Alright, fine. We. I’ll let Ro know we’re stepping out to get dinner so they keep an ear out for Yvonne at least.” It’s with nods that you two separate. Though you do grab one of the grocery bags, noting it has the toilet paper and some hygiene products in it.

The stairs give a small creak as you climb up them. Yvonne sits at the table in the study room, feet dangling slightly as she reads over the papers in front of her. “Are you sure I have to do homework first?” she complains, noticing your shadow pass by the door.

“Yes! But I can sweeten the deal with a popsicle if you promise not to make a mess,” you return as you backtrack and lean against the door molding.

“When have I ever not made a mess?”

“Where are you at?”

“Halfway done with this first side of the worksheet for Earth Science.”

“Finish that first side and meet me in the kitchen for a mid-work break.”

“Sweet,” she grins before diving back into the work.

Ro’s door is shut mostly, but you still knock anyway. “Yeah?” they call out but don’t come to the door. You push it open a bit more to find the navy blue and gray bedspread rumbled at the foot of the bed. But they are sitting at the desk in the corner of their room. They smile a little at you. “Hey.”

“Hey. Dad and I are going to be leaving in twentyish minutes to pick up dinner. Are you okay to keep an eye out on Yvonne til we get back?”

They shrug, the gold chain Calum gave them clicking against the layers of other pieces of jewelry. Even though whatever is happening is going on, they still haven’t taken that off. Which is a good sign. “Yeah, it’s cool.”

You nod, looking down into the bag. And the words catch on your tongue but you remember Calum’s warning. It’s just going to take time. “Thanks, Ro.”

“Of course,” they give a nod and turn back to the computer before facing you again. “Also, can you help me with something?”

You nod, stepping further into the room. Is Ro going to finally tell you what’s going on? You try not to show that question and then watch them unlock their phone. You don’t watch too intently until they’re showing you a text message thread. “It’s from this girl--she just moved into town like a week ago. I-I don’t know how to respond.”

Girl trouble--not what you anticipated. But you understand. “I’m not going to read anything that’s going to scar me, am I?” you tease, gingerly holding onto the phone.

Ro laughs. “No, god no. You think I’d show my parent that kind of stuff?”

“Hey, I just have to check.”

They give you an explanation that because Ro agreed to work in the guidance office, they give tours of the school to students who transfer in after the orientation. This particular girl complimented Ro’s hair--an undercut they had to win you over on. Calum was more agreeable on it. And part of you was scared that if Ro didn’t like it, they’d be stuck growing that out for months with a very poor attitude about it. And it was less about shaving hair and more making sure Ro knew if they didn’t like it, growing it out would be a tedious process. But thank all the stars that they did like it, especially the star the barber cut into it.

The girl’s compliment sparked an interest, you gather, listening to Ro’s retelling and reading through the messages--they get a little flirty and it’s clear they both like each other. Though neither one’s admitted just yet. Until you get to the last message from the girl--Claire, you think is her name--asked what Ro was doing this weekend.

“I mean, the most obvious thing to do is respond with the truth. A weekend at home with your lame parents. But awesome sister.”

Ro scoffs. “You and Dad aren’t lame. Older, yeah. But not lame.” You nod, listening as they continue. “Besides, it was supposed to be a family weekend and I-” They go quiet. A sigh leaves their lips and they flop onto their bed, face up and bouncing for a second.

“Tell Claire--that’s her name, right?”

“Yes.”

“Tell Claire the truth and if something does come up as a result, then something comes up and you, me, and your Dad can talk about it then.”

“Are you sure?”

“Just text the girl back. You’ve left her on read for twenty minutes now. She’s probably having a heart attack.”

Ro takes their phone back with a tiny smile. “You’re sure?”

“I am as sure as I am your cennend.” You softly run a hand over the top of their head. “Your binder shipped, by the way. Should be here by Tuesday.”

Their grin breaks out even wider. “Can I wear it to school?”

“After we make sure it fits properly and that you’re comfortable in it and not definitely not during your P.E. block.”

Ro nods, eagerly. “I’ll break it in around the house.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Their fingers fly across the screen and you watch for a moment. This is the Ro you’re used to. Happy, laughing about something.

When you return downstairs, Calum’s put away a fourth of the grocery. You fall in a steady rhythm around him, working together to put up the last of it. Calum takes the dogs out as you grab your shoes. “Ro--we’re headed out now,” you call up the steps.

They pop their head over the railing giving you a thumbs up. “I will go down with the ship if need be.”

“Hmm, maybe save yourself and your sister. The house ain’t worth it.”

Yvonne pops out. “I didn’t get my popsicle!”

You wave her down, grabbing a grape one from the box and wrap a paper towel around it. “Stay in the kitchen until you’re done. If you make a mess, call for Ro, alright?”

“Who’s that I see with a grape icy pole?” Calum booms, but you can hear the smile in his voice.

“I was told I could have it by a parental unit,” Yvonne laughs, pointing at you.

“I did say she could have it as a mid-work break. But she has to eat it in the kitchen.”

“And I have to call Ro if I make a mess to help me clean it up.” You and Yvonne nod at each, the signature on the dotted line of your verbal agreement.

Calum grabs the keys and the two of you exit the house. You go take the keys from him, but he holds them out of reach. “What are you trying to do?” Calum almost always drives when it’s the two of you.

Ro didn’t say that you couldn’t tell Cal and normally you try to always make sure you have consent to pass along information like this. But if they do get asked on a date, you want to give Calum a heads up. Maybe it won’t fix what’s going between them, but you definitely don’t want it to get worse.

You need to drive because if you sit in the passenger seat, it’s going to eat you alive. Not that it hasn’t already. And you’ll see the weight of the confession on Calum’s face—something you’re doubly not prepared to witness. “Please just let me drive.”

And it’s the way your voice cracks in the plea that Calum nods, handing you the keys without a second that. He walks around to the passenger side door. Did Ro tell you something? And if so, how bad could it be to make you want to drive instead of him?

You readjust the seat a smidge, and when the car finally starts you immediately reach for the radio. “Okay, no, you need to talk to me,” Calum returns, turning the volume down but letting the radio stay on.

Down the driveway and out onto the street, you exhale. “Ro’s talking to a girl and I’m not sure if a date’s going to happen. But they both really like each other..”

“For this weekend?”

“I don’t know,” you answer honestly, braking at the stop sign at end of the neighborhood.

“But it’s--” Calum can’t let his own feelings hinder Ro. They’re their own person. But it still stings. That’s his baby and they’ll always be that, even if they hate him. But he doesn’t want Ro to hate him. “And what did you say?”

“I told them that if something happened as a result that the three of us would talk about it.”

It’s a valid response. But it still doesn’t completely take away the sting in Calum’s chest. It’s not that Ro’s growing up. That’s just par for the course as a parent. It’s that part of Calum can’t shake that Ro’s pushing away from him. As worried as you were that you were losing Ro. Calum can’t help but fear the same. And in some twisted way it was his fault, that he had an opportunity to take a behind the scenes approach in the music industry, but he couldn’t take it. And sure it would’ve meant being home more with his family but Calum still ached in some part for the road. Still ached to be on stage. And he hadn’t been able to shake it, not then, not before the damage happened. But maybe now was the last time, maybe now he needed to refocus back onto his family.

“Okay,” Calum says softly. Because that’s all there is to say.

“I’m sorry, Cal. I don’t know--I didn’t know what else to say.”

“No, it’s not you. It’s just they’re not young anymore and now it’s like balancing my own feelings against what’s best for them. It’s just hard.”

“I wish I knew what was wrong. I know they’re upset about the missed performance. But there’s something more.”

Calum stares out of the front window, watching other cars turning left, or following alongside you down the street. “We can’t interrogate it out of them,” he states.

And he’s right. You two can’t good cop bad cop Ro about it. But the wait’s horrible. All either one of you wanted to do was fix it. But until Ro opened up, there’s nothing to be done. Maybe if Ro went on the date, it would help. Maybe. But it still scared Calum that it would get to a point where the divide between them was just too large to overcome.

In front of the restaurant, you finally turn to Calum. He’s frozen, eyes partially widen and seemingly unfocused on anything in front of him. Gingerly, you take his hands, wrapping your fingers around his and squeezing lightly. “I have to do something,” he mutters. You can’t tell if it’s for you or more to himself, but it’s chant like prayer crossing his lips.

“We’ll-we’ll figure something out. We always do. They haven’t taken the necklace off. It’s a good sign.”

It’s a small nod, almost indiscernible, and Calum squeezes your fingers in return as well. “We will.”

You take a minute, waiting for the slightly glazed look to finally pass from Calum’s eyes. He blinks, turning to face you. “I’m okay.”

“Okay--I’ll go get the food. You just chill out here.”

“I’d rather go inside with you.”

“Whatever you’d like,” you return. Calum’s hand is warm as you thread fingers together and walk inside.

The owner greets the two of you by name, a testament to how often your family orders from here. You and Calum moved into the neighborhood when Ro was five, already planning to expand the family, but still before confirming Yvonne as an addition. Since the move, you made it a tradition to at least order from the place every couple of weeks. Over time, the previous owners would see you and Calum pulling up and as you stepped through the door they’d shout the total at you. Now the children of the previous owners have taken over and know you and Calum just as well.

“At this point, you two should take over as owners.”

“I highly doubt we could run it as well as you could,” you return, laughing at the tease. It’s only a few more minutes before your food is ready and you pay. Calum takes the bags before you can even put the card back into your wallet.

“My hands ain’t broke,” you tease, but make sure to hold the door open for him.

“And neither are mine.”

Inside the car, you turn to the passenger side seat. “What are you thinking?”

Truth be told, he’s not entirely sure what to think. “I’ve gotta try something. But I don’t want it to be materialistic, nor do I want them to feel like I’m only trying to make up to them because they’re angry.”

“Maybe--maybe you just need to tell them that you care. That you know they’re hurt and you’re willing to listen to them whenever they’re ready to talk so you two can actually work on a resolution. It’s how we’ve always done things and I think, given our two kids, we’ve done pretty damn good at actually listening to them and getting their input on how to reach a solution. I don’t know why we’d stop now.”

“Yeah, but how do I do that? They barely talk to me.”

“Maybe you just gotta say your peace and move on. I think Ro’s just working through a lot of difficult emotions right now. And it’s scary and it hurts to see them shut you out. But you can’t kick in that door. And I don’t want to make it worse, but if I gotta play ref for that conversation I’ll do it.”

“Thank you, love,” Calum whispers, leaning into you and kissing you softly. “Thank you for being there.”

“I meant what I said in my vows.”

The return back home is quiet, minus the soft whisper of the radio. Sure, Calum could make a big show, put his foot down. But that’s never worked with Ro before and it most definitely wouldn’t work now either. When they return home, Calum takes the food inside ahead of you. You don’t say anything, having already noticed the resolve that set his face like stone. You shut the door behind you and catch him heading up the stairs. Though you didn’t always rely on your religion all the time, you pray now in a soft whisper for the two of them--for your family.

The TV downstairs is on, and you spy Yvonne sitting criss crossed with both dogs surrounding her. You slip out of your shoes and walk behind the couch to kiss the top of her head. “Go get cleaned up before dinner please?”

“Can I get to the commercial break before I do that?”

“Yes. Thank you for asking.”

“Of course,” she replies, grinning up at you from below.

Calum pauses outside of Ro’s door. It’s halfway open, most likely opened in case Yvonne needed anything. From his vantage point, he can just make out Ro sitting at their desk, half their screen a video and the other an opened word document. He knocks on the door on his exhaled breath. “Ro?” he calls out softly.

They spin around in the chair. “Yes?”

No ‘Dad’ not even a full smile--Calum should’ve expected it. But it still swings like a hammer against his chest. He continues on though. “Can I get two minutes of your time? And you don’t have to respond. I just need to tell you something.”

Ro freezes for a moment. It hurts. He was supposed to be there. And they know it’s not his fault the flight got so far delayed. They know that. But that didn’t take away the sting. And Ro didn’t want to take the feelings out on him. They know it’s not right. He tried--he went to every show since the opening. He still cared even when they weren’t the nicest. And sure, it’s easy to say that’s what parents are supposed to do. But Ro’s friends didn’t have parents like theirs, didn’t have parents that wanted to have productive conversations and not some sort of dictatorship. But it fucking sucks because all Ro wants is their Dad. That’s all they’ve ever wanted. And when they were younger it was different. They could go on trips more easily and Ro didn’t feel like they were constantly choosing between friends and family. But now it feels like a fucking a choice and it’s easier to choose friends. It’s easier to keep being angry because it means they don’t have to choose again.

“Two minutes?” they verify.

Calum nods, stepping into the room. He points over to the beanbag in the corner. “Can I sit?”

“Yeah.”

Pulling the bean bag closer to them, Calum tries to suppress the grunt that falls from his lips to settle down low. “Jesus,” he huffs but settles down.

“Don’t hurt yourself now.”

And though the slight jab comes out a little hot, there’s a tiny smile on Ro’s face. And Calum could cry right then and there. Ro’s not gone--the sarcasm they learned from you still poking out from the surface. “I’ll try not to, boss.” A silence settles as Calum tries to gather the right words. And while he’s always had a habit of shutting down and wanting to retreat, you’ve broken part of that habit. And he certainly doesn’t want his kids to get that from him. It’s unproductive.

“I can’t assume your feelings and take that assumption as fact. But I can tell by some recent behaviors that you’re hurting. I know I apologized. And I know that doesn’t magically fix your feelings. But I can tell you it’s not fun to see you hurting and not knowing how to best go about reaching a resolution. I can tell you that I do want to fix it--whatever’s hurting you and especially if it was my absence on opening night.” Calum sniffles, trying to keep the tears as much as he can at bay. But also knowing that showing emotions isn't bad. He shouldn’t run away from them. Even if he wants to keep strong for his kids, sometimes it’s just hard. “I will listen to you, whenever you’re ready to talk. And I’m sorry, so fucking sorry that my choices and actions hurt you.”

Pinching his nose, Calum notices too, like you said, the necklace of hooking pinkies he gave Ro is still around their neck. With his clean hand, he holds up his pinkie. They did it all the time--promises not to tell you about ice cream before dinner, promises to take over the world, promises to save the world in all the imagined worlds Ro would create as a child, promises to stick it out with each other in blanket forts. And it’s a promise that Calum always meant and to do as much as within his control he’d do to keep them too.

Ro flicks their gaze up to the ceiling, eyes tearing up too. They believe him and he’s always done his best to listen and keep neutral and it’s not always easy, they’re sure. But he tried. They hook their pinkie around his with a nod. Right now it hurts to talk about. And yeah, it’s not a pleasant feeling to know that he was hurting because of their actions. But like they had always been told each action has a reaction, each choice has a consequence. At least they weren’t getting blamed--just an acknowledgement. Ro needed that kind of acknowledgment that others noticed they were hurting but didn’t want them to hurt in silence.

Yvonne’s thunderous ascension up the stairs echoes about them. Ro speaks in a whisper. “I believe you, Dad. I’ll talk when I’m ready.”

“That’s all I can ask for, kid. Dinner’s here. And if you feel like you can’t eat with us, I understand.”

Calum offers because maybe they both have a lot to process and forcing Ro to be at the dinner table could disrupt whatever progress they were making. Calum wants them at the dinner table but he’s not going to force them to be in an uncomfortable position. They have their own boundaries and he wants to respect them.

It’s with another not fully suppressed grunt and with a bit of dramatics that Calum gets up and Ro snickers a little. “Ay, alright, I get it. Pick on the old guy. You do punk jumps and see how well your knees hold up.”

Ro just shakes their head, biting down on their lip to hide the smile. “Not as bad as Uncle Mike though. So there’s that for you.”

“Damn straight.” Calum takes a couple steps towards the door and pauses. “You know I love you, right?”

“I know, Dad,” Ro answers.

“Good.” He exits, fully closing the door behind him. The stairs give a creak, undoubtedly as you ascend the stairs as well.

Yvonne rushes past him and your voice carries down behind her. “Your food’s at the bar countertop on a plate.”

Calum waits for you at the top of the second set of stairs, holding out a hand. You take in the tear tracks on his cheeks and the slightly red eyes. It’s silent as the two of you shuffle into the master bedroom and you shut the door quietly behind you. “They listened,” he starts softly. “But they might eat dinner in their room. I think that’s really all I can do right now.”

“Yeah, we’ll play it by ear. But thank fuck they were willing to listen. Do you want a cold compress? For the puffiness?”

“I got it. Head back to Yvonne. I’ll be down in a minute.”

For a moment you hesitate, hoping that he’s not shutting down. But you have to trust him. Cupping his cheeks, you kiss Calum gently. “Let me know if I can do anything.”

“I will.”

Calum watches you slip back out of the room. He settles onto the edge of the bed, hands covering his face as he exhales again. Calum underestimated parenthood--and maybe everyone did until they were in it. Maybe no one really understands what it means to be a parent until you’re dealing with your child in waters you thought you’d crossed before, or waters deeper than anyone anticipated. He wouldn’t trade this for anything else. Even though the gray hairs have multiplied faster than he can count them and though the house feels like a circus sometimes, there’s no other place he’d rather be at in his life. A happy spouse who’s just as willing as he is to do the hard work to raise their family and two children who were blooming into their own beings was a miracle to witness. But it was hard work.

Thunder rumbles overhead. The rain that wasn’t predicted until night time will surely be sweeping in soon. In the stillness of the room, Calum promises to himself to be kinder. Not that he didn’t think he wasn’t kind already, but just in general. He needed just as much grace as his kids did sometimes.

Someone descends the stairs--he’s not sure who but just as quickly as they head down they’re soon ascending back up. A door closes and Calum knows Ro decided to eat in their room. His chest aches just a little. But grace, but kindness, but allowing himself to feel the emotions and knowing that in the end it’s all going to be okay. It has to all be okay in the end, Calum thinks to himself on every inhaled breath.

It only feels like a few minutes that he’s been in the room. But when Calum walks down the stairs, he can see Yvonne already curled up on the couch with the dogs. Her dish in the sink and you sitting at the bar counter hardly touching your food. He grabs his food and moves onto the bar stool next to you, tucked at the end, near the wall. “You okay?” he asks.

You nod, glancing up. “Yeah, just not as hungry as I thought.”

Gently, he runs the back of his head over your forehead. But he doesn’t feel a fever. He doesn’t say anything else, just kisses your temple and turns back to his plate. The house feels eerily silent and you glance up to the stairs, wishing Ro would come down. But Calum gave them the offer not to and at this point, you’re not going to go back on his word. He did it for a reason, to respect boundaries.

The thunder gets a bit louder in the soft hum of the TV, with a quick flash brightening the skies. The dogs make a little noise, and soon they’ll need some more attention to keep calm during the storm. “I’ll clean the kitchen,” Calum volunteers after he finishes. “And I’ll put your leftovers in the fridge.”

You smile up at him. “Thanks. Should we make s’mores tomorrow? Let today just be a relaxing day?”

“We could.”

“Did I hear something about s’mores?” Yvonne pipes up.

“Later--you already got a popsicle before your dinner,” you call out in return.

“Ah, man, really?”

“Lovebug, later. Tomorrow, for sure”

“Okay,” she huffs, setting back down into the cushions. “I finished my Earth Science and Math homework, by the way.” Her voice carries even from below the top of the sofa.

You sigh, looking to Calum for refuge, a degree of solace. He snickers just a little as he scrubs at the plate. Her attempt to bribe for the s’mores doesn’t go unnoticed by him either. “Did you need me to repeat what I said?”

“No. You said later on the s’mores. Tomorrow for sure. I just need the record to show that I tried.”

“Record noted,” you chuckle. “Going to get the shirts for the dogs and some flashlights just in case.”

Calum nods at your statement. A few moments go by before a plate clinks against the counter next to his almost gone stack. Ro stays at the edge of the counter, fingers twirling at the jewellry. “I’m not going to blow my top over a dish, you know?” Calum says, plopping it into the sink.

“It still feels awkward, you know. Like when the stack is so low.”

“Hmm, I getcha.”

“I-I sorta got asked on a date.”

“A date?”

“Yeah. It’s for next weekend.”

The confession surprises Calum. He was sure Ro would ask for something for this weekend based on what you said. And he’s shocked that they’re telling him and not you. He’s not sure if it’s progress or not, but he does his best to keep his chill. “Do I or Cennend know this person?”

“She’s new in town. Her name’s Claire. Is it okay? To go? On the date?”

“Where is the date?”

“The downtown center--to the movies and frozen yogurt. And maybe the bookstore--she’s looking for this third installment in a series. And there’s a bookstore downtown that always has got books when you can’t find them anywhere else. The BlueCrab one, where we went and got those old school detective novels that I was reading over Christmas break?”

“I remember. You got your nose pierced in the tattoo and piercing shop in the same block.”

“How I convinced the two of you to let me get my nose pierced I’ll never know.”

“I didn’t tell you this. But the rebel streak is strong in both your parents. So we get it.”

“I didn’t tell you this,” Ro starts. “But I could tell.”

Calum smiles at the retort. “When is this date?”

“Saturday. The movie starts at 12:25 and is like two hours. But with the frozen yogurt and bookstore, we probably wouldn’t get done until like 5? And I know I don’t have my license yet. So either of you would have to drive me. So I wanted to make sure?”

The drain sucks down the soapy water and Calum wipes his hands clean. “Yvonne has a field trip that same day and I think your Cenn’s going with her. But I’m not entirely certain--”

“Dad, I don’t hate you. Let’s just start with that. I appreciate you giving me my space and letting me know you still care and that you do acknowledge and want to fix what’s happening. It just sucks, okay? It sucks that you have to go. Sometimes it feels like being angry is easier so I don’t have to choose between my family or my friends.” Tears have started and Calum hands them a tissue, but gives them some space to speak. “There’s so many emotions and so little of me, ya know?”

“I understand. Take your time.”

Taking a second to wipe under their nose, Ro continues. “The best way I can describe it is like--I want you here and I want you to be there like the stupidest and smallest fucking things, like going on my first date or like when I ace a really hard test. Or when I, I don’t know, do something stupid like climb a tree and fall out of it, breaking my arm. I want you there for every little thing. But I know it’s your job. So I don’t hate you. It’s just not easy. It’s okay that you drive me next weekend. It’s okay if you still want to call me kid, or whatever. It’s okay that I’m still your child. Because I want to be. I just don’t want you to leave me, okay? Just don’t leave and forget about me.”

Ro ends the speech by colliding into his chest and Calum’s quick to wrap them up tight. “Ro,” he croaks out. “I think about you every second I’m gone. I want to be here for everything too.” He’s not sure if the words can fix the feelings. He’s not sure how hard he hugs them is going to convince them that this family is his entire world. “I love you so fucking much,” he whispers to them. “I could never forget about you.”

______________

The winds no longer whistle outside the house. The storm caused the dogs a little anxiety but thankfully not a lot. And now, under the sheets, things feel relatively normal. Though Calum’s gone again. Something in his mind turning the gears over and over. Laying on your side, you just watch for a moment. You’re not entirely sure what happened, having to go into the garage to gather the flashlights, extra batteries, and a few candles just in case. But when you returned, Ro was crying into Calum’s chest and he was crying even in his best attempts to console them. But whatever happened, it was definitely a good thing.

“Can I ask what you’re thinking?” you ask softly.

“Our contract’s up for renewal after this album.” You nod, already aware of this information. “Michael’s been producing for a while and I’ve helped a few times. It’s been a successful endeavour. Maybe it’s time I took a backseat to this whole business. Gave someone else the limelight.”

“Is that what you want to do?”

For Calum to be honest, he needs to admit that no--it’s not entirely what he wants. However, Calum does want parts of it. He wants more control back of his life. He wants to stay relevant in the music world. The guys have all vaguely wondered if they could negotiate a little bit of time off for their families too, of which there is a sufficient amount. But not what they all really want. And maybe now’s the perfect time.

Calum lays on his side to face you, arm slinging over your waist. “I’m going to sleep on it. But I think, before it’s too late, I should be home more.”

“I’d like having you home more, for sure,” you tease.

Calum smiles, a small tuft of laughter escaping him. “Of course you would. Until we wind up with human baby three or somehow acquire fur baby three and then you will shun me.”

“I feel like a third pet could and would absolutely be either one of us just telling ourselves we’ll go down to the shelter just to look and then walking out with another Duke type situation.”

“Okay, yeah I can agree with that. I don’t know. Yvonne’s getting older. And before long Ro might be going off to college. I thought I wasn’t missing a lot. But maybe I am. Ro basically thought I was forgetting about them, that somehow my leaving was going to cause them to just puff--not exist to me anymore. And I-I don’t want them or Yvonne thinking that me leaving is somehow to escape them.”

“If your track record proves anything, Calum, is that you’ll do whatever you think is best. And I will be here by your side. I just don’t want to cut off a piece of yourself. They need their father. But they need him whole. I need my husband whole. No matter what you choose, make sure that it’s not at an alarming detriment to yourself.”

The grip tightens around you and Calum pulls you into his chest. The kiss is slow, but deep as you gently trace your fingertips down his back. You pull away first to kiss the tip of his nose. “I love you,” he whispers.

“I love you.”

“Tell me one good thing about your day,” he commands softly, noticing the fluttering of your eyelids.

“One good thing about work is that I was able to pass along a manuscript approval to be adopted into a series. And one good thing here, now, is that my family is still as solid as ever. And that’s all I could ever want.”

“Was it the one you were telling me about? The paranormal detective series with a love story subplot?”

“Hmm, no, that’s still on the table. It was one of Kyle’s picks. Steampunk adventure series.”

“Yours will be next. All the other ones you’d given a yes on have been huge successes.”

“Thank you, love.”

With two kisses, one to each of your closed eyelids, Calum settles back into the pillows. Though he’s the one with the notorious habit of falling asleep in three seconds flat, he keeps awake long enough to see you settle deeply into your slumber. Thankfully, the steady rise and fall of your chest and ribs under his arm is enough to send him to sleep right behind you as well.

More rain greets you all when you awaken the next morning. Calum’s head is on your chest and you’re not even sure when the two of you managed to get into this position but you let him lay for a moment. And in the silence, running your fingers through the turning gray strands of the curls on his head, you find enough peace to slip back into sleep. It’s not until you feel the bed dipping that you stir awake again. Some sun peeks out through the shades and Calum’s grabbing something from the bathroom before slipping through the door of the bedroom.

You figure he left to check on the dogs and sigh before turning to your back. “Those gears are still turning in that head of his.”

“I hear you talking about me,” Calum says upon his return.

“Those gears are smoking in that head of his.” You laugh when he walks to your side of the bed and lightly taps your thigh.

“You’ll regret that. And I’ll have you know, I went down to check on the dogs and see if Yvonne was awake. I think she stayed up late because she’s still out like a sack of hammers.”

As Calum settles back into bed, shrugging off his robe, you reach out for him. “Good, means you’re mine for now,” you return.

“Correction: I have always been yours.”

You settle onto his chest, enjoying the steady rhythm of his heart in your ears. “Hmm, you’re right. Ro told you about the date, correct?” You got informed later but weren’t sure if they told him or not.

“They did. I’m dropping them off and picking them up since you’ll be on the trip with Yvonne--right? You’re going on that trip?”

“I volunteered as a chaperone, yes. But Yvonne’s made sure that she is with her friends and not with me. So she’ll be running amuck on that poor farm.”

“We should go back and do the horse riding again.”

“That was fun. Beautiful to see the trees like that. But I really want to take them ATVing.”

“Do you think Yvonne’s old enough?”

“Yeah. C’mon they make some models small enough for six year olds. At nearly 11, she can get on one. If we wait until we go to my parents’ then I know for sure there’s one good enough size for her.”

“We’ll ask them.”

“Remember the first time you met my parents and we went riding and you--”

“Yeah, and I hit the mud spot. Not my most shining moment. But racing to the old general store was pretty fucking awesome.”

“Very illegal, because that was a highway we were on.”

“Not too worried about it, we didn’t get caught.”

“I’m glad. The sheriff at that time wasn’t too fond of my family. So that could’ve been bad for rockstar Calum Hood to wind up with a record over small town politics.”

Calum laughs a little. “Would’ve made me look badass though.”

“I think your management team at the time would’ve kicked my ass for getting you into trouble like that.”

“They could’ve tried.”

You sit up on your elbow. That was still early on in your relationship. Calum had been on tour and in a town not too far from where you grew up. When you told him that you had to go back home due to some emergency health concerns with your grandmother, he asked if he could stop by. Just to say hi and see you and if there was anything he could do to help. The band had a double show in the state and rather than leaving, they were up in a hotel. You and Calum hadn’t even said ‘I love you’ to each other. But something about the relationship felt right.

So, you drove to him the morning after a show and picked him up from a hotel. You drove the forty-five minutes back to your home town and spent most of the day around in the more vibrant and built up downtown, but by about midafternoon, you asked if he was comfortable meeting your parents since he was already in town. You disguised it as you and some cousins already having prior plans to go riding once everyone was in town to which your parents would be there since it was their ATVs you all would be riding. You got there a day earlier to visit your grandmother--she was holding on okay at that point. But more of your family was coming into town and you knew the more people showed up the more your mother would ask you to help with cooking and hosting. So you needed to seize your window with Calum.

You hadn’t expected him to be more than happy to meet them. Nor did you expect him to be eager to go riding. You figured he’d cite some excuse, needing to get back for rehearsals or some sort of meeting.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Calum asks, sitting up too.

“When you met my parents for the first time, it was about a week before my grandmother passed. We hadn’t even really put a label on us and you talking like you had planned on marrying me in that second.”

“Oh you’re so wrong. It was even before I left for the tour, like two days before or so. My mum called me, I swear like right, right before we were going to have sex. And I was going to ignore it. But you happened to see the contact name and made me fucking answer it. And you left the room! You went to the front of the old house with Duke and I could’ve sworn you were going to come back and check in a few minutes so I was trying to keep the conversation quick. But I spent forty-five minutes on the phone with my mom and you didn’t interrupt me once. And that’s when I knew.”

“It was your mom, of course you were going to answer it. I did put on the TV and the Food Network was on so I lost track of time if I’m honest.”

Calum giggles. “You did seem invested. And when I came back to the front, we finished an episode before going back to the bedroom. And I was like, if I can have a full on facetime conversation with my mom, watch a cooking show and still want to sleep with them, I’ve found the one. So yeah, even if the sheriff found us that evening and wanted to arrest the lot of us. Management was going to have hell to pay if they were going to try and blame you for it or do anything else to you. Because I was not going to lose you.”

“I did not know that.”

“I knew that us being together was going to change me and I wanted it to change me. I wanted to be different in that moment with you.”

“You sap,” you tease, quickly wiping under your eyes.

“You can call me whatever,” Calum starts, maneuvering you to settle on his waist. “As long as at the end of it I’m still your husband.”

“They’ll have to bury me before I stop saying that.”

_____________

Calum stands outside the closed bedroom door, keys dangling from his fingers. “Ro--we’re going to be late, if we don’t leave within the next two minutes.”

“I’m coming!” they return. Thankfully, you went through the outfits last night but now it seems Calum was going to get stuck with the need to perfect the hair. Though, they purposefully had the undercut lifted up higher on their last trip to the barber so they could still wear it down to hide it, but if they wore it up, it would be predominant. “Bun okay?”

Ro steps out and the bun’s up high enough to show off the undercut. But just a hair messy. “I think it pairs well with the outfit,” Calum returns. He’s learned not to say something just looks fine. That phrase in particular is bound to cause trouble.

“Do you have the money for the tickets and frozen yogurt?”

Ro pulls out their wallet from their pocket. “Yes.”

“Phone and keys? The ring with your mace?” They pat pockets and pull out each item to verify that they have them. Calum nods. “Onward, if you’re ready?”

“Ready. I think?”

Calum gently slings his arm around their shoulder. “That’s a sign that you’re ready.”

The drive is mostly silent. Even though Ro and Calum have reached an understanding it’s still a little awkward. Calum’s still unsure if he’s going to move into a behind the scene role or if he’s going to continue with making his own music. But at the very least, while they’re still recording the latest album Calum can make more choices to be home and be there for the small things. Like right now.

The silence is interrupted by Ro’s voice. “What if I make a fool of myself?”

“You’ve been talking to Claire for weeks now in school. I think you’re going to be okay.”

“Yeah, but that’s school. Not a date.”

“What does she like?”

“Dance, reading. Oh, she likes sea otters and I’m hoping the bookstore has bookmarks and maybe animal themed ones. She’s really into crochet--like she made this little top. It’s so cute it has sunflowers on it.”

“Ro, I don’t think you could make a fool of yourself. You’ve listened well to what she likes and you know what’s happening in her life. So I think if you continue that trend, you’ll be okay.”

They pull into a parking space of the movie theater and Ro turns to face him. “You mean that?”

“I mean it. Now let’s go. You’ve got a hot date to get to.”

“Dad--please do not.”

Calum nods. “Consider that noted.”

Even on the walk to the ticket booth, Calum spots a girl with her mother. He should’ve kept his glasses on, but he’s still not hugely fond of them unless necessary. They exchange parents’ names, though Ro and Claire have made sure each parent already had the other’s contact information. Calum tries not to smile at the little bit of awkward shuffle and dance Ro and Claire do before taking hands and getting into the line.

“Don’t you miss that stage?” Vanessa, Claire’ mom, jokes watching them too.

“As much as I want to say yes, I think I’m pretty glad to be past the awkwardness. I wasn’t always as smooth as I thought I was being. So I’m glad to be past that. But I will say, watching my kid be as awkward as I was is a relief. Means I’ve done something right,” Calum returns.

“I almost feel like I can’t leave. I’m more nervous than she is,” Vanessa confesses.

“My secret--there’s a music shop and a crystal shop nearby. I don’t think I’m leaving any time soon.”

“You into crystals?”

“My spouse is and I was given strict instructions on what to pick up. I just follow instructions. The music shop is where I can spend a few hours.”

“I originally had a similar plan. But our youngest is almost done with a field trip and my husband had an emergency at work so he can’t get them.”

“The trip to the local animal rescue?” Calum asks.

“Yeah, how’d you know?”

“Ro’s sister and my spouse went on that trip.”

Vanessa laughs just a little, more out of shock than amusement. “Small world. Well, it makes me feel a little bit better that you’ll be hanging around.”

“If anything goes array, I’ll scoop them up and let you know. No worries.”

“Thanks, Calum. Enjoy the music shop.”

“You’re welcome, Vanessa.”

He lets her head back to the car first and then catches one last look at Ro and Claire at the window, ordering tickets. He won’t leave his car parked in the spot. He’ll at least move it down further into the shopping center to hopefully conceal the fact that he’s been hanging around just in case they needed an emergency exit.

Just as he gets into the car, his phone rings. “I just dropped Ro off,” he answers, noticing your contact name lighting up his screen.

“Damn it. I wanted to give them a pep talk. But I got held up with lunch clean up.”

“You probably would’ve been better at the pep talk than me. But it’s kinda cute. Watching them--very much that first date nerves getting the best of both of them.”

“Did you meet Claire’s parents?”

“Her mom was there, Vanessa. Her dad had some sort of emergency at work. But there’s a younger sibling who, like I’m 99% sure, goes to the same school as Yvonne.”

“Huh, small world. We’ve got another hour here before the buses return. I want to be back by the time the movie ends.”

“Did you still want me to go to the crystal shop first then? I still have the list. But I thought it would take longer for the buses.”

“So did I. But if you get to it first, that’s fine. If not, then I can always go another time. Besides, I’m also trying to account for traffic. So I can’t even say for certain I’ll be back in time.”

“Well, I don’t want you to have to make a trip.”

“But do you think Ro really wants to see the entire family after their first date?”

“It would be the Hood way. But I’ll just go to the shop like we agreed. And if you get back earlier then maybe you, me and Yvonne can grab a couple slices of pizza for dinner. There’s a good pizzeria over here.”

“That means we’d have to eat the leftovers tomorrow if we do that.”

“Aye, aye captain.”

“Love you. See you soon.”

“Love you too.”

It’s not terribly hard to find everything you’ve requested in the crystal shop. And part of Calum likes being here, even if you’re not here to answer his fifty thousand question. But it does remind him of you--the way you’d burn candles or incense for very specific reasons and tucked little spell jars into the children’s backpacks. They didn’t always appreciate having to explain why they were there, but it was a small gesture that they appreciated.

Confident that he has everything, Calum checks out and starts towards the music shop a couple stores down. He doesn’t really need anything. He’s mostly here to waste time. The door chimes above head as Calum steps through. The young girl from the register greets him briefly before returning to the customer already preoccupying their attention. Calum knows he doesn’t need a damn thing out of here. And though he likes to tease you about all the things you get suckered into buying, he gets it. Sometimes, things just speak to you. He starts at the front, looking at the various parts--from reeds to picks. He has plenty of picks though. But out of habit, he takes a look. He wonders if he’d have time to go to the vintage store about a block down as well.

He probably would, but if he goes and Ro finds out, there might be hell to pay as it’s one of their favorite stores. So he’ll save it for later, another time--some other weekend or Calum’s pretty sure as the school year starts to wind down there will be some half days that he can scope both of them up from school to come back out.

Calum follows the side wall down to the back of the store. He passes cymbals and the banjo section of the wall before spotting the acoustic guitars. There are some pretty ones--one a deep blue with dark brown or maybe black accents. One’s a deep red that he nearly asks the associate to get down for him. But he stops, knowing that there’s no way to sneak it into the house. Not that it was physically impossible but more like he’d tell on himself because he’d just have to show you.

Much like the time he tried to surprise you with a bass. After months of teaching you, you became obsessed with them and wanted at least one that was yours. The obsession isn’t as strong as it once was, but it’s a nice feeling to share the love for the instrument. Calum spent weeks looking to see if he could commission one like the picture you found, a clear body with streaks of gold and other blue and purple jewel tones in it. It wasn’t until he ventured into a vintage shop about four months from your birthday, that he spotted a few guitars on the wall. It didn't necessarily shock him to find them here, but he had combed through so many stores that he was nearing his backup plan.

But there it was--not quite like the one you wanted. A bass with a beautiful blue burst in the middle with white on the edges. It was a beauty that Calum couldn't leave behind. So he bought it and he had a plan to hide it away but the closer and closer he got back to his house the more he itched to show it. So much so that night, during a FaceTime call, Calum showed you the instrument.

“But it’s a birthday present that I totally didn’t ruin by showing you now,” he warned.

And you laughed. Because of course he couldn't help himself. Of course, he was proud--so proud he just had to show it off. “I will pull my best surprised face. I promise.”

Yeah, Calum could not and would not let himself ask to see any new guitar because there was no way he’d be able to not tell you.

“Look for anything in particular?”

Calum turns to the voice and smiles. He hadn’t realized the previous customer had gone already. Maybe he really had been standing there for far too long. “No, just looking. Thank you though.”

“Of course. Let me know if you need any help.”

“Thanks again.”

Calum does end up buying one thing, extra strings. Not that he absolutely needs them, but he’s in the mindset of having extra or spare around just in case. By the time he does his browsing, it’s just in time for the movie to have been over for at least twenty minutes. So he makes sure not to venture too close to the yogurt shop or the bookstore. Instead he wanders down to the shoe store.

His phone rings right as he gets to the door, so he stops short and lingers outside as he answers. “Date update?”

“Love,” he laughs, “I haven’t got the slightest clue.”

“You’re still in the shopping center, right?”

“Yes, but I am purposefully avoiding the theater and bookstore. Because if Ro spots me, you’re going to have to ID me at the morgue. Do you want your dear old husband dead? And to have to bail out your eldest on a murder charge?”

“Not ideal.” In the background, Calum catches the distinct high pitch cacophony that must be the bus ride back. “We’re headed back now. I suspect traffic will be the death of me.”

“It won’t be that bad.”

“You’re right, the thing that’s going to kill me is the fact that our kids are growing up. What are we going to do?”

“Cherish what we can,” Calum returns leaning into the brick column, staring down into the direction of the theater. He thinks he sees Ro and Claire exiting the frozen yogurt shop and heading towards the bookstore. But he can’t be certain. One of them is wearing black pants and boots like Ro had on. But he curses his eyesight for going on him slowly.

“Shit, I should’ve gotten my glasses from the car,” he whispers, ducking his head. Any of his hats would give him away.

“Ro?”

“They’re a ways off, but I can’t see for sure.”

“How did we go from ducking our parents to being the parents to hiding from our own kids?”

“Ain’t life got a sense of humor.” He looks up again and the couple’s gone from his sight. He assumes they’ve gone inside the store. He keeps gaze for a moment or two longer for a moment he can almost imagine you here with him, undoubtedly tucked behind him but still peeking at as well. “How far are you into the drive back?”

“Ten, fifteen minutes. Still got a ways to go.”

“Looks like we can’t play spy together this time. But maybe next time. I rather need your eyes--better than mine.”

“That’s all you need of me? Just my eyes?”

Calum laughs, ducking his head again. “I’m not doing this knowing you’re a bus full of children. I will not be to blame for ruining them. But I will say there’s more that I need of you than just your eyes. A lot more than just your eyes.”

“It’s my personality, isn’t it?”

“I am hanging up now. I told you I wasn’t going to play this game.”

With an indignant huff, you grumble into the receiver. “You were a lot more fun when we were younger.”

“When we were younger, we didn’t have kids, nor were we surrounded by them at every turn. But just because I’m deciding not to play now doesn’t mean I won’t play later.”

“Oh, now that’s what I like to hear,” you laugh. “We’ll probably get back just as you pick up Ro. And please know I am putting heavy air quotes around pick up.”

“I know you are. If you don’t pass out on the couch before dinner, I’ll be sure to have a nice surprise for you in the room.”

“I am old and deserve naps.”

Calum’s laughter erupts from him, head throwing back with the sound just a little. “Have I told you I loved you today?”

“Once or twice.”

“Well, that is severely lacking. I ought to be ashamed of myself.”

“Whatever shall you do?”

“Hey, line.”

“I will back away from the line. I am backing away.” Then there’s silence between for a beat, then two. Just as the sound of the kids starts to carry their conversation, you speak up again. “I missed you today.”

“Who? Me?” Calum takes a step forward to allow a group of people to pass by. “Someone needs to check your temperature.”

“Oh I’m not sick. I just missed you. Ironic I know. I miss you when you’re the closest.”

“I think that’s just a sign of the times--you’ve had to get used to me leaving.”

“And I’m not saying this because I want to sway your decision--not at all. Just meant it more along the lines of, it’s funny how things happen.”

“I think it might be time to retire the horse anyway. I’ve had a good run, but I do miss being home. Miss my family.”

“You don’t have to decide now.”

It’ll be easier. If Calum decides now, it won’t nag him later. It won’t haunt him either. “If I drag my feet too much, I’ll never decide.”

You don’t want to keep asking him if he’s sure. You don’t doubt his decision, don’t doubt the choice he makes. You don’t want him to regret it. “You can still break out the old horse every once and a while.”

“Yeah, everyone once and a while.”

“Hi, Mr. Hood.”

You laugh just as Calum looks up to the voice. And there’s Ro and Claire arm in arm. “I am totally not here. But hi Claire. Seriously though, I’m actually not here. It’s a mirage. Of me shopping but it’s all an illusion.”

“Someone’s busted,” you sing in his ear.

“You are not helping,” he directs to you through the receiver.

“Call me back when you’re out of trouble.” You hang up first.

Calum takes a second—noticing Ro hasn’t actually given him a glare worthy of death. “Whoa, everything alright?”

“This guy kept following us in the bookstore,” Ro sighs. “I don’t know—we tried ignoring him but it just felt weird. So we left.”

The truth of the matter—Calums always feared this. He’s always known it could happen to Ro, no matter how the dress and it could happen to Yvonne too. And though he’s put them in self defense classes and done what he can, there’s still nothing quite like it happening.

“I’m here—alright. I know it’s lame or whatever. But I can play bodyguard,” Calum offers.

Ro laughs at his puffed out chest. “Sorry Dad but you’re not Kevin. But thanks.”

“Kevin?” Claire questions.

“One the guys that does security for my dad and his band,” Ro explains.

“Oh, yeah you did mention that. I forgot. Sorry.”

Calum watches Ro, gently tug on Claire’s hand. A soft grin lifting their cheeks. “No need to be sorry.”

God, he could just melt at the sight—overjoyed at Ro’s tenderness. The moment lingers just a beat before Calum speaks up, “Well, I can’t promise to be as intimidating as Kevin. But I can do whatever you two need me to do so you both feel safe.”

The two glance at each other and then notice it’s a shoe store that they’re standing in front of. Not exactly what they planned. “Just a browse?” Ro suggests.

“You already call my shoes grandma shoes, so I don’t want to hear anything,” Claire retorts.

Calum opens the door for them, but grins at the way they playfully bicker with each other. Ro mentions something about at least trying on a pair of boots like theirs. And Claire agrees, but the rest of it is lost as they venture deeper into the store. Calum’s browsing doesn’t even last all that long. He looks in passing but eventually on a bench near the store’s front window. He can see Ro and Claire in the back from this vantage point, but is far enough away to not be hovering.

Vanessa returns not too long after his text to her about the unfortunate run in and it’s not an easy goodbye for Ro or Claire. Though Calum suspects in no time flat, they’ll be texting each other again. “I’m a goner,” Ro admits quietly. They tuck themselves into Calum’s chest and he drapes an arm around their shoulder.

“Uncle Mike is holding a pool party in a couple weeks. You should invite Claire,” Calum suggests. He usually does it before school lets out as they all make plans to travel during the summer if they can to visit family.

“You sure it’s okay?”

“If you’re as much of a goner as I can see you are, Michael can fight me on it.”

“But two weeks is so long,” Ro complains. “I want to see her again.”

“School’s on Monday.”

“Ew to the school and learning part, but point taken about seeing Claire. We only share the same English class though and lunch period.”

“There will be plenty of opportunities, sweetheart. Plenty of them.”

“Thanks--for being there about that creep. I didn’t want to get into anything unless necessary and Claire’s not big on confrontation.”

“What else are Dads for?”

“Buying pizza slices?”

“Cennend’s gonna be pissed about the leftovers.”

“Did they get back with Yvonne yet?”

“Not that I know of.”

“Well what they don’t know won’t kill them, yeah?”

Calum laughs, letting Ro pull him through the door. “Yeah, but it might kill me.”

When Ro and Calum return home, there’s no sign of you or Yvonne. Though just as they get through the door, Calum hears the crunch of tires on the driveway. He turns to spot Yvonne passed out in the back seat. He walks back down and waits for you to park and unlock the doors before opening the back passenger side door.

“She partied hard with the animals,” you joke.

“I can see.” Calum’s quick to unbuckle her and the action only rouses her just a smidge, enough so that she wraps herself around Calum. “Date was a success minus a creep.”

“What happened?” you ask, grabbing your backpack and Yvonne’s bag too.

“They were in the bookstore and some guy followed them. They basically just decided to leave and that’s when they busted me in front of the shoe store.”

“Are they okay?”

“A little annoyed, but not terribly distressed,” Calum relays, stepping into the house as you keep the front door open.

“That blows still.”

Calum’s hum is a sound of agreement as he starts to ascend the stairs, Yvonne still clinging to him. You rest the bags next to the stairs, only for a temporary reprieve. You spot Ro stretched out across the couch and walk over to them after closing the door and locking it. With a gentle tap to the bottom of their foot, you grin. “So are you in love?”

“Please stop, Cennend,” they groan but you can see the smile growing.

You place the back of your hand on your forehand with a dramatic sigh. “Cenn, Claire’s favorite flower is a sunflower. Do you know any crystals that look like those? Cenn, should I get into crochet? Maybe knitting? Cenn, Claire’s allergic to seafood. So we can literally never eat it ever again.”

“I do not sound like that.”

“You’re right. You don’t sound exactly like that. But you did almost throw out your own crab legs. Which you wantedm a week ago because you found out Claire’s allergic.”

“Food allergies can be deadly.”

“Love, I adore you. But she wasn’t at the house.”

Ro groans, throwing an arm over their face. “I know! Okay. I know. I told Dad I was a goner. And he said I should invite her over to Uncle Mike’s pool party.”

“You should. If you want. But that’s the lot of your whole family here at least she has to meet.”

“You think Uncle Mike, Luke, and Ashton will scare her off?”

“I don’t think they will as much as the sheer number of cousins that will be over.” Michael and Luke only had three and two kids respectively. Ashton on the other hand had big plans holding the current lead for children at 5. One round of twins who were two years younger than Ro, two kids at 10 and 8, and another one at 6. It was sure to be a riot with all of them there. “And we’ll have to make sure Michael knows about her food allergies sooner rather than later so he doesn’t cook any that day.”

“I really like her, Cennend,” Ro confesses, sitting up and folding their legs beneath them.

You plop onto the couch in front of them. They fall forward, forehead resting on your thigh. “I see you do. And I’m very happy for you.”

“I’ll ask her if she wants to come over. But can you tell Uncle Mike now about her allergy.”

“You have my word.” You shake their shoulder gently to get them to sit up and hook their pinkie around yours.

“Thanks.”

“Of course.”

“Also Claire says hi. And that she’s sorry she missed meeting you today.”

“Tell her we’ll make up for lost time if she attends the pool party.”

Ro stretches up after you as you push up from the couch to head upstairs. You smell like a farm and would rather not sit in the stench any longer than you already have to. “No baby photos.”

“Okay,” you return. “No baby photos.”

“I don’t like how you said that. What are you planning?”

“Nothing--you said no baby photos. I simply agreed.”

Ro sighs as you ascend. You remember it all, or at least for the most part. You remember all the embarrassing things. There’s no need for the no pictures rule because you can still tell the stories. Their phone buzzes--a message from Claire and the frown that was pulling down their cheeks turns into a smile.

My parents said yes I can join the pool party!

In the master bedroom, you sigh, a relief to be back in your own home, when you hear the bedroom door creak open behind you. But you don’t really turn to the sound as you head towards the attached bathroom. The water cascades down to the tile floors, the temperature starting to hit the sweet spot when you feel a presence behind you. “Is this later?” you ask, finally turning to face Calum.

His fingers settle around your waist, pulling you in for a kiss so soft you’re not sure it’s even a kiss. That is until he presses another one to your lips firmer this time. “Yes, it’s later,” he whispers against your lips.

In return you slip a hand under the t-shirt and trace your nails across his sides. “Good.” The two of you share another kiss, fingers gently tracing skin and muscle. His shirt goes first, and yours follows soon after. Chest to chest, you let yourself be consumed by the warmth of him. How he ran so warm you’ll never understand. But you revel in it at this moment as you share languid kisses with a bit of tongue.

Bottoms and under garments go next and without hardly a break in the kiss, Calum guides you towards the shower. “Don’t break a hip,” he teases.

“Don’t shatter a knee,” you return, but tug him inside as the steam billows out from the glass doors. Up against the tiles, with some of the water spraying the both of you, you take in the sight of his tattoos. “Do you know how much of a heartbreaker you are?”

His lips seal around your neck for a moment, but he finally breaks away long enough to answer. “Oh, love, is there something you want to tell me?”

“Not an actual one. Just your looks. Still give me damn butterflies. Like I’m fucking teenager.”

His chuckle is breathy and tickles your neck. He straightens up, cupping your cheeks. “You should see what you do to a room. I pale in comparison.”

You grip lightly at the hair at the nape of his neck, tugging him closer. And you swear that the salt and pepper will be the absolute death of you. “I’m a very lucky person to have you.”

“Then makes me the luckiest for you to choose me.”

“Just to lucky motherfuckers I guess.”

Calum laughs as he leans in to kiss you again. “Hell yeah we are.”

__________________

The sun’s not too high in the sky, but just overhead enough to make the concrete around Michael’s pool warm to the bottom of your feet. Water drops from the glasses in your hands, landing on your toes and you appreciate the feeling knowing in another half an hour or so the sun will be reaching its peak. You’re thankful for the shade brought on in part by the awning and umbrella you set up because you know you and sun usually get along but only in small doses. Calum smiles as you approach, taking one of the glasses from your hand and then pats the spot in front of him in the lounge chair.

You settle between his legs and recline into his chest, setting your drink on the side table. It settles with a soft clink. Most of the kids are in the pool. Ashton keeps close to his six year old and the older kids are playing in the middle with pool noodles. The eldest of the kids are sitting on the edge or floating on various animals. Ro opted for a bat and Claire stays close by them in her donut.

Michael’s been manning the music for now. Soon he and Calum will take over grilling duties as you man the DJ station for lunch. Luke’s happy to tend to the bar--an assortment of alcohol and juices. With a pile of water sitting on ice too--every household brought a package of the bottle water because they know it’s an all day affair.

“Look at the love birds,” Luke’s wife teases as she settles into the lounge chair next to you too.

It’s no secret you and Calum are the most physically affectionate in the group in private. Though you two have a line you don’t cross in public. But it’s not an uncommon sight for you to be drifting in circles close to each other, if not standing exactly next to each other. You just like to be close, knowing that both your social batteries can be short and it’s easier just to stick together. Others have described it like between the opposite ends of a magnet. No matter how far apart, they’ll always be drawn to each other.

“Tweet, tweet,” Calum jokes.

“I meant Ro and Claire, but yes, you two too, I guess.”

You laugh, a small snort escaping you. Though you don’t fault Calum. “We’re just setting an example.”

“I will never understand the way you two can be so calm about this. Luke almost had a heart attack when Bryce talked about a girl he liked. Just talked. Never mentioned a date or anything.”

“Oh I almost shit my pants,” Calum returns. “But it’s Ro’s life. They gotta live it for them. On their first date, I didn’t leave the shopping center. It was what--movies and frozen yogurt?” he addresses you.

“And the bookstore,” you add on.

“Yeah--I mean, Ro’s done something like that a thousand times with their friends. But I just--I had to be around at the very least.”

“So it’s a facade?” she laughs around a sip of her water.

“Partially, if I’m going to be honest.”

A moment’s silence falls around the three of you before she speaks back up, “When did they grow up? I swear it was just yesterday we were chasing them around in their little floaties.”

You hum at the notion. In some ways, it’s good that it’s happening faster than you can keep up with. That you had to take moments like this to step back and watch just how far you’ve come. Being in the thick of it, in the trenches, was always a hard time. But having a moment to think that you wanted more time meant that some of the good days had come into your life. That you managed to have more good days than bad ones. That was something you could be proud of. Something you could pat yourself on the back about.

“You can’t catch me!” You look to the left to see Ashton chasing after his littlest one, Cymelle. And it’s not quite a real chase, but she speeds past the three of you with all her might, wrapped in her towel and goggles pushed up on her head.

“A real cheetah on land,” Ashton laughs.

“Unlike her pops,” you chime in.

“You talking a lot sh-crap there,” he calls in return. “But I see you haven’t added any new babies into the Hood household.”

“Two’s enough.”

“Daddy, can I get juice?”

Ashton looks up to see Cymelle in Luke’s arm. “Water, sweetheart. You can get juice with lunch, okay?”

She pouts for a second but then Luke drops a tiny umbrella into the cup for her and she smiles. “I’m fancy!” she cheers, carefully taking the cup in both hands.

“The sight of Luke with a baby is almost enough for me to reconsider my position on no more kids,” his wife says. It’s to no one in particular. Just a thought said out loud. “But there’s no space. Between the studio, the office, and the playroom--I’m not looking to revamp any of those into another room for a child.”

“Did you finish those kitchen renovations yet?” Calum asks.

She shakes her head. “No, the new fridge that we ordered was backordered. And we knew that going in, which is why we did the counters, light fixtures, and backsplash first since it was going to take us longer to do that and then we could add the new appliances. But I didn’t anticipate the fridge taking this long. It does give us some space to clean out a corner in the garage for the old fridge. I don’t think we’re going to get rid of it.”

“Not until it croaks,” you laugh.

“Luke wants to toss it, but I keep telling him we can put it in the garage and when the kids are in the backyard. Rather than tracking all the way from the backdoor into the kitchen, they can just use that side door and get water or whatever from that second fridge.”

Ashton chuckles. “Such riveting conversation--man, getting old ain’t for the weak that’s for sure.”

“Not quite our old smoke sessions in my background,” Calum chimes in. “But I think we did alright, yeah?”

Ashton casts Calum a small smile. “Yeah we did alright for a couple guys unsure of everything in life, besides life was what we were living.”

They share a long glance and Ashton speaks up first. “I could use some help on a side project.”

“Mate, I am not helping you with your deck again. I refuse,” Calum laughs. That was hell. The first cut Ashton made in the planks was only measured once and way too short. The saw then died soon after and getting a new one took going to three different hardware stores. The second Ashton talks about doing any sort of home project Calum hides.

“No, no, I don’t mean a house project. I mean after this album--I got something else I want to work on. Need a producer I trust.”

Calum freezes underneath you and you turn to look up at him from the gap in your sunglasses and your face. The shock is clear as his mouth hangs open just slightly and his own brows raise above his sunnies as well. “Yeah, I mean-- of course, man.”

Ashton looks back out to the pool for a second. The kids have floated more towards the middle. Their laughter cuts above the fade out of one track into the other. He turns back to Calum. “I think, too, the road’s getting real rough to be on. So dabbling on the side would be nice.”

Calum didn’t think he was the only one getting tired of the road but still loving it. But he didn’t think others were thinking more seriously about settling down. The conversations always felt like they occurred in the future tense, in a “we’ll settle down for real eventually” sort of way. “We-we should talk to Luke and Michael though.”

“Of course, yeah. It’s just--it’s strange. I want to be home more, ya know. Want to tuck my kids in at night. And not that I didn’t want it before. But I want it more now than ever.”

Calum looks at Ro. They get tipped over with a shriek but pop back up to the surface in hardly a blink. “Jeremy--you’re dead,” they point out to one of Ashton’s twins. “And don’t think for a second I won’t murder you either Bryce.”

What happens if Ro needs Calum and he’s doing another late night in the studio with a project? What if he misses their graduation? He finds Yvonne sitting on the edge of the pool laughing with Anderson, Luke’s second, and with Shelby, Jasmine, and Kaden, Michael’s trio. What if he missed Yvonne’s first crush? Or something important to her? What would it all mean if Calum missed the important things for his family?

“No, I get you, Ashton,” he replies eventually. “I totally get you.”

“Maybe you’ll write that book of poetry too,” Ashton tacks on. “Shit, we could do a lot more with our time.”

Calum wasn’t ever really serious about the poetry, but it always intrigued him. So he kept it on the back burner, far enough out of reach that he didn’t feel committed to it, but close enough that if he wanted to do something about it he could. “Yeah, maybe.”

But more importantly, Calum would always be home for dinner. For a cuddle with the dogs and movie nights. He’d be there for prom’s and all sorts of school dances. He’d be there for more dates between Ro and Claire. And he’d be there to hover on Yvonne’s first date and he’d be there. As simple and un-eloquent as the thought really is--Calum could be here with his family.

The thought fills his chest with warmth and he squeezes at your waist. “Can that really be my life?” he whispers into your ear. “Could I really just be Dad to my kids?”

“You already are. But whatever you want, it can be real.”

“I want to be home. I want to watch them grow up while I still can.”

You attempt a shrug, but it’s hard with the tightening hold. “Then it’s yours. Watch them grow up.”

Michael steps through the backdoors, hollering as he does, “Who wants hot dogs?”

A cheer erupts from the kids and even Luke joins in, still holding Cymelle. Calum kisses your shoulder and the both of you stand from the lounge chair. You grab your lemonade ready to take over as DJ and Calum grabs his glass, water for now, to help Michael.

You stop him before Calum can get too far. He smiles as he looks at you. “Yes?”

“You’ve always been a good dad. Always. And you’ll always be a good one too to the kids. I know your job’s not easy because you have to be away and I know we’ve all had to adjust with this last tour. But I want you to hear it--you’re a good dad. They’ve never cared that you’re in a band. They’ve never cared about how many people fawned over you. Because to them you are only just Dad. So don’t beat yourself up for what you had to do to provide for us, and to make yourself happy. This is just a new chapter--not you making up for something.”

“Have I told you I loved you today yet?”

“Once or twice.”

Stepping into you, Calum cups your cheek with his free hand. “I’ll do my best not to think I’m making up for something. But I also think of this choice as doing what I can to do right by my children. I don’t want Yvonne to ever question me like Ro did. And I know Ro didn’t mean it maliciously. But I’m not going to make that same mistake twice. I want to be home. I want to be just Dad. For me. For them. For you.”

“I can get behind just Dad.”

With a chaste kiss, Calum slides his arm around your shoulders to bring you into a hug. “I love you,” he whispers into your hair.

“I love you,” you return in a whisper. It’s slightly muffled by his chest. Sliding your arm around your waist, the two of you cross the backyard towards your respective spots. Claire waves as you pass from the pool and you wiggle a few fingers at her in return in order to not drop the glass.

“Alright kids, I’m taking requests until however long the food takes,” you shout, turning the volume down just a hair so they can hear. They cheer and start shouting at you songs--some you know some you don’t. You open the notes app on the second laptop to keep track of them all.

“Can I help?” Claire asks. Ro walks on past the DJ set up and keeps going towards Calum and the grill

You nod at Claire’s quesiton. “Mind getting all their requests down? If Michael has it, I’ll shuffle them in.”

She nods, stepping to your right. “I can do that.”

“Thanks.” There’s a slight pause as Claire gets situated to take down names of songs and artists. “You enjoying yourself so far?” you ask.

“Yeah. Everyone’s really nice. Except Jeremy for tipping Ro.”

“Jeremy can be a hell raiser.”

“So like are these actually their cousins?”

You laugh, scratching lightly at the turntable as you transition into the first requested song. “No, Luke, Ashton, and Michael,” you point them each out as you name them, “are Calum’s bandmates and best friends. They’ve been through thick and thin and are like brothers. So all our kids call each other cousins and the other bandmates uncle. Calum’s family is overseas. Sister’s in Londonl. His parents are in Australia. My family’s here in the states, but not in California.”

“Oh, that makes a lot more sense! So the band’s been around for a long time, huh?”

“Yeah, a long time. The album to check out of there is Youngblood. But I didn’t tell you that. Was not me.”

Claire laughs. “Got it.”

“Doing any new crochet projects?”

“Okay,” Claire starts excitedly, facing you fully. “You cannot tell Ro. But I’m working on a little bat for them. It’ll be stuffed. And like I know it’s totally cliche. But I wasn’t sure what other animal to make.”

You smile. “I won’t say a word.”

“A bat is too cliche, right?”

“Oh, Claire, they’ll love it no matter what. Don’t worry.” You’re working to find the right point to transition to the next song, bobbing along to the beat.

“How-how do you do all of this?” she asks, waving over Michael’s set up.

You lower the volume on one song, slowly turning up the second one until it’s at the beat drop, letting the two meet seamlessly until the second song takes over fully. You then take the headphones off and hold them out to her. “Michael taught me many moons ago. And I think it’s fitting to pass along the tradition.”

“He won’t be mad?”

“Who? Michael?” She nods. “No, not in the slightest.” She finally takes the headphones, keeping one ear off, so she can hear your instructions at which knobs do what.

On the opposite side, Ro stands next to the grill, reaching for the beer in Calum’s hand. He gives it easily but warns, “A sip and this one is bitter.”

Ro takes a bigger sip, not quite believing the warning. “Oh, you were right,” they laugh, face scrunched up as they hand the bottle back to Calum. “How do you drink that?”

As his sip goes down, Calum makes a dramatic show of smacking his lips lightly. “Years of training,” he teases.

“I think you should’ve done the kebabs first. The marinade probably would’ve tasted good against the burgers too.”

“Kebabs smoke a lot. You want a little bit of chare, not a five course meal of it,” Calum returns.

“Okay, that’s fair,” Ro laughs, grabbing a pair of tongs and saving one hot dog from rolling too far away from the heat.

“You’re going to put me out of job,” Michael teases before asking to slip behind Ro. “Not that I’ll complain too much.”

Ro steps out of the way before speaking, “If you want, I’d definitely take over grilling duties.”

“I can help inside then. I think some sides need to be warmed up. If you’re chill with it? If not, I have no problem.”

Ro grins. “I’ll help on the grill.”

“Alright. Just let me know when you need anything.” Michael slips back out from behind them and jogs into the house. Calum hands over the second Kiss the Cook apron and Ro doesn't hesitate to put it on.

Calum studies the smoke for a moment. “Can I run something by you?”

“Yeah?”

“I can’t--I can’t break contract right now. But we will be re-negotiating soon. And what would you say if after this album, I didn’t renegotiate, like not under my own music, but producing for some other artists.”

Ro presses their pair of tongs together--the metal making a pointed clapping sound. “What do you mean? Like that’s your last album?”

Calum nods. “Yeah. It’s an idea that’s been floating around for a while and I think we’re all getting to a point where it might be a good time to take a break--a real one.”

“So you’d be home more?”

“I’d be back to huff and puff about you being up late and for movie nights.”

“I’d-I’d say that you should do what’s best. But I’d really like to have you home more for sure. But could you just tell your label, you’re done?”

“We’ve been working on this for a long time now. Two years at least. It’s been looming and I wanted to see how you feel. We might not technically get done until you almost graduate high school. But even still--I’d be home. Just like we’re making any other album. I’m on my way back to the house by 6 and I call if I’m going to be late. But then if you do go to college, I could help you move in. There might be a few months while I’m away, but then I’d be back for good and we could take road trips on your school breaks.”

It’s not the immediate sort of solution that Ro would’ve wanted. But they look back to the pool and see Yvonne sitting under the shade. And it would mean that for her, she’d get more time with their dad. And Ro and Calum could do the drive down the coast like they talked about when they get their license. And in some regards, Ro could see that he was listening. He was doing what he could to be home more.

“That’d be cool.”

Calum finishes turning off his section of hotdogs and looks up to see a smile on their face. “You mean that?”

“Yeah, like, I understand you can just say you're done right now and walk away. There’s still obligations you have. But to know soon you’d be home and be staying home a lot more, that’s a comforting thought.”

I’m sorry it’s not more immediate--really I am. But I will do what I can to make sure I am home more.”

“I can see it, Dad. Thanks--for listening.”

“Of course. Now don’t forget your flip. Charred, not burnt.”

“Right, right, right.” Ro snaps the tongs a few times to punctuate the sentence. “Now it’s my turn to listen.”

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slasherhaven · 4 years ago

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Hello, I hope I'm not bothering you, but could you write for Vincent with a pregnant reader who ran away from her abusive boyfriend and found herself in Ambrose when her car broke down, and Vincent felt protective of her and didn't let Bo hurt her? Maybe after the child is born, she encourages them to call Vincent "daddy"?

Vincent Sinclair with a pregnant future S/O who is escaping from an abusive relationship:

You were heading into the unmapped town for some gas but of course nothing could be so easy for you, since your car broke down just outside of “Ambrose”.

A man had come by in a truck, he was dirty and a little strange but seemed nice in his own way. He had offered to take you into town, said that the man who owned the garage would get your car, fix it up, and set you on your way.

You were cautious but didn’t have much choice, so you let the man drive you into town.

He couldn’t help but glance at your round stomach, his own twisting uncomfortably, knowing you were pregnant. He also couldn’t help but glance up at the bruise under your eye.

“...when are you due?” the man, Lester, asked. There was something strange in his voice, sympathy...guilt?

“...about a month” you answered and the rest of the drive was silent.

You got into town, dropped off at the garage. But instead of leaving town again, you saw Lester’s truck driving up to a house. Obviously, you didn’t think anything of it at the time.

You talked to the man who owned the garage, Bo. He seemed nice, happy to help, even charming. He asked what you were doing in town, squinting suspiciously when you shrugged, avoiding the question.

He told you that he had to get something from the house, so the two of you headed up there. Lester’s truck was there but no sign of the man.

As soon as you stepped into the house with Bo, Vincent was watching. Bo left you in the living room when he went to get whatever it was that he said you needed.

That’s when you caught a glimpse of yourself in a small mirror on the mantle piece. You gently touched the bruise under your eye, tears forming. You sighed, collecting yourself, holding your stomach protectively as you paced the living room.

Bo wasn’t stupid. Your car only had two bags in it. One carrying your things, your essentials, packed in a rush, carrying light. The other filled with baby products. You were bruised, quiet, avoiding small talk type questions. You were running from something.

And Vincent didn’t need to see your bags to know that. He could see what his twin saw. You were running and all three brothers had a feeling they knew what from.

And so an argument ensued.

Lester stayed out of it, hanging his head and just waiting. Normally Vincent would be quick to give in to Bo, but not this time.

Vincent couldn’t let Bo hurt you. You had been hurt too much already, and you were pregnant. They just couldn’t do this, not this time.

Even Bo was struggling with the morality of killing a pregnant woman.

“She’s due in a month...” Lester spoke up, giving Bo a pleading look, please just let her go...

“And what do you want me to do about that?” Bo asked, uninterested with the information.

“Let her go” Lester sighed.

“...fine” Bo nodded, he could do that, just this once.

Bo began to leave the room but Vincent grabbed his arm, turning him back to him. Bo only had to look at his town to know what he was thinking.

“No” Bo stated firmly. That was not happening.

“Maybe Vinny has a point...” Lester looked between the twins, also knowing what Vincent was thinking and agreeing with him.

You need somewhere to stay. A town that wasn’t even on maps was a perfect place to hide from whoever you were running from.

“We can’t. She’ll find out about the town, then we can never let her go” Bo reminded them but Vincent tugged on his arm again, harder this time. “...how long do you think we’re going to let her stay here?” he asked sarcastically.

“...” Vincent just gave him a look. Even with the mask, Bo knew what he was thinking. For the foreseeable future, for good if that’s what it took.

“No” Bo said even firmer this time. “...you’re both ridiculous, but fine. But since this was your idea, she and the baby are you’re responsibility, I’m not dealing with that shit. Got it?” he asked, staring his twin down. Vincent nodded.

Bo cursed to himself before leaving the room, going to find you.

It was a long, tense conversation. Bo practically interrogating you about where you came from, where you’re going, and why.

Eventually you broke down and told him. That you’re running from an abusive partner, don’t really know where you’re going. Just trying to get away.

“My brother...suggested you stay here, if you have nowhere to go” Bo told you.

“Brother?...Lester, right?” you questioned, assuming that’s why the man from the truck came up to the house.

“My other brother, Vincent. You haven’t met him yet but he knows what I know, says you should stay here. Lester said you’re a month away from popping, you can’t be on the road alone when that happens” he explained.

“No...I mean, thank you but it’s too kind. I couldn’t intrude” you shook your head, eyes wide at the offer.

“Whoever you’re running from won’t find you here. Look, I’ll let you leave now. It’s my brothers that are worried about you, especially Vincent” he shrugged. “Look, I’ll introduce you. But...he ain’t much of a talker” he offered.

Next thing you knew, you were speaking with the three brothers. Bo didn’t seem to care what you chose to do. Lester was eager for you to stay, claiming that Vincent was too. But when you looked at the masked man, he just nodded. Bo was right, he wasn’t much of a talker but that was okay by you.

And, eventually, they talked you into staying.

Bo kept his distance but wasn’t mean to you, that was fine by you.

Lester ended up going home, apparently he lived just outside of town.

Vincent was the one who kept you company, even if he was quiet.

He was always fretting over you, nervous about the pregnancy. He barely knew you but already cared so much. It was a...nice change.

He was quiet and you didn’t understand the mask, but it wasn’t your business. But he kind and gentle. Never touched you unless you told him it was okay, didn’t even stand too close.

But he was always worried about you and you knew that.

The two of you became close quickly.

Something about him just told you that you could trust him. Everything about him was a refreshing change. You liked him a lot, even after only a couple of weeks.

You opened up to Vincent. Telling him everything about your abusive ex and how you finally decided that you had to leave them to protect your child.

A month passed. All your bruises had faded like they were never there, Vincent was always by your side, and your baby was due any day, it was starting to feel like you were getting to start fresh, even after such a short amount of time.

And finally the baby came, sending the four of you into a panic.

This wasn’t exactly how you had expected to give birth to your first child.

Bo drove you to the hospital and Vincent went with you both. You and Vincent sitting in the back seat, him trying to calm you down while trying to not freak out himself.

Bo couldn’t have complained more when he had to be the one to take you inside while Vincent waited in the car.

After, what felt like, an eternity, you got to leave the hospital and take the baby to their new home in Ambrose.

As soon as you returned to the house, Vincent was by your side, worrying about you.

Bo went to grab a beer and Vincent sat you down, you needed rest.

Vincent couldn’t help but stare in awe as you cradled your new born baby to your chest. Over the last month, he had fallen hard for you.

“Do you want to hold them?” your voice broke him out of his trance. His eye widened as he looked at you, hold them? You would let him do that?

He paused before nodding.

He sat down beside you and you carefully passed the baby to him. He held them like they were the most precious thing in existence.

“Their father...he’s a terrible man and I’m glad I had the courage to leave before he had the chance to hurt them. I’m glad I came here, found this place and you. I’m glad they would have had a chance to meet you, Vincent” you told him, making him look at you. In awe again.

He wanted to tell you that he was glad too, that he would never ever hurt you or your child, that he would be here for you for as long as you allowed him to be.

Thankfully, you already knew that. Because you reached out and took his hand in yours, squeezing it gently.

Vincent completely melted when your baby cooed up at him.

“Hey, they like you” you smiled softly.

Vincent looked back down at your child and just fell in love with them, just like he had with you.

“Look at you, Vincent. You’re a natural” Bo teased as he stepped into the room.

But you just smiled, he was right. Vincent also smiled under the mask, he was okay with being a natural at this...

Time continued to pass, Vincent right by your side.

He as wonderful, more so than he needed to be.

He cared for you and your child more than anything.

If the baby cried, he’d offer to check on them. Even if the baby didn’t cry, they were just sleeping, Vincent would check on them.

So much time passed that you had practically become family. The brothers loved having you and your child around, even Bo did though he wouldn’t admit it.

Eventually you found out the truth of the town and you were rightly horrified.

Vincent was horrified as well, terrified that you would leave now. Or worse, Bo would have to do something to stop you from telling anyone on the outside.

You needed some time but this had become your home and it was Vincent...you knew that he wouldn’t hurt you. Until now you didn’t think he would hurt anyone.

No matter what he did, you saw the fear in his eye, he was scared to lose you and your child. He wasn’t angry...he was scared and sad. He was still your Vincent.

So...you stayed.

And you didn’t regret it.

Eventually your child began attempting to talk. At the moment, all they could say was “mama”.

But then something incredible happened.

You were playing with your child and Vincent walked into the room.

Your child’s face lit up as they exclaimed “daddy!”

You both froze.

Vincent didn’t know what to do. He could cry from he overwhelming emotion he felt but he was also worried about what you felt. Where you mad about it?

He looked to you for how to respond.

But you relaxed, smiling slightly as you gestured for him to join you. And he did, sitting down beside you.

“If you don’t like it, I’ll try to get them to stop...but I don’t mind, if you don’t mind” you told him.

Vincent had to do something, this was a moment, even he knew that. It was important.

So, he gently took your hand, squeezing it and nodding. You smiled before leaning into him, pressing a gentle kiss to his masked cheek before leaning against his arm, the two of you playing with his child.

Having your car break down just outside of Ambrose and meeting Vincent was the best thing that ever happened to you, you truly believed that.

Vincent hated that you had to go through so much pain to end up here but he was glad that you found them, that he could help, that he could have even met you and your child.

Now, the two of you were his world. He would do anything to protect you both. He loved you both.

#vincent sinclair x reader #vincent sinclair #bo sinclair #lester sinclair #slashers x reader #slashers #slasher #my writing

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millenialfanfictionaddiction · 3 years ago

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Go Go Let's Go! Let's Go! Dateko! (Pt 3)

⚠️THIS FIC IS 18+ NSFW, MINORS DNI ⚠️

Warnings: angst, swearing, fluff, smut mentioned

Word count: 7,000 +

You wake up the next morning fully exhausted.

After yet another round before you both cooked dinner, you ended dinner with Takuro fucking you against the wall as you gushed around his cock.

You hadn't fucked that much since you were in your early 20s. And for a man in his late 40s, Takuros stamina was unmatched.

It took you an hour to pack up and leave because he had to fuck you again in the bedroom and on the couch.

"I seriously can't get enough of you" He says as he walks you to your car.

"Well we will definitely be having more sleep overs very soon" you say as he kisses you.

"Dont leave" he says, hugging you tightly "Please stay"

"Taku I can't Kenji will be home soon" you say as you places kisses on his neck.

"When are we going to tell him Y/N? He deserves to know" Takuro said

He was right. Kenji needed to know. The last thing you wanted was to lie to your son,

"I'll talk to him tonight ok" you say as Takuro smiles at you and kisses you goodbye.

You arrive home grabbing your bag from the car. You hope Kenji isn't home yet as you approach your house. You see a light on.

fuck

You open the door and walk in.

"Hi Kenji, sorry I'm late. I was at grandma and gran-" you say as you look up to see your son glaring at you.

"Kenji are you ok?" You say with concern on your face.

"Oh I don't know mom. How would you feel if you saw your mother kiss your coach in public?" He says as your eyes widen.

"Thought I was going to grab some snacks but turns out I got a whole ass meal in the form of my mother making out with my volleyball coach! What in the actual fuck mom? How long? How long have you been lying to me?" He screams at you as you shutter back

You've never seen your son so angry as he is right now.

"It's one thing for you to come to out games Mom but for you to date my coach?? Seriously mom that's too far" Kenji screams at you as you stand there absorbing it all.

"I mean Jesus Christ mom! You couldn't go an date some other random man! Why can't you just get your own life! Instead you have to fuck my coach! I hate you!" He screams as he stomps to his room slamming his door.

You can't say anything. You're completely frozen.

He hated you. The words swarmed your mind over and over

Had you going out with Takurō really affected Kenji this much? You feel your eyes begin to swell as tears began to roll down your cheeks. You turn, slowly moving to your room as you feel the tears begin to fall faster.

You didn't sleep much that night. Not at all really. You couldn't believe you broke you child's trust like that. You hated yourself and hated that you made him so uncomfortable.

You had to talk to Takuro. You sent him an early text at 5am as you made your way to the kitchen. You noticed Kenji's door was still closed ad you made coffee and fruit to take to your room. You return to a message asking to meet you before morning practice.

You get dressed and leave the house without a sound. You try to be as quiet as you can be as to not disturb your sleeping kid. I've already messed up his life enough I don't want to mess up his sleep you say to yourself as you get in your car and drive to the school. It's 6:00am by the time you arrive. Takurō is already waiting for you.

You get out of your car as he notices the tears spilling from your eyes.

"Y/N what's wrong is everything ok?" He rushes to you and pulls you into a hug. Your tears completely drowning out everything, including the preying eyes of a certain 2nd year manager as she approaches the side of the school.

Mai stops when she sees you and the coach. She hears you crying and backs up next to the gym to listen.

"I'm sorry Takuro but I can't keep seeing you" you say as yu look at him with tears streaming down your face.

"I don’t understand Y/N I thought-" Takuro says concerned

"Kenji found out about our dates. Apparently he saw us with a few members of the team. He was really upset and told me I need to stay out of his school life" you say as your tears begin to flow quicker.

Takuro pulls you into a hug. He doesn't want you to be upset

"Y/N let me talk to him please I want to be with you" Takuro says as he pulls away placing his hand under your chin.

"Takuro no please he already hates me enough. I can't lose my son. He's right I should have never pryed in his life. I'm so sorry Takuro. I really like you but I can't do this to Kenji" you say as you back up to gave him.

Takuro is devastated to say the least. The women he cares so deeply for is forced to make a choice because he had crossed the line between parent and coach.

"No Y/N, it's my fault. I'm sorry that this happened. I don't blame you. If anything this is my fault. I should have been more responsible. You are Kenji's mom and I'm his coach. It was inappropriate" he says as he looks down.

Somehow it hurt even more to hear Takuro say those words. You knew he cared for you but he was trying to take the burden of your son's blame off of you.

Meanwhile Mai is both crying and furious.

Could Kenji really be this big of an ass?

"Thank you for supporting the boys Y/N. It was a pleasure" Takuro says as he waves to you turning to walk towards the gym.

You get in your car as you start to drive home. The tears consistently rolling down your cheeks. You park the car as you completely lose your cool. You start beating on the steering wheel screaming and crying as you let all your pent up emotions out.

you're neighbors probably think your insane

After 15 minutes you walk in the house, noticing Kenji's door is open. You decide to leave him be as you make your way to your room still sniffling from your car melt down.

You walk into your room and lay down. You've already called out of work for the day as you feel like you just mentally can't do it. You lay in bed as you feel the emotions take over again.

Meanwhile Kenji arrives at school. He's still mad about his discovery of yours and his coaches relationship. He can't believe you would do such a thing to him. To invade his personal life like that.

Coach doesn't say anything though out practice. Kenji figures his mom already has him in her side through this whole ordeal. Why wouldn't he be?

"Mai can you tell coach we need to get the jerseys altered" Kenji says to Mai as she watches coach look to Kenji and walk out of the gym.

"Tell him yourself" Mai says snarkily as she turns away.

"Mai just do it" Kenji says "i’m not in the mood today"

"Why because you’re ashamed you made your mom cry" Mai yells as the team stops.

Mai looks at Kenji and she's pissed.

"You know you have the sweetest kindest mom in the entire world and she's happy. But you can't have that can you Kenji because you're a massive ass" Mai screams.

Kenji is heated. He doesn't know how Mai found out but he isn't going to take being yelled at.

"Mai you have no idea what you're even talking about so just butt out" Kenji screams at her and Aone walks in from of Mai forming a protective barrier.

"It's ok Aone. I'm not scared of Kenji" she says as steps in front of Aone "you know what I saw this morning Kenji? I saw your mom and coach in the parking lot. And your mom was crying. Like hard core crying telling coach that she couldn't see him anymore."

Mai is shouting at Kenji as Kenji just stares.

You were really crying? And worse is he caused it?

"You know Kenji your mom goes out of her way to do everything for this team! Coach shows interest in her and she likes him back and suddenly its an attack on you?" Mai is screaming at this point, tears flowing down her face.

The team watches in shock. They have never seen Mai this angry before.

"Newsflash asshole you're mom is allowed to be happy! She told coach she couldn't see him anymore because of you! She told him she didn't want to hurt YOU KENJI. Your mom is heartbroken and she's worried because he son is upset because she's happy? Give me a fucking break!" Mai screams one last time as she turns to walk out of the gym, slamming the door behind her.

The boys stand in silence. Kenji is shocked.

you really liked coach that much and you really cared enough about him to ruin whatever you and coach had going on?

The team turns as they shake their heads in disbelief at Kenji, even Aone shows emotion.

"You are the only one who sees an issue here Kenji" he speaks as he walks back to join the team.

Kenji walks out of the gym doors as he slides down the outer walls. He really was being an ass. He didn't care about your feelings only his own personal standings as the captain of the iron wall.

He got up walking to the coaches office. He knocks as Takuro directs him to enter.

Takuro looks up at Kenji and back to his paperwork. He doesn't sound good. He sounds like he's upset.

"Yes Futakuchi" Takuro chokes out.

Kenji clears his throat "do you really care about her?"

Takuro looks up from his work spinning around his in chair.

"I do but she made it clear that you come first. As a good mother should. You are really lucky to have her. She cares for your very deeply and she loves you so very much" he says she he swivels around facing his work with his arms resting in his desk as his hands lean against his forehead

"I see" he says as he crosses his arms in front of his chest "then I guess I owe you both an apology".

Takuro turns in his chair to see a soft smiling Kenji as a smile slowly appears on his face.

The day seems to drag on. It's only 4pm but it feels like you've been in bed for days. You decide to get up and shower, planning to make dinner before Kenji comes home. He might not want to speak with you but you're still his mother.

You shower and walk to the kitchen to prepare dinner. You start to sniffle again as you try not to let it go into a full blown cry session. You hear the door open as you continue to cut up vegetables.

You don't hear anything as you look up to see your tall son leaning against the door frame to the kitchen with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

You smile lightly as you try not to cry more. The tears seem to flow no matter how hard you try to control them.

"Mom" Kenji says in a sweet voice.

You look up smiling at him as you wipe your tears "Oh hi sweetheart how was practice?"

He frowns walking over to you as he hugs you from behind. No longer being able to control the tears you turn around hugging your son as you crying into his shoulder.

"Kenji I'm so sorry. Please forgive me! I didn't mean to ruin your life. I just got excited and-" you say as your tears continue to wet his date tech tracksuit.

"Mom stop ok" Kenji says as he pulls away placing hands on your shoulders.

"Mom I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I was a complete ass to you. I didn't even listen to your side of the story" he says as he looks at you ashamed "you've done so much for me and I ruined your happiness."

"It's ok baby I overstepped my boundaries. I'm sorry" you say as you hug him.

"Mai told me what happened with you and coach" Kenji said sweetly as he looks at your shocked face.

"M-Mai was there" you say as your eyes widen.

"Yeah and I'm glad she was. She told me what happened. She told me you told coach you couldn't see him" Kenji said looking down at you.

"It's ok Kenj. Coach was ok with it. He understood you came first" you say sweetly.

"Well Im not ok with it" Kenji says as he pulls away from you walking towards your front door. He opens the door for someone as your eyes widen.

"T-Takuro?" you say as you place your hands over your mouth.

"Hi Y/N" he says as he goes to hug you. You hug him back as you cry into this shoulder.

"Shh it's ok Y/N" he says as you break from the hug.

"Kenji?" you say questioningly to your son

"Mom I realized your happiness is more important than my reputation" he says as he looks at both you and coach.

"Kenji" you say as you start to cry yet again going to hug your son "you're really ok with this?"

"Yeah mom. I'm happy if your happy. Now go get ready. Coach is taking you out on a date or whatever" he says as he rolls his eyes and waves his hand walking go his room.

"Really" you say as you run back to Takuro and he chuckles. "Yes sweetheart" he says as he leans down the kiss you.

"God I'm never going to get use to this" Kenji says as he closes his bedroom door.

You both laugh as you deepen the kiss with the man of your affections.

*2 days later*

"Oh Ms. Futakuchi! It's so nice to see you" Obara shouts as Kenji rolls his eyes walking the complete other way as you and Takuro stroll into practice hand in hand.

"Thank you! It's nice to see you too" you smile.

"I see Mai got through to Kenji" Obara smirks as the rest of the team laughs.

"Alright time for laps" Kenji screams clapping his hands together trying to avoid the inevitable

"Wait what did Mai say?" You look at Kenji as he hides his face then to coach who starts laughing.

Mai was looking down at the floor, softly smiling.

"Well our sweet Mai laid in hard to ole Kenji. She told him he was being an ass and told him that you deserved the world" he says as he grabs your waist.

"Mai" you say as your mouth gapes and your eyes sparkle "Thank you!"

You run to hug her as she hugs you back.

"Marry this one Kenji! I like her a lot more than I like you" you snicker as you turn to leave practice.

Kenji just smiles as you walk hand in hand with Coach out of the gym.

"Whatever you say mom. Whatever you say"

#dateko #date tech #Oiwake Takuro #justiceforthehaikyuucoachs #haikyuucoaches #haikyuu #haikyū!!#haikyuu!!#teammom #team mom series #team mom

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sinner-as-saint · 4 years ago

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Twilight Moments With You

Ex-mob!Bucky x Reader AU.

Run-through: You were just an innocent girl who works in her family’s patisserie. You had an absolutely normal life, until the day you got tangled in the mess between ex-mob James Buchanan Barnes and one of his enemies who is still out to get him. Things changed after that. But not all changes are terrible…

Themes: fluff, smut, age gap

That Friday afternoon, you happened to be at the right place; but at the wrong time.

“Dad and I will be gone by the time you get back, so make sure you lock everything well before going home. And please be careful. And lock the front door before going to bed. Alright honey?” your very worried mother instructed you while she handed you the bag that you were supposed to deliver to Mr. Barnes.

You smiled at her. Sometimes your mom made it seem like you weren’t a grown adult, instead treated you like you were 10. You lived right down the street from your parents’ house, and they were still worried sick to leave you on your own each time they left town.

“Yes. I’m not a kid, mom.” You grabbed the paper bag and grabbed your car keys. “Have a safe flight, both of you.” you waved at your parents and walked out of the shop, and drove off to Mr. Barnes’ house. By the time you would get there, your mom would’ve already called him to let him know you were coming, just like always.

You smiled at the thought of him. Mr. Barnes…

You had always thought he was one of the most handsome men you had ever laid eyes one. He was gentle and kind, and very humble. You had heard rumors going around of how he had a dark past, when he was much younger. Some even said that he was involved with the mob. Or dealt with guns and black money and what not.

But you never paid too much attention because, whenever one succeeds at life, and owns a flourishing business, and is well off – being one of the richest men in town; fake rumors were bound to follow. People just can’t help but talk trash sometimes.

To you, Mr. Barnes was just one of your regular clients. He had developed a good, friendly relationship with your parents over the years, and inevitably; you as well. He would often call and place his order, and you had the habit of delivering his order to his place. Often, when he was at home when you came by, he would ask you to stay for a little while and keep him company.

You realized long ago that he was truly amazing. Mature, wise and awkwardly funny as well. You wouldn’t lie, you did have a minuscule crush on the man. How could you not? He was perfect. Always well dressed, and perfect, fluffy hair and well maintained facial hair. He could make anyone’s heart flutter.

There you were, entering Mr. Barnes’ house to deliver the order he placed an hour ago; éclairs and blueberry cheesecake – some of his favorites from your shop. You had also taken the liberty to throw in some scones in there for him, because you knew how much he liked it. He had mentioned it to you over a conversation once.

Only right when you stepped at the door and knocked, your phone rang. You fished it out of your bag while you waited for the housekeeper to open the door. You saw that it was Mr. Barnes who was calling. You answered immediately.

“Oh hello Mr. B-“

He cut you off frantically. “… don’t go inside! Turn around right now, you hear me.”

You were confused at how concerned and frustrated he sounded.

“What? Why?” you asked back. He had always been so calm and collected, you had known him for over two years and he had never been this way.

“Y/N, just listen to me. Don’t go inside the house, please. I’m coming over right now, it’s-“

“But I’m already at the door and-“

You two were still talking when the door flew open. And a lean, dark haired man stood on the other side.

“Well hello.” The unfamiliar man said.

You froze and your heart sank. Your hand involuntarily lowered the phone from your ear and the last thing you heard was Mr. Barnes swearing. Your heartbeat increased at the sight of the gun the man at the door held in his hand. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit.

You knew immediately that something was wrong. But there was not much you could do. You couldn’t even run, this man looked like he could easily run much faster than you, plus he had a gun.

You heard a voice coming from inside. “Let her in. Can’t keep a lady waiting now, can we?” the deep voice from inside spoke up again. An unpleasant shiver ran down your spine.

The guy at the door opened the door wider and let you in. You had no other choice but to step inside. You looked around, seeing if you could see any familiar faces; one of the maids, or the housekeeper. But you saw no one. Just tons of men in black suits. Armed men in black suits.

The guy at the door led you inside, his gun in his hand by his side. You held the bag of baked goodies like your life depended on it as you walked in reluctantly. You spotted a group of people in the living room. One man sat on the couch, the others; who looked like guards were scattered all over the room.

“Hello beautiful. Do you know me?” the man asked.

You took in his appearance. Long blond hair tied at the back, deep blue eyes, large frame, muscular – he looked weirdly familiar. You stared at him until it clicked.

“You… you’re- are you…” you trailed off, unable to believe that the man who has been all over the news lately was now sat in front of you; smirking.

The man chuckled. “I’m Thor. What’s your name?” he asked as though talking to a child. You were somewhat offended.

You straightened your back and faced him with a slight frown. “What are you doing in Mr. Barnes’ home?” you asked.

Thor got up and walked over to you. You flinched as he reached out to touch your face; gently running his knuckles against your skin. He scoffed. “I see why Barnes likes to have you around, you’re a pretty little angel.” He whispered so that just the two of you heard.

You looked up and glared at him, which for some weird reasons made him chuckle. And just as he was laughing, you heard a group of people barge inside the house in a rush. A group of men; armed and led by the one and only – Mr. Barnes. They rapidly made their way into the living area while Thor’s men all turned to face them, with their guns at the ready.

When Bucky drove into his yard, he saw that the front door was wide open. Shit. Shit. Shit.

All he could think of was you. Thor was in there, that he knew because the latter had bothered to call him and boast about breaking into his home. So Bucky called his guys and they all followed him till here. Thor wasn’t a problem; Bucky could easily handle him.

But you were unfortunately here as well. Bucky had to keep you safe, no matter what because… you were the one who had stolen his heart the minute he saw you two years ago, in that lovely shop of yours; wearing that little apron, with a bit of flour on your cheek. Warm smile, kind words and pretty eyes – Bucky was floored.

For two whole years he had tried to confess his feelings, but for some reasons, he never could. So he made do by visiting your shop more often than he should. And ordering more baked goods than one should consume. And his heart always fluttered whenever you came by to drop his order. But he never once mentioned all that he felt for you. He was always too worried; worried that if you rejected him he’d lose your friendship as well. Scared that he might put you in danger because of his past.

Just what was happening now.

As he marched over to his front door, followed by his men, Bucky couldn’t help but worry about you.

Don’t you worry sweetheart, I’m here now.

He knew Thor wouldn’t hurt you, else Bucky would have his head. But if Thor ever so much as touched you, Bucky knew he would go insane.

Bucky tried his best to hide his own gun behind his coat so as not to startle you because the last thing he wanted was for you to be scared of him. But the moment he saw Thor’s hands on you, he lost it. Bucky aimed his gun at Thor and cocked it, the sound resonated around the quiet room.

And just like that, all eyes were on him – including yours. He didn’t see fear in your eyes, so he calmed down a little bit.

“Get away from her. Now.” he sounded menacing. Cold. Bitter.

You had never seen Mr. Barnes with a gun before. You didn’t even know he had one. But regardless, you were just happy he was here; saving you from Thor.

Thor laughed again. “There you are, I’ve been waiting for a while. Luckily I had this pretty thing to keep me company.” Thor spoke and grabbed your arm, pulling you into him forcefully. You tried to get out of his touch but he only tightened his grip around your arm the more you tried to get away.

Bucky’s anger amplified.

“Let go of her.” He threatened, maintaining his aim at Thor.

Thor smirked. “Is she your little girlfriend?” he asked. Both you and Bucky shared a look before Bucky shifted his focus back on Thor.

“She has nothing to do with this. Let her go.” He spoke, calmly and menacingly. And the authority in his voice sent a tingle down your back – not in a bad way.

Thor finally let you go. And you rushed to stand on Bucky’s side. You were sacred, but you always had a talent to hide your emotions so you seemed visibly calm.

“Go upstairs, to my study. And don’t come out until I come and get you.” Bucky ordered, and when you realized he was in fact talking to you, you didn’t even question him.

You just nodded and rushed upstairs. You had been to his house a lot of times, you knew your way around. So you found the study in no time, shut the door behind you once you stepped inside and finally let out a sigh of relief.

You set the paper bag full of baked goods aside and dropped your bag on the floor and looked around. You were panicking in the beginning, but as you looked around the vintage-style study/office, you calmed down a little.

Despite whatever was happening downstairs, you couldn’t help but walk around in Mr. Barnes’ study. The room smelt like him. Like cedar wood and citrus fruit and amber. You relaxed as you breathed in his scent and looked around the room. Large, wooden, filled book shelves. A majestic chair at his desk. Several papers scattered all over his desk. Files neatly arranged in the cabinet beside his desk. His own little orderly mess.

He even had a typewriter on his desk. Although you doubted he ever used it.

While you were alone in his study, that gave you time to think. Were the rumors circulating around town true after all? Was Mr. Barnes actually involved with the mob? Well, the previous scene did confirm that for you but you were still not entirely convinced.

Mr. Barnes, someone so gentle and kind. One with whom you had had many conversations in the past years. One who would always see you off till his front door when you came by. How could he, someone so nice, be affiliated with the mob, and gangs, and gangsters?

You were busy overthinking and checking out the books mindlessly when you heard the door knob being turned. You panicked and turned around to face the door and relief washed over you when you saw Mr. Barnes’ smiling face.

“Hi.” He said, and walked into the room.

You placed the book back in its spot and smiled back at the man. “Hi.” You replied. Both of you wondering to how even begin to address whatever just happened.

“I’m sorry.” He said, looking down at the ground and shoved both his hands in the pockets of his coat. He had left his gun downstairs, he didn’t want to scare you.

“Oh don’t be. Please.” Your words made him look back at you. “If anything, I’m sorry. I should’ve called before coming, I didn’t mean t-,”

He cut you off.

“No, hey. I- I know you have a lot of questions and I’m willing to answer all of them. These people that were downstairs, they…” he trailed off, not knowing what to say.

“Thor, right? He’s been all over the news lately.” You had heard of Thor before.

Bucky scoffed. “He’s bad news.” He commented and awaited your follow up question.

“Are you?” you asked, then realized it might have sounded rude. “I’m sorry, but… people talk, you know?” you lowered your head in shame. Mr. Barnes was a friend of your parents and here you were, interrogating him.

Bucky walked up to you. “What do they say about me, Y/N?” there was something about the way he said your name. You liked your own name better when he said it. It rolled off his tongue perfectly.

You bit your lower lip and looked down for a moment. “They say you were one of the bad guys once. That you were, um, affiliated with the mob. That you used to lead the biggest gang the city had ever seen.” You told him all that you had heard around in your shop.

You lowered your head again. Bucky sighed. “Look at me.” He ordered and you listened. You looked up and found yourself staring into deep, ocean blue eyes which reminded you of a stormy weather. “The rumors are true.” He confirmed.

But while he expected you to seem visibly scared, or take off running, you just stood there and nodded slowly.

Because truth is, you weren’t scared of him. You knew him, maybe not his past self, but the man he was now wouldn’t hurt anyone. You were sure of that.

“But I don’t do all that anymore. I still have my people around, just in case. Like when situations like today arises, but other than that, no. I’m a changed man.” He desperately needed you to believe him.

And you did.

“I believe you.” Just three words from you, and Bucky’s heart fluttered. Who knew that all it would take would be a pretty girl in a brown sweater, telling the ex-mob boss that she believes he’s a changed man, to make him all giddy and almost light headed.

“You do?” Bucky couldn’t believe it.

You nodded, and faintly smiled at him. “No one is defined by their past. It’s who you are now that matters. And if you ask me, I think you’re a very kind man. You’re a good person. I’m sure my parents would say the same, Mr. Barnes.”

Bucky was floored. If you unknowingly hadn’t already, you definitely had him wrapped around your little finger now. And in that moment, as you looked up at him and smiled softly, Bucky knew that he would protect you – come what may.

He smiled a little and lowered his head. “Thank you for saying that.”

You gave him another smile and checked the time on the clock placed on his desk. “I should go. It’s getting late.” You started walking away but he stopped you.

He gently grabbed you by the arm and cause you to halt in your steps. His touch was gentle and comforting – a contrast to Thor’s grip from earlier. You turned around and faced Bucky.

“Promise me you’ll stay with your parents for a couple of days. With Thor and everything… it’s not safe for you to be alone. Alright?” he hated the thought of Thor getting to you again.

Only there was one problem.

“Uh, Mr. Barnes… mom and dad are gone for the weekend.” You told him.

Bucky frowned.

“What do you mean?” he asked, already worried.

You then explained to him how there was a wedding in the family, and how your parents were out of town and wouldn’t be back until Monday night.

“You can’t stay alone. It’s for your own safety.” Bucky thought over it for a minute. “If you don’t mind, may I suggest something?”

You nodded, picking your bag up from the ground.

“Maybe you could stay with me. You can have the guest room. I’ll tighten the security anyways so, you’ll be safe here.” He added, “Besides, it’s just for a few days. You can tell your parents you’re staying with a friend or something.”

You gave it a thought. Sure, this was odd. But the thought of it didn’t make you uncomfortable, not in the least.

Bucky spoke up again. “I just don’t want you to find yourself in a situation where Thor or anyone of his men break into your home and try to hurt you. He’s a lunatic. I just want you to be safe.”

The thought of Thor possibly trying to hurt you made you shiver. And Bucky noticed, and he hated it. He wanted you to be safe, and comfortable. With him.

“I, uh, I wouldn’t want to be a bother Mr. Barnes.” You spoke, sheepishly.

He scoffed and stepped closer to you. “Of course not. But you were caught in this mess because of me. The least I can do is ensure your safety. Please, let me keep you safe.” The softness of his voice made you all mushy inside.

You thought over it again, and nodded.

Bucky smiled. “Now tell me, what do you need from your house? I’ll have a car ready to go fetch everything you need.”

You suddenly felt very spoilt. “Just clothes. And my dog, please.”

Bucky smiled again. “Of course, doll.”

As promised, all your stuff was here before the evening. He had sent his assistant to pack your bags, and sent some of his men to close your shop and put up a notice that you won’t open for the weekend, and he also strictly told you that you were not to go anywhere alone for the coming few days.

You settled into his guest bedroom alright. It was spacious, and comfortable and reminded you a lot of your own bedroom so you blended right in.

As you slept at night, you thought about all that happened today. Talk about a crazy day. You went from working in your shop, to being caught in the crossfire among mob bosses, to being roommates with the most handsome man you know.

Then as usual, some of the day’s highlights popped out to you. Like how Bucky’s didn’t deny or say anything when Thor asked if you were his girlfriend. Or how he called you ‘doll’ earlier, so effortlessly. Or how he was so protective the minute he saw Thor’s grip on you.

Just thinking about all that made you giddy.

Bucky thought of you too as he slept, with a lovesick smile on his face with because he knew you were just two rooms down from his.

He thought about how your face lit up the minute you saw him earlier, and how you rushed to his side and away from Thor. He liked how you obeyed him without a question. Such a good girl you were today. And he felt a warmth wash over him at how you weren’t judging him for his past. Instead, you trusted him enough to protect you.

And both of you were really looking forward to spending the next few days together.

---

Being in Bucky’s company was everything you expected it would be. He was great company, and could be funny as well. And you had never thought you’d be so attracted to him. You could feel your little crush on him developing into something more… intense.

The next morning, when you stepped into the kitchen; you found him making breakfast. And you never knew that a man could look this handsome while making pancakes.

And you often wondered if it was just your imagination, or was he actually subtly flirting with you? You could never figure it out. Although he did do everything in his power to make you feel at home and comfortable. He even told you that you were free to bake whatever you’d like whenever you’d like.

And the next day, at around 11 p.m. at night, when you couldn’t sleep; you got downstairs into his kitchen and began making apple pies. You tried to be as quiet as possible, and soon, Bucky joined you in the kitchen.

“Oh I’m so sorry. Did I wake you up?” you wondered if he’d be grumpy about it.

He wasn’t. He smiled and took a seat at the kitchen island.

“No, not at all. I wasn’t asleep yet, and I heard you in the kitchen so I thought I’d keep you company.” He answered with a smile.

You smiled back and went back to your pies.

This was one of the things you liked most about him, silence was never uncomfortable or awkward when he was around. It was peaceful. You two could just sit at the same table, drinking a warm drink and not utter a word, and that was okay. It wasn’t weird.

When you sat at the kitchen island a few stools away from him, both of you sipping on the tea you just made and waiting on the pies – only then did you realize how comfortable you had gotten in his house. And how comfortable you were with sharing space with him.

Out of curiosity, you asked, “Have you, um, spoken to Thor? You know, after the whole… thing?”

Bucky smiled faintly and gave that soft look which made you melt. Only this time, it also made a tingle dance down your spine.

“He will be taken care of, don’t you worry about a thing. He will never hurt you, I’ll make sure of that. Okay?” his voice was so soft and smooth that you had trouble believing that this very gentle, and caring man had such a dark past.

You nodded. “I trust you.” you said, out of nowhere. And like before, Bucky’s heart raced at your words. There were very few people in this world who trusted him so wholeheartedly. And it filled him with warmth that the girl he likes so much does.

He didn’t say anything, he just stared into your eyes and you in his. If he was close, maybe he’d even dare to lean in to steal a kiss or two. And you’d let him, you knew you would. The more he stared into your eyes, the more you realized that his eyes weren’t just blue. But they reminded you of a stormy weather over the sea. Breathtaking, beautiful and dangerous.

Dangerous because you caught yourself thinking and daydreaming about him all weekend long. Each time he was near, your heart skipped a beat. Each time he said your name, your mind would immediately go to filth. Each morning when you heard him grunt while he was working out in his indoor gym, your body throbbed shamelessly. And before you knew it, you found yourself crushing on him. Hard.

How could you not? He was powerful, and charming with a bad boy past. And you had always secretly been a sucker for men like that. Not to mention he was older – just your type. But you couldn’t do anything about your crush on him. He was doing you a favor and keeping you safe, you couldn’t possibly tell him you like him, could you?

Meanwhile Bucky was suffering in silence and pining as well. Each time you came downstairs in your PJs, or your messy bed hair or whenever he found you just lounging anywhere, or in his kitchen just walking around and cooking. He wanted nothing more than to just have you in his bed, and whisper in your ear about how much he likes you and show you that he can definitely treat you better than the boys your age.

But you were always so polite and sweet to him that he felt ashamed of all the vulgar thoughts he had regarding you. But he couldn’t help it, he didn’t choose to fall for you; his heart did, right?

But then Sunday evening changed everything.

For the whole day, you had been feeling all warm and tingly whenever he was around. Then in the afternoon when you were in the kitchen, trying to reach the top shelf to look for a jar to put all the cookies you just made in, Bucky came up and stood behind you. He smiled softly at how you struggled to get the jar.

Without a word said, he placed both his hands on your waist and gently pushed you aside. “It’s okay I’ll get it, doll.” he said and reached up to grab the jar for you.

Your lips parted as you shivered from his brief touch, and the nickname. Bucky handed you the jar and almost smirked at your flustered demeanor. Well, well. Who knew that all it would take was a nickname to get you all worked up?

“Are you okay?” he asked, and you caught the teasing tone of his immediately. Oh… you could feel the tension and the pull between the two of you as though it were tangible.

You cleared your throat in order to sound more confident. “Yes, I am.”

He chuckled and walked away.

You thought that this would just end up being another night where you slept with the thought of him in your mind. But then halfway through the night, you couldn’t fall asleep for the life of you. So you decided to tiptoe into his study room to grab a book because his collection was incredible.

However what you didn’t know, as you skimmed through the books on his shelves, was that you weren’t alone in the room.

“Trouble sleeping, doll?” you heard a voice ask, and you immediately turned around to find Bucky sat on the couch on the other side of the room.

“Oh,” you suddenly got very nervous and self-conscious in your little PJ shorts. “I was just…” you trailed off and ceased talking the moment he stood up and made his way to you, lazily but making your heart race.

“Just what?” he asked, stepping closer to you. His voice was low, and deeper than usual. Almost raspy and it sent another tingle dancing down your spine, and you were almost certain that you also got goose bumps just with the sound of his voice.

Luckily, you found your voice again. “Just looking for a book I could borrow.” You explained. “What are you doing up?” you asked, casually. Trying to hide your nervousness as best as possible. But he caught it in your eyes, and he saw you checking him out.

“Just thinking.” He spoke, softly. He inched forward and twirled a lock of your hair in between his fingers and then stared right into your eyes.

“About what?” you asked, getting breathless from his proximity alone.

“You.”

You felt it then. The shift in the mood, in the air; in between you two. The pull, and the sparks were more intense than ever. And without realizing, you were the one who began leaning in first. His arms wrapped around your waist as he pressed his body into yours. He leaned in as well, capturing your lips in a hungry kiss.

Remnants of his cologne filled your senses as you held him close with your hand sliding into his hair. You tugged on his hair, gently but firmly as his tongue slipped into your mouth once again, slowly stroking the top of your mouth. Your mouths moved perfectly together, Bucky nibbled on your lip and kissed your open mouth with ardor. His hand slipped under your sweater and he caressed your warm skin with his slightly cold hands; tracing the skin right under your boobs – most definitely leaving goose bumps where his fingers touched you so lovingly.

A moan escaped your lips, you whimpered through the kiss as his hand reached your lower back and landed right on your ass, giving it a little squeeze. He smirked at your reaction and did it again while walking the two of you backwards until he sat you down on the edge of his desk.

Bucky pulled away then to look at you with adoration and hunger in his eyes. “You okay, doll?” he asked, softly.

You nodded quickly. He smiled and leaned in for another kiss, this time slowly lifting your sweater up until he finally took it off and tossed it aside carelessly, leaving you in just your shorts. But neither of you minded the nudity. His lips slowly moved along your jaw and down to the side of your throat, leaving dark red marks behind on your skin.

“You are so perfect…” he mumbled against your skin, causing you to shudder in his arms. You involuntarily whined when he playfully bit your neck. He figured that must be your weak spot so he teased that area with his lips, tongue and teeth – making your arousal slowly flow out of you and accumulate into your underwear.

He was purposely messing with you, touching you but still avoiding where you needed him the most. And you were getting impatient, so you grabbed his hand which was on your waist and you brought it in front of you and dipped it into your shorts, placing his palm right on top of your dripping heat.

Bucky smirked; both turned on and surprised at your sudden confidence and behavior. He took the liberty to mess with your wet folds by gently moving his fingers around and smearing your wetness all over your clit. You moaned into his mouth and he chuckled. “Seems like you need me badly, don’t you babygirl?” he mumbled against your lips.

You never knew that you were one who would immediately feel weak in the knees at the sound of a nickname. But now you did.

You nodded quickly and he chuckled. “Such a good girl.” He spoke as he pushed you down on the table. Your legs dangled at the edge of the table as he took your shorts off in no time. He smirked when he saw that you had no underwear on, and leaned down to leave a trail of kisses from your ankle up till your inner thighs. His beard felt rough against your skin, but you loved it.

He left dark red marks once again all over your inner thighs. His wet mouth moved from your inner thighs to your hip bones and back. He kissed you everywhere except for where you needed him the most; teasing you and making you whine in need and desperation.

You tangled your fingers into his hair and guided his face to your dripping core. He looked up at you and smirked again as he grabbed your right leg and hooked it over his shoulder. The moment his mouth touched you, you let out a moan. His lips moved along your wet folds as his tongue teased your entrance. His facial hair scratched your sensitive skin, as your arousal spread all over his mouth and chin.

He secured your leg over his shoulder and he ate you out passionately, closing his eyes and savoring your taste. He made you forget about the rest of the world, like nothing else mattered other than the two of you. He kept teasing your core with his mouth and soon, you were a nothing but a wet, moaning mess under him. He lifted his mouth off of you as he felt your orgasm building. He pushed his two fingers past your entrance and pumped them in and out of you rapidly. He felt your walls clench around his fingers as you moaned louder and louder with each stroke of his fingers against your walls.

You couldn’t hold back the pressure anymore so you let go and came violently around his fingers. You moaned out loud as you came, and Bucky placed his mouth on your wet core once again, to lap up everything you had to offer. He licked each and every drop of your cum as it spilled out of you.

Your body trembled on his desk as he stood up and lowered his pants. He chuckled as you struggled to sit up, and moved forward to wrap his arms around you as you wrapped your legs around him. You smiled shyly up at him. He smiled down at you before pushing you back down on the table.

Bucky leaned down and his mouth latched on to one of your nipples. He sucked on it gently as his teeth teased the bud and your back arched off the table in pleasure; whining. Your hands found their way into his hair and you tugged on his hair softly, making him groan. He kissed his way up to your neck once again as he aligned his cock to your core. You could feel his tip, leaking with precum, slightly pressing against your clit. Slowly, he slipped inside of you, groaning at how tight you were. You felt his length stretching you out entirely.

He panted as he started rocking in and out of you slowly, carefully watching your face intently – looking for any signs of discomfort. Finding none, he sped up. You moaned out loud, feeling all of him; stretching you, filling you up, moving rapidly in and out of you to the point where the only thing you could focus on was his body.

“Fuck… you feel so good…” he whispered, pounding into you relentlessly, as he bent down to kiss your open mouth, swallowing all your moans and mewls in the process. You whined upon hearing the wet, slapping sounds your bodies made when they came in contact with one another. Mixed with his scent and the growls leaving his mouth, it was all too sinful.

“You’re all mine, you hear me?” he asked, driven by his lust and passion for you. He stared down at you, his ocean blue eyes seemed even prettier in the dimmed room. You could only nod, unable to form coherent sentences while he pounded into you like he owned you. He leaned in again, kissing you softly. “Say it, doll. Tell me you’re mine.” he whispered against your lips.

Something about how he sounded so calm even while he was fucking you hard made you tremble under him. “I’m yours…” you whispered, shuddering under him. He smirked and sped up into you again, relishing the feeling of you wrapped around him like you were made for it.

Hearing you moan and squirm under him only encouraged him to thrust deeper into you, he wanted to feel all of you and he wanted you to feel all of him. He was relentless. He growled right in your ear as his body moved perfectly against yours. You whined; feeling a thin layer of sweat covering both your bodies as your walls milked him perfectly. A tear fell from your eye, out of pleasure. He was quick to wipe it away. He bent down and kissed your lips, pounding into you rapidly like his life depended on it.

Bucky felt you clench and tighten around him, “Come on, doll. Cum for me.” He whispered, his voice strained and raspy. Your mind was foggy by now, and it took your brain a few seconds to register and process his words.

Not even a few moments later, you felt him twitch inside of you; his cock throbbing against your walls. He came with a growl, griping your hips. You whined as you came around him as well. Swear words flowing out of your mouth like a chant as you felt his cum dripping out of you as he slowly slipped out of you. His body went limp and he fell in your arms, his body weight reassuring you that you were safe in his embrace as his body heat gave you comfort.

You both panted, trying your best to calm your racing hearts. He placed his face in the crook of your neck and his ragged, warm breath fanned your shoulder. You wrapped your hands around his broad shoulder and held him close. His bare chest on top of yours and his length pressed unmoving against your core.

Moments later, he placed both his hands on both sides of you and lifted himself up slightly so he could look at you. He gave you a bright smile and leaned down just the slightest bit to kiss your forehead. The feel of his beard against your skin made you giggle. “Are you okay, doll?”

You smiled and nodded.

Bucky smiled down at you, “Come on, let’s go to bed.”

That night in his study room changed everything. The next morning, as you joined him in the kitchen for breakfast, your parents called to let you know that they were gonna be away for a few more days. They asked if you’d be alright on your own. You told them you would be. Then you told Bucky about it and he pulled you in for a kiss.

“Looks like I have you all to myself for some more days.” He mumbled against your lips and held you closer.

And as expected, the next few days were pure bliss. The next day, Bucky announced that there was no need to be afraid of Thor anymore because he had been ‘dealt with’. You didn’t know what that meant, but you didn’t bother asking because all that mattered was that he was not going to pester you anymore.

During the week, you did open your shop and you worked like you always did. But after closing, you made your way to Bucky’s place instead of your house. He insisted on it. Besides, you loved spending time with him. And sleeping in his arms at night, knowing you were safe and sound was much better than sleeping all alone in your bed.

Bucky was good to you. However, you did wonder what would happen to your ‘situation’ once your parents get back home. You often thought about it whenever you were alone at work, so you eventually asked him about it.

You found him, yet again, in his study room one evening. It wasn’t too dark yet outside, but it was dark enough that he had to turn on the reading lamp in the room. And only upon entering the room did you realized just how much you liked watching him sit on that majestic and comfy chair in his study, with the golden light from the lamp shining down on him. He looked angelic in his all brown, vintage-styled study room.

“Hi.” You spoke softly as you walked into the room.

He lifted his head up from a book and smiled immediately upon seeing you. “Oh there you are, sweetheart.” He extended an arm for you to take, “Come here.”

You took his arm and settled on his lap, like you had done so many times. You hugged him tightly and pushed your face into the crook of his neck. Bucky smiled and hugged you back, his hands casually resting on your butt.

“What is it, baby?” he asked, noticing that you seemed a little off.

You told him about all that you’ve been thinking about lately. And how you’re worried about what your parents might think or say regarding this, and how you’re worried that things would change between you and him once you move back to your home.

He listened with a smile on his face.

“Hey, calm down.” He ran a soothing hand down your back as you straddled his thighs. “I have had feelings for you for two years now. I think it’s high time I make you mine.” he smirked just a little. “So tell me, will you be mine?”

You smiled shyly and nodded, quickly hiding your face into his neck again. Bucky spoke up again, “Don’t you worry about anything, doll. I’ve got you now.” He smiled when you wrapped your arms around him tightly.

“I’m gonna protect you with my life.” He whispered against your hair and kissed the top of your head. He had been dreaming for way too long about these lazy evenings in your arms, these twilight moments with you. And now he finally had you, and he was the happiest man alive.

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itsnotwierditsart13 · 3 years ago

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Holy Shit (ronance fanfic)

A small little fic about Robin and Nancy getting together:)

It was a thankfully slow day at Family Video as Robin and Steve worked their shift together. Robin was building a new cardboard display case for a shipment that was supposed to have arrived hours ago. Everything was always moving in slow motion at this job, though, and Robin enjoyed it thoroughly. Meanwhile, Steve couldn’t even bother to look busy as he slumped in the one old raggedy chair that Keith allowed them to have. It was pouring rain outside, the windows rattling from thunder every so often. There were probably going to be at least 2 more customers coming in before they closed in four hours. Mostly just older ladies who shouldn’t be driving a car, let alone in the poor weather conditions. Ms. Matheson, a store regular, never rewound her tapes fully, always halfway. It drove Steve crazy, even though he expected it.

“We should have Nancy come by, since it’s so dead,” Steve stated casually as if he didn’t have ulterior motives. He was slumped in his chair, eyeballing Robin for any type of reaction. It was clear that she had feelings for Nancy. After everything that had happened at Starcourt the four of them had formed a bond. Hanging out together most days, sometimes including the kids.

“Don’t start,” Robin replied while flinging a piece of cardboard at him. It narrowly missed his head and landed on the dirty carpet behind him. “She’s my friend and straight, if you’ve forgotten. I’m not gonna indulge in whatever you’ve cooked up in that head of yours.” There was another boom of thunder, drowning out Steve’s exasperated sigh. It was the same conversation they’ve had about twenty times since Steve had picked up on Robin’s feelings.

“It’s just...sometimes when she’s looking at you. She’s looking at you. Ya know?” Steve explained. He was entirely convinced that Nancy felt at least something more than friendly for Robin. The two acted differently around each other. “And she knows you’re a lady lover. Maybe you’re like her gay awakening or something,” he finished, causing Robin to raise an eyebrow at him from across the counter.

“Whatever you say, Dingus.” It was clear that Robin didn’t believe a word he said. “Now, can you make yourself useful and hand me the duct tape,” she gestured to the roll that was out of her reach. He rolled his eyes as he passed it over to her.

He didn’t have the heart to mention that she was building it upside down.

_______________________________________________________________

Robin was beginning to lose her mind at a rapid rate. It was clear Steve was going to be no help in the situation as he sat on the far end of the couch, minding his business.

The three of them, minus Johnathan, had decided to have a casual Friday night movie marathon. That was nothing out of the ordinary, except the minute Steve flicked the lights off and started ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ Robin’s brain almost short circuited. Nancy, who was previously sitting a good distance away, curled into Robin’s side like it was the most casual thing in the world. She wiggled around enough that Robin had no choice but to wrap an arm around her small shoulders. They were now fifteen minutes into the film and Robin couldn’t process anything that was happening. She knew that her body was rigid and stiff, almost like a statue, but it was impossible to relax. What was Nancy doing? Sure, they had hugged before and the occasional times they’ve had to sit closely. Nothing like this had ever occurred, though.

Nancy seemed relaxed and engrossed in the movie. Robin had been side-eyeing her. Meanwhile, Steve continued to act like nothing strange was happening. Although Robin knew that he was fully aware of the situation at hand. The asshole was probably feeling pretty smug currently. Robin would’ve thrown popcorn at his stupid hair if her arm wasn’t already occupied. Despite the growing anxiety, it felt good to have Nancy against her. The girl was warm and small enough that she fit perfectly under her arm. Nancy’s arm that wasn’t wedged between them was laying gently across Robin’s stomach. It was all so...intimate. Robin had no idea what to think of it. This was the closest she had ever been to another girl before. On top of the fact that she had feelings for said girl.

That thought alone filled her with guilt almost immediately. Nancy was probably used to cuddling up to her girl friends like this, why should Robin be any different. The fact that Robin was a lesbian probably wasn’t even a thought in Nancy’s mind. The girl had taken the news in stride when Robin had slipped up and came out accidentally a month ago. Here Robin was, though, catching feelings for an innocent straight girl. A straight girl who was currently happily tucked into her side. Shit.

Robin stood up abruptly, dislodging Nancy and causing Steve to startle slightly. “Um, I have to pee,” she mumbled out unconvincingly before taking off down the short hallway. When she was finally locked in Steve’s small bathroom she let out a sigh of frustration. It was times like these that she wished she could just be normal. It took another few minutes to calm herself down enough but she knew she had to return to the couch eventually. It would look suspicious if she hid in the bathroom all night.

When she walked back out into the darkened room, Nancy glanced over at her with an unreadable expression. She quietly sat back down and did her best to avoid the two pairs of eyes that she could feel on her every so often.

Nancy kept her distance for the rest of the night.

________________________________________________________________

A week had passed since the ‘Movie Night incident’, as Steve had dubbed it, and things had only gotten stranger. To Robin’s horror, Nancy had been touchy feely with her every chance she got. Such as, entwining their hands while walking or resting her legs over Robin’s in the car. It was causing Robin to be in constant gay panic mode, which was exhausting to say the least. The more it occurred, the more Steve found it entirely amusing, though. Also, Nancy was always hanging around with them at the Video store. She’d stop in and bring them lunch, even if it was just for a few minutes. It was as if Nancy was doing everything in her power to give Robin a heart attack.

Despite everything, Robin could only feel herself falling harder for the other girl. It pissed her off. She could barely focus when the other girl was around. Currently, she was trying not to stare as Nancy walked into the store with all the kids trailing behind her. Dustin immediately made a beeline for Steve, who was stocking shelves. The others all screamed over each other about which movie to rent. Will, with his sweetheart face, gave a small wave to Robin as he passed. He would always be her favorite of the bunch.

“Hey Robin,” Nancy greeted casually, a small smirk on her face. She wore that expression a lot now and Robin couldn’t decipher it to save her life. “Sorry for the midday child tornado. I’m dropping them off at the Byers house but they wanted to stop for movies,” she joked. Robin had to swallow around the lump that had formed in her throat and waved her arm dismissively.

“Please, it’s been bleak around here anyway. The only person I’ve had to talk to was Dingus,” Robin responded, gesturing over to Steve, who was now surrounded by all the kids. He was probably getting ready to hand them over a movie that they shouldn't be watching at their age. Nancy let out a laugh and stepped forward until she was standing directly in front of Robin.

“Yeah, I know the feeling. Especially when I’m stuck watching Mike while our parents are out,” she spoke and then paused, leaning in a bit more. “Although, I am pretty jealous that he gets to hangout with you all day. Even if you have to deal with customer service.” Robin held her breath as Nancy just kind of stared at her with that same unreadable smirk. Before anything else could transpire between them, Max sprinted through them towards the register. The others followed behind soon after, all yelling about her movie choice. Nancy just rolled her eyes while Robin finally let air into her lungs again. The spell was broken after that as they both made their way over to the, still arguing, group.

Robin didn’t miss Steve making kissy faces at her from behind Nancy’s back. He’d seen the whole exchange.

________________________________________________________________

Another week passed by in much the same fashion. It all came crashing to a sudden halt when Nancy had stopped by the store on a Sunday afternoon. Steve wasn’t scheduled and it was just Robin watching the counter by herself. Nancy had only been there an hour before flustering Robin to her breaking point.

“Okay!” Robin shouted, causing Nancy to startle and take a step back. They had just finished their coffees that Nancy had gotten them while talking easily. When there was a moment of silence Nancy got that smirk on her face again. The one she’d been sporting constantly the last two weeks. Out of the blue, as if it wasn’t a huge deal, Nancy leaned over and kissed her cheek. “You can’t do that! You’re gonna kill me!” Robin continued to rant. She could feel the heat rushing to her face as Nancy just stared at her with wide eyes.

“Do you…um? Do you not have feelings for me?” Nancy asked hesitantly with confusion in her voice.

Robin sucked in a breath of air so forcefully that it made her cough a little. “What!” she wheezed out, grabbing ahold of the counter. Nancy had the decency to look sheepish as she shrugged her shoulders gently.

“I sort of overheard you and Steve talking about me. More specifically that you...liked me. But now I’m realizing I’m an idiot and probably misinterpreted the conversation,” she finished, taking another hesitant step back from Robin. “Oh god, you probably think I’m a freak now.” Robin just continued to stare at the other girl in shock. “You were just trying to be my friend and I was touching you constantly. I am so sorry,” Nancy ranted while waving her hands around anxiously. It was clear she was working herself up into an all out panic attack.

“Wait,” Robin startled, holding her hand up suddenly. “You were flirting with me?” The statement caused Nancy to stop her pacing and look at Robin.

“Well...yeah. Obviously,” she gritted out aggressively and crossed her arms over herself.

“Do you have feelings for me?” Robin yelped back. Nancy just scoffed and let out a bitter laugh.

“Jesus Christ, Robin, you’re really gonna make me say it? Yes...I like you, a lot. You’re funny and caring and I just feel comfortable around you,” Nancy’s words were mumbled out but Robin caught the whole thing.

“Holy shit, Nance,” Robin breathed out in disbelief. The other girl just looked up and glared back at her. With that look, Robin realized what a dumbass she’d been and smiled widely. Before Nancy could comment on it, Robin gathered all her courage and leaned forward to connect their lips. It took a few seconds for Nancy, who was probably confused, to kiss back. They stood there kissing gently while everything else around them faded away. Robin wrapped her arms around the smaller girl, pulling them as close as possible. She could feel Nancy smiling into the kiss.

It wasn’t until a few minutes later the sound of the door chiming broke them apart. Luckily, they were behind a shelf so the visitor couldn’t have seen what they were doing. Robin just rolled her eyes as Steve came strolling around the corner, though. Of course he’d make an appearance even on his day off. When he spotted the two of them he stopped dead in his tracks. It only took a moment for him to take note of Nancy’s blush before he smiled widely.

“You two look like you’re having fun,” he stated. In the next second he had to dodge Nancy’s swatting hands. Robin couldn’t keep the smile off her face even if she tried.

#ronance #ronance fanfic #robin/nancy #robin buckley #nancy wheeler #stranger things

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princeescaluswords · 3 years ago

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On the other hand, I don’t think he’ll run out of monetary resources that will prevent him from taking the time and energy to become a veterinarian. There’s a benefit to having rich families owe you a great deal / Why should the Hales and the Argents be obligated to pay for Scott’s studies exactly? Scott’s father is an FBI agent and his mother is a nurse. He’s not poor lol

I'm glad you asked.

(As an aside, it should be remembered that the Asshole Anon is an extremist. Their comments cannot be taken seriously because they're not actually about the show. They're about twisting the experience of watching the show in order to provide cover for fandom's racism and misogyny. I would find it a lot easier to simply ignore them if their points weren't continuously reflected by the majority of the rest of this fandom in less extreme ways.)

Why should the Hales and the Argents help pay for Scott's educational future? Well, there are many reasons, but there's one scene from the first season's episode, The Tell (1x05) that sums it up nicely.

Scott: Whatever. I have homework to do. I have to go to a parent/teacher conference tomorrow because I'm failing chemistry.

Derek: You wanna do homework? Or do you wanna not die? You have less than a week until the full moon. You don't kill with him, he kills you.

No matter how much fans of the Hales want to twist the narrative, they can't argue that Scott's life wasn’t disrupted during a crucial time of his emotional and educational development. The Hales and the Argents dragged him into their struggles and he never left.

Think of everything that happened to Scott because of the Hales of the Argents? Even if you could accept the ludicrous idea that Peter Biting Scott was an accident (if he was so out of control, why didn't he simply kill Scott like he did the janitor or his nurse?), you can't dismiss the way Peter summoned him out of his bedroom and chased him through the woods, summoned him out of his bedroom and tried to force him to kill Garrison Myers, trapped him in the high school and tried to force him to kill his friends. Trapped and mentally violated him in the locker room. Assaulted his mother. And that's just Season 1.

In our society, if someone assaults you or hurts you, you have the right to demand redress. It's why we have courts. (As an aside, the reason that they couldn't demand redress in return is because Scott is a minor. They would have to sue Melissa, as minors aren't held to same standard of behavior as adults. Shocking, I know.)

But somehow, what the Hales and the Argents -- beating, manipulation, violation, threats, extortion, poisoning -- did to a minor child isn't worth helping Scott out to them. While many parts of the fandom aren't as rabid as the Asshole Anon, they still strongly believe that Derek or Peter Hale Deserves Nice Things, and many, many, many times them deserving nice things requires Scott 'getting over himself.' Scott's reaction to Peter mentally violating and transforming him is considered a petty grudge. Scott's reaction to Derek endangering him and his friends in his war with the Argents is stubbornness.

After all, they argue, while the Hales manipulated, clawed, mind controlled and attempted to murder Scott repeatedly, Peter or Derek did it because they had no other choice. Oddly enough, this exact same reasoning doesn't seem to apply to Scott's Master Plan for them, but we've gone over that.

But the idea that the Hales and the Argents might owe Scott some redress for the suffering they put him through is simply ridiculous to most of the fandom, and where the racism shows itself is that these same people think what Scott owes other characters. The expectation that Scott make up for his missteps is endemic in this fandom. Every slight is a dire insult, every mistake is a terrible crime.

I mean, look at Season 5's fight between Scott and Stiles. Parts of fandom think that Scott was totally and completely wrong to assume that Stiles, someone whom he had personally witnessed advocate pre-emptive and preventative execution and whom he had personally witnessed commit violence in the defense of his father, would be capable of preemptively killing someone who had threatened his father. These people believe that Scott's words, which at the very worst interpretation can only be meant to "I think you murdered someone so go away," demanded redress. Many believe that this behavior should allow Stiles to kill Scott or deprive him of his abilities. Many believe that a flaw in the show was that Scott never apologized to Stiles, a lying traitor who laid into Scott with the cruelest speech I've ever heard between characters who are supposed to love each other.

You see the presumption of entitlement is only given to ... and I'm sure this is going to stretch your imagination (/sarcasm) ... white male characters. Derek can hit and break bones and disappear for three days while people are trying to kill the children he involved in his war, and this bad behavior engenders no obligation to make up for it. Stiles can hit Scott while simultaneously demanding Scott act like a superhero and it demands no reciprocity. The Argents can literally hunt him ruthlessly, and it's his fault for daring to have feelings for their daughter.

Scotts makes a few reasonable mistakes as a teenager and we're still, nearly four years after the show's conclusion, arguing whether he deserved to be treated as a hero, let alone entitled to redress. Or in need of it. Scott can have actual scenes where his mother is close to losing the house, the family car can remain unrepaired for an entire season, Scott can be filled with regret because he didn't send in a scholarship application, but you know, his mother is a nurse and that's a really well paid profession (/sarcasm).

The underlying principle is clear -- Scott, as a character of color, is invalid because he wasn't flawless and should have been replaced, but white male characters deserved more even though they consciously committed vile acts.

BUT IT'S NOT RACISM.

#scott mccall #asshole anon #scott mccall defense squad #teen wolf racism #fandom racism

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latte-fairytaekwoon · 4 years ago

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𝑀𝑎𝑓𝑖𝑎! 𝐴𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑧: 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝐹𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑒 𝑅𝑢𝑛𝑠 𝐴𝑤𝑎𝑦

Disclaimer: In no way am I condoning, supporting, justifying or encouraging mafia activities or lifestyle. This is all fictional and not meant to represent real life scenarios.

❃𝓚𝓲𝓶 𝓗𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓳𝓸𝓸𝓷𝓰❃

You thought you made a good escape. Booking a one way ticket back to your home country under a different name, using fake passport and security never noticed? You seriously believed that Hongjoong would never find you either. It did pain you to leave him. You loved him, but after finding out who he really was, your first instinct was to get out of there.

You reached the hotel that you had booked and grabbed the key to your room. You were exhausted from the flight and from holding in your tears. You just wanted to crawl under some blankets and cry yourself to sleep. But those plans were never fulfilled.

You closed the door to your room, and maneuvered your way around the dark room, trying to find the light switch. Once you found it, you turned it on and gasped out loud when you were greeted by none other than Hongjoong, who was currently sitting on the hotel's bed.

"You know......if you wanted to have a little vacation, you could have just asked me. I always did wanted to see where you grew up." His voice was surprisingly calm, but you noticed the tiny hint of sarcasm hidden underneath.

Standing up, he walked towards you and tilted your chin up to look at him.

"Enjoy these few days I'm willing to give you Y/N, because after that, we're flying straight back home. I'm not going to postpone our wedding."

He leaned in closer, his lips almost brushing against yours.

"You will become my wife....Got it?"

You simply nodded, as there was nothing you could do. You could never escape him.

❃𝓟𝓪𝓻𝓴 𝓢𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓱𝔀𝓪❃

Seeking refuge with an old friend was the only option you felt you had at the moment. Seonghwa knew all your other friends and relatives, but not this one. And they were more than willing to help you out. You didn't give them the details and they didn't try to make you talk. They just knew you needed a place to hide for the time being until you figured out what to do and so they let you stay in a house they owned a small town that they hardly used.

It is exactly what you needed. It was quite hidden away from the city and you were pretty sure Seonghwa would never look for you there. But you were wrong. Seonghwa would go even to the depths of hell to look for you. It felt like hell to him not knowing where you were, but alas, he did found you.

You were walking back from the nearby grocery store when he stepped out in front of you, making you drop the bag you were holding to the floor. You tried to run away, but he caught your arm and pulled you to him.

"Did you really think it was smart to run away from me? Hmm?" He asked.

"S-Seonghwa.." You squirmed in his arms.

"Don't even try to apologize. Do you have any idea how agonizing it was not knowing if you were even alive?!" He held you even firmer.

"Please! Let me go!" You cried out.

"Oh no honey. There's no way I'm lettting you go..."

He smirked and whispered in your ear:

"Especially now when I know you're carrying my child..."

❃𝓙𝓮𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓨𝓾𝓷𝓱𝓸❃

Yunho could sense that something was off with you. Ever since that night when he confessed to you what he did, you had put a little more distance between you two. You didn't seem to enjoy planning your wedding anymore, in fact, you looked sick at times whenever he mentioned it to you. It pained him to think that you were now regretting everything and he feared he'd lose you.

That fear nearly came true. One of his men informed him that you were packing up things. His heart stopped for a minute and in a flash he drove over to your guys' apartment to stop you from leaving him. He couldn't lose you.

As you were walking out with a suitcase, Yunho opened the door and stood in the of you.

"Please don't....." Was the first thing he said.

"I'm sorry Yunho....but I can't do this." You tried to sound convincing, but even you yourself couldn't hold back your emotions.

"That's not what you said 3 months ago. 3 months ago, I offered you my heart and you said yes. You promised me that you'd stay by my side forever." He began tearing up.

"3 months ago I didn't know that you were a killer!" You shouted at him.

"That shouldn't change anything though!" Yunho exclaimed.

"But it does Yunho! It changes everything! I don't even know the man I thought I loved! That's why I have to leave you."

You tried to push past him, but Yunho held you in his arms, desperate to keep you from leaving, pleading and begging for you to stay.

"No Y/N! You can't leave me! Please! I'll do anything, anything! I'll even leave my life of crime, but please....please..."

He sobbed softly and looked in your eyes.

"I'm begging you, please don't leave me. I love you..."

❃𝓚𝓪𝓷𝓰 𝓨𝓮𝓸𝓼𝓪𝓷𝓰❃

Finally you were safe. That's what you kept repeating to yourself. Safe from him, from his prying eyes and safe from actually binding yourself to him for life. You were so wrong.

It had been weeks since you left the small apartment you were currently renting. You refused to go outside in fear that he'd find you. After a few weeks though and no sign of him, you thought you'd be safe enough to just walk to a nearby convenience store and get a few snacks for yourself. As soon as you stepped foot outside the apartment complex, a black car pulled up in front of you and before you knew it, 2 of Yeosang's men grabbed you and forced you in the vehicle, where the man himself was waiting for you.

"We have a long way home so I suggest we start talking." Was all he said.

You scoffed. "There's nothing to talk about."

Yeosang turned to look at you.

"We're supposed to be getting married in 2 weeks, yet you go running away. That's not something to talk about? Clearly we have problems in our relationship and I want to fix them before the wedding."

"There's nothing to talk about because there is no relationship. I'm done with you Yeosang."

You felt his cold glare at you and you didn't want to turn and see his eyes that were now burning holes into your skin. Yeosang took off his seatbelt and placed his hands on the seat above your head.

"You have no choice anymore babe. The minute you accepted my proposal, is the day you became mine. Get it through your head: You're mine now...."

❃𝓒𝓱𝓸𝓲 𝓢𝓪𝓷❃

It was all badly planned, you knew that from the beginning. But still you decided to try your luck and run away from San. But the devil has eyes everywhere and works harder than anyone. Roughly 4 hours after you ran away, you found yourself being escorted back to your house, where San was already waiting for you in your bedroom.

San pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

"Seriously? Do you have anymore stupid ideas in that brain of yours?" He asked you.

You didn't respond, you just simply looked down at the floor.

"So you're not going to talk to me?" He tilted his head to the side, a small scoff escaping his lips.

San walked over to you. His hand gently traced your jawline, before cupping the side of your face, his thumb running across your bottom lip. You knew what he was trying to do and you tried to move away from him, but instead, he pressed you up against the wall.

"There's more than one way to make you talk kitten....you know that don't you?"

You tried to not look at him, but he tilted your chin up to see him. His eyes were full of lust but also love and adoration for you.

"Tell me you don't love me.....look into my eyes and if you can tell me you don't love me anymore, I'm willing to let you go." He promised.

But you couldn't, you knew that you couldn't lie to him about that. Especially not when his lips were so dangerously close to yours and you wanted him to just kiss you.

"I can't. I can't say it. I love you San-"

Before you could even finish, his hands cupped your face and he kissed you fervently.

"I knew you still loved me..."

❃𝓢𝓸𝓷𝓰 𝓜𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓲❃

You could no longer see him the same way as before now that you knew the truth: your sweet, bubbly fiance was in reality one of the most feared and terrifying men in the city, guilty of some of the most heinous crimes you have ever heard of. You refused to believe it at first, thinking it was all a lie, a nightmare that you wanted to wake up from.

But you had to face reality and you realized you couldn't stay with him. Staying with him meant putting yourself and your loved ones in danger. And you couldn't do that. That's why you tried to run away as far away as possible from everything.

But he brought you back, he wasn't going to let you leave his side.

"I can't let you leave Y/N. You made me promise and I won't let you break it." He told you firmly.

"The promise I made that day was to someone else. It was to the man I fell in love with, the sweet, innocent and dorky man I adored." You stated.

Mingi slammed his fist on the table.

"That man is still me!"

"No it's not! That man was merely an illusion, a fantasy! You're nothing but a murderer! A criminal! A liar who wore a mask to hide who he really was! How can I ever trust you again?!" You exclaimed.

Mingi stayed quiet, trying hard to keep his composure. He slowly started to walk over to you.

"I'm still the same man you met that day at the park, Y/N. I never lied and I never deceived you..."

Once he reached you, he tucked a strand of hair behind your ear.

"Give me a chance to prove to you that I'm still the man you fell in love with..."

❃𝓙𝓾𝓷𝓰 𝓦𝓸𝓸𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓰❃

Wooyoung had eyes watching you 24/7, even before you started dating, before you even knew of his existence, he was always there watching. So he knew how you were planning on running away from him, but he never let you know that he knew what you were up to. He knew you were waiting for the right moment, so he played along and pretended he was going on a business trip somewhere.

Just as he expected, you grabbed a suitcase and started rummaging through the house for your passport to leave. But you couldn't find your passport, it wasn't where you left it.

"Looking for something darling?"

Wooyoung's voice in the doorway startled you and it scared you more when you saw he was holding up your passport. He smirked as he began walking towards you.

"You know, I'm not as dumb as you think I am sweetheart. I know you better than you know yourself..." He began saying.

He backed you up against him bed and pulled you against him.

"That's why I know you don't actually want to leave me." He smirked.

"How would you know?" You raised an eyebrow at him.

"Because you love me, you can try to deny it, but you still love me. You know you do. Even your own body betrays you."

His lips began kissing up your neck as his hands caressed you underneath your shirt, causing you to bite your lip as you tried to hold in a moan.

Wooyoung kissed all the way up to your lips and bit down on your lower lip. He then pushed you down on the bed and hovered above you.

"Let me remind you of one of the many reasons you love me and can't leave me..."

❃𝓒𝓱𝓸𝓲 𝓙𝓸𝓷𝓰𝓱𝓸❃

"You have 1 hour to bring her back, understand?! Not 1 minute later."

"Yes sir." Jongho's men said as they went on their search for you.

He was livid. He began his usual habit of breaking apples to ease his rage. He was angry at everyone: at you for running away, at his men for letting you get away in the first place, at himself for letting you find out who he was, and at the whole situation in general. But he was also scared, terrified in fact, of losing you, of you getting hurt. He could never forgive himself if something happened to you.

As soon as his men brought you back to him, he held you close to him.

"Y/N please don't ever scare me like that again! You had me worried to death!"

But you said nothing to him, simply stared at him with cold eyes.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked you.

"How else am I supposed to look at you when I know who you are and what you do?" You responded, venom could be felt in your words.

"Y/N don't start right now. We're days away from getting married. I'd like us to start our married life with happiness like all other couples." He warned you.

You let out a dry chuckle at his words.

"But we're not like other couples are we now? Besides, who said I'll marry you?" You questioned him.

Jongho's grip on you tightened.

"You already gave me your word."

"Maybe I take it back. Maybe I don't want to marry you anymore. Maybe I just want to be as far away from you as possible." You told him.

Jongho half smiled at you.

"I hate to break it to you princess....but what makes you think you have a choice now? We're getting married and that's final."

Gifs not mine, credit goes to their respective owners.

#ateez #ateez reactions #ateez hongjoong #ateez seonghwa #ateez yunho #ateez yeosang #ateez san #ateez mingi #ateez wooyoung #ateez jongho #ateez mafia au #mafia!au #mafia!ateez #ateez scenarios #ateez imagines

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mauvecherie-writes · 4 years ago

Text

The Bodyguard.

PAIRING: Guillermo Sollima x Black reader.

SUMMARY: In the midst of a gang war, you, the daughter of a cartel boss must be moved for your safety. Your father hired a bodyguard for you to protect you during the journey. You just never expected to ever fall for the man …

WARNING: NSFW*** angst, graphic violence, kidnapping, age-gap (over 21), sex.

WORD COUNT: 7.9K

NOTE: This was a piece that I wrote during my wattpad days. I had a massive crush on Benicio Del Toro and I still do, it’s just lowkey lol. I decided to upload this specifically for @anbanananna. She keeps the flame going. PS: I wrote this a very long time ago so it is a bit cringe lmao, please spare me.

The birds chirped lovingly outside of her windows as she woke up that beautiful Saturday morning. The sun was high up in the sky and clear of any type of clouds. It instantly put her in high spirits as YN got ready for her day. She moved swiftly around her spacious bedroom as she moved from her bathroom to her closet to her vanity table. There was no reason whatsoever for YN to get so dressed up but she just felt like doing so. After putting her hair into a high ponytail, she grabbed her phone and left her room. Her spaghetti flower print summer dress flowed behind her as she walked down the stairs and headed towards the kitchen.

She could hear commotion from one wing of the house but she didn't want to bother herself with that. When she entered the kitchen she saw Ramon and his staff working on cooking breakfast but Jade did not feel like waiting. She sat at the kitchen islet and waited.

"Good morning Miss YN." Ramon greeted her.

"Good morning Ramon. What are you serving for breakfast?"

"Today it is going to be very simple, between pancakes and waffles."

"Easy choice. Can I have some waffles please?"

"With all of the toppings?"

"Extra maple syrup please." YN smiled at him before he left her. As she sat at the islet, she scrolled through her phone, replying to her friend's messages and her social media catching up on the latest gossip. As she did so, she didn't notice her father enter the room.

"Good morning mija." He greeted as he placed a kiss onto her forehead.

"Morning papa." She replied to him as he sat beside her.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her.

"I'm good. Just waiting on Ramon to make my breakfast. Theresa is coming by later to pick me up so we go hangout with our friends." YN told her father about her day.

"I need to talk to you before you leave."

"Okay papa."

After that, her father left her alone. She was a bit worried about what he wanted to talk about because most of the time, he would just tell her out front. Rafael Estes was her father.

Rafael Estes, the most feared and most powerful drug lord in Mexico was her father. Her mother was his favourite mistress. He never hid their relationship but when she got pregnant with YN, she left Mexico and moved to Brazil. They stayed there until nine years and her mother became ill. Rafael came to their rescue. He moved them back to Mexico and took care of her and her mother until she passed away five years later. YN wasn't his only child but she was the only one who still lived with him. She was twenty-two and she could have left already but she was too close to her father to just leave. She didn't want to take over his empire, that was up to her older brothers to deal with.

YN tried to live her life as normal as possible and that's why she kept her mother's surname. The two didn't even look alike but when they were standing next to each other, you could see the relation. She did all the things girls her age do. She was enrolled into a private university and she had a group of friends and they all knew who her father was. To be honest it was kind of hard to hide because wherever she was, there were some guards around. They never shadowed her but they were always in the background of where she was except when she was at university.

When she finished her breakfast, she went to get her bag and when she entered the hallway leading to her father's office, it was littered with some of his workers. They all respectfully greeted as she passed by. Her father's office door was wide open so she just stepped in. She noticed a man standing in front of her father's desk. From the back she could tell that he was decked out in high tech gear. Instantly, her mind began to race.

"Papa." She spoke, causing both of the men's heads to face her. The first thing she noticed were his hazel eyes. Followed by his rugged, rough beard that was thicker around his pink lips than on his cheek bones. His black hair was pushed back in a messy kind of way that looked like he continuously ran his hand through it. She blushed when he smirked slightly.

She had been staring at him for a bit too long. "Mija sit down."

YN did as she was instructed. Her body was still nerved by the man standing behind her.

"You know I would have never called you in here if I didn't think the issue was serious." She nodded her head. "I never want to stress you with my business but I've been put in a position where I need to let you know some things."

"Is everything okay Papa?"

"Things will be baby. Right now I'm in the midst of a drug war with the Medellin cartel. It's getting a bit too dangerous so I'm going to have to make sure that you aren't caught in the crossfire." He said. "The man behind you is Guillermo Sollima and I've hired him to protect you as he takes somewhere safe."

"What about you?"

"I'll be okay."

"I can't lose you too." YN felt like crying as the realisation began to sink in.

"And you won't mija. But I cannot in good conscience let you stay here knowing people are coming to look for me. I'd rather you bury me and I bury you if the time comes."

"Why can't you come with me?"

"Because these boys think they can run me away and take over my territory. As a good leader, I stick with my men no matter what it is." Rafael said. "The maids have already packed some of your clothes. You need to leave today ...."

Everything was so sudden and YN sat in the chair as she tried to come to terms with what she was being told. It was like everything was in slow motion. She didn't even know when she got out of the seat and found herself walking back to her room. She got dressed in something more comfortable and she kept her hair in her ponytail. She packed some reading books to keep herself entertained. She messaged her friends that they wouldn't be able to talk to her for a while and none of them questioned her and after she turned off her phone.

After an emotional goodbye with her father, she got into the car and they drove away. As she was sitting in the back as tears silently fell, Guillermo watched her through the rear view mirror.

"Everything will be alright." He spoke to her for the first time. She looked at him to find his striking hazel eyes already on her.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because you've got me."

And he was right. As they traveled through the length of Mexico towards its south border, there was no trouble. Well there was no trouble that ever came close to YN. Guillermo kept her well away from it. There were times that he would come back to where they were staying with cuts and bruises and she tended to them. Those were their bonding times. He wasn't much of a talker but when he did, she enjoyed hearing his voice. He told her stories of his endeavours across the globe as a service man for the CIA. He didn't hide the fact that he was a contracted assassin for them. He wasn't on any side of the law. He was on the side that paid him the most money. And her father had paid him in the millions to make sure that she got to his private island off the coast of South Argentina.

They were now in Brazil. YN spent most of her days with the locals in the market or in the little apartment they were renting out. They were only supposed to stay for a few days but it had been more than a week now. Guillermo told her that he was having a little bit of trouble with looking for transport but he was working on it. Even though he didn't tell her. but she had noticed that whenever she left the apartment, she had noticed that there were eyes that would watch over her.

Today, she didn't feel like leaving so when she woke up, she took a shower and cooked some breakfast. She looked towards Guillermo's room and she didn't hear anything. She didn't want to disturb him just in case he was in there sleeping. She placed his plate into the microwave and went to sit by the television. She was so engrossed in her show that she didn't hear the front door open and Guillermo stepped into the room.

"Morning YN." He spoke. Jade placed her plate onto the table and turned around.

"Morning G." She greeted him with a smile. But it quickly faltered when she saw him clutching onto his side. "What's wrong?"

"I got into a little fight. It's okay."

"You look hurt." YN rose to her feet and went towards him. He knew not to protest against her because she would just keep on persisting that she help until he let her. He sat down on the couch and as he gingerly took off his shirt, YN grabbed the first aid kit and came back to him.

"You've been in too many fights since we got here. That's not good Guillermo." She scolded him as she began to clean up his wound. It wasn't deep but it still drew a lot of blood.

"I'm sorry mama." He playfully replied. She looked at him through her lashes and those piercing hazel eyes were staring down at her. "Someone said something I didn't like and I just had to set them straight."

"What did they say?"

"You wouldn't want to know. It was disrespectful to you." After that they didn't speak any further until she fully cleaned and covered his wound.

"Well thank you for defending my honour." She told him as she lightly traced the now bandaged wound. Her fingers aimlessly began to trace his tattoo that was on the side of his torso.

"No problem." He mumbled softly. Her touch was affecting him in ways he couldn't explain. He didn't want to openly admit that he was attracted to her but in his mind he kept repeating that she was too young for him. YN didn't seem to care because there were times where they would mindlessly flirt and she seemed to always give in. He stopped the hand that was tracing his tattoo and her eyes averted back to his.

"I'm sorry." She whispered softly.

"It's okay." He told her. He didn't want to let go of her hand. It was so soft in his. She bit onto her lip when she noticed their closeness. Every part of her was telling her to close that gap and kiss him but she didn't want to make the first move.

They didn't need to speak as their bodies did the speaking for them. Guillermo placed his hand on her cheek and caressed her skin with the pad of his thumb. YN found herself shifting her position and sitting on the back of her legs to be closer to his face. She held onto his hand as she waited for him. But it looked like he was waiting for her to consent verbally.

"Please." She whispered softly. Guillermo finally closed the gap between the two and laid his lips onto hers. She didn't expect them to be so soft but they were. Like marshmallows. His mouth tasted like menthol with the slightest hint of nicotine. He held the back of her neck as his tongue invaded her mouth and it caused her to moan softly. Guillermo dominated over her and she found herself getting weak. Their breathing became heavier as their kiss intensified. She was still mindful of his wound but he didn't seem to care as he pulled her onto his lap causing her to gasp.

Without giving her room to breath, Guillermo deepened the kiss. He would nibble on her bottom lip, suck on her tongue and squeeze on her body. She felt like risking it all. Her thighs clenched as he slowed down the kisses. His grip on her neck was still there as he kept her in place.

When he finally pulled away, her chest was heaving up and down as she tried to calm down. Her inner thigh was pressing against his length and she could feel it harden underneath her.

"Your breakfast." She was still struggling for breath as she laid her forehead against his. "Your breakfast is in the microwave." She mumbled as she blushed softly.

"Thank you." He replied, licking his lips, savouring her taste. She didn't want to move so she just stayed on his lap causing him to chuckle. YN squealed as he stood up and wrapped her legs around his waist. "Since you didn't want to move."

YN giggled as she placed her head in his neck. Their relationship had now reached other heights and she didn't want to change a thing.

Her bodyguard was now more than that .....

YN couldn't believe how beautiful Uruguay was. They were at the border of the country with Argentina. Being that Uruguay was a safer country, YN didn't need to hide her face or be cooped up in the apartment. For the two days, she had spent most of her time, getting supplies upon supplies, from canned foods to toiletries. Once they entered Argentina, they wouldn't stop travelling, only to get some sleep, a shower and hot food until they got to the south. The journey was going to be long but YN couldn't wait until she reached her father's island. She was now wearing her natural hair and had no false nails anymore. She also stopped wearing makeup and she felt so good.

Guillermo was sitting on the floor as he cleaned his weapons and packed his ammunition. Luckily enough, YN had not been exposed to any type of gun fire but she knew that he had definitely killed some people for her protection because he often came back with bruised knuckles and a black eye a few times. Her growing attraction to him did not stop, it only intensified. He was leaning against the wall, dressed in a white vest top and his trousers. He was sharpening his knife when he finally looked up and smiled when he saw her looking at him. She was laid on her side on the couch in a soft flowing summer dress.

“Come here.” He said softly as he placed his weapons down and pushed them away at a good distance. YN got up from her seat and to where he was on the floor. She clutched on the sides of her dress as she lowered down onto his lap. Once she was situated, she wrapped her arms around his neck as his arms came to her neck.

"What's wrong mi amor?" He asked her as his thumbs caressed her back.

"I just wanted your touch." She replied as she pulled him up closer to her face which caused him to chuckle.

"All you had to do was ask baby." He mumbled as his lips tickled hers. YN bit onto her lip. No guy had ever made her feel the way Guillermo made her feel. So many times she had chucked it to the fact that they were in isolation together but the feelings she was getting for the man seemed far deeper. This man was risking his life for her protection. But it wasn't just a job anymore. He was doing this because he cared for her and he wanted to see her safe from danger. He knew that they were far from it but he could never be too sure with her father's enemies. The private island was heavily guarded and he knew getting her there she would be out of harm's way.

She dropped her head shyly onto his shoulder. Guillermo placed soft kisses on her skin. He hooked his finger onto the strap of her dress and brought it down. His beard tickled her skin but she enjoyed the feeling. His other hand began to inch her dress further up until his hand was underneath her dress and playing on the hemline of her underwear. YN bit onto her lip as she ran her hand through his hair.

"Please Guillermo." She asked him as she thrusted her hips forward softly onto his fingers. He placed his forehead onto hers as he pushed her underwear to the side and began to rub on her clit. She moaned as her eyes fluttered close.

“Tell me what you want love.” He whispered into her ear as he inched one finger into her.

“I want to feel all of you.” She whispered to him which caused him to groan softly. He pulled down the rest of her dress so that it pooled onto her waist. He leaned forward as he captured her lips. He nibbled onto her bottom lip as he entered his tongue into her mouth. She whimpered as he began to finger her at a steady pace. His fingers were skilled and she could quickly feel her orgasm rising. Guillermo tore his lips away from hers and popped her nipple into her mouth. He yearned for the moment that she would be like this in his arms. He focused on all of the love faces that she made. The tremble of her lips and the scrunch at the corner of her eyes. He loved seeing the way her lips would shape to make those sweet moans that he enjoyed hearing.

"I'm going to cum." She moaned as she grabbed onto the fabric of his shirt and rode his fingers faster. His fingers curled and pressed onto her spot and the other squeezed her ass. "Fuck!" YN cussed as her walls squeezed his fingers, trapping them inside of her. She cried out his name as she exploded all around his fingers. He pulled them out and she took his hand and began licking his fingers clean as she stared deeply into his eyes. It was then when she felt his hardened length underneath the softness of her thigh. Guillermo took his fingers out of her mouth and replaced them with his tongue. He moaned against her lips as the taste of her invaded his taste buds. He stood up with her in his arms and walked to the bedroom with their lips still in contact. When he laid her down, stripping her clothes, his lips and hands were never far from the sweet spots. Guillermo stopped for a while to strip his clothing. YN took in all of his scaring and thought that he was beautiful anyway. He got onto the bed and in between her legs. Facing her beautiful pink pussy budding like a rose, he leaned down and ran his tongue up from her slit to her clit and he did it over and over.

"Oh my god." YN moaned as her eyes closed and she fell onto the bed. Guillermo ate her out like he had not eaten in days. He would pay close attention to her clit, sucking into his mouth and slobbering onto it. He thrusted his tongue into her core and wiggled it. It was all too much for her but she didn't dare pull away from him. In fact, she kept his head in between her legs.

"Oh fuck!" She squealed as her legs shook from her impending orgasm. Her eyes were beginning to cross as her whole body convulsed. Without any warning, she came into his mouth. But he didn't stop. It deepened his hunger. He gripped her thighs and continued licking her. Her clit was extremely sensitive and he used that to his advantage.

She struggled for air as she tugged on his hair and the sheets.

"Baby." She breathlessly let out as her third orgasm was triggered.

"Let it all out sweetheart.” He groaned, biting onto her inner thigh as he replaced his tongue with his fingers. Even though her mouth was wide apart, no noise came out but her cream coated her fingers. Determined to draw another orgasm out of her, he got onto his knees and held one of her legs apart as he thrusted his fingers into her faster and faster.

"Oh shit!" She exclaimed. "Fuckkkk! Papi wait!" She gasped as the strong urge to pee gripped her.

"I'm gonna squirt." She told him and tried to push his hand away but he wrapped his arm around her throat and looked into her eyes.

"Cum." He demanded. YN's eyes rolled to the back of her head as she splashed onto his fingers.

"Yeah, that's it. Make a mess." He told her as her thighs shook in the aftermath. He slapped her pussy which caused her to whimper. He hovered above her and she placed her hands onto his neck and brought him down to capture his lips. She moaned as the scent of her essence filled her nostrils. He held onto the calves of her legs as he dropped his bottom half so that his length was rubbing against her opening before he slowly entered into her and began to thrust at a steady pace.

He swallowed all of her moans. She felt so good. She was extremely wet and gushy. Every time he thrusted into her and pulled out, her cream coated his length. He groaned as she squeezed him tightly.

“So fucking wet. You’re taking me so well Princess.” He groaned as he pecked her lips. His words were turning her on. Hearing him being so vocal about made her smile because he was usually so quiet to the outside world.

"Fuck me harder Daddy." YN told him as she looked up into his eyes. She smirked as she saw his eyes darken. He laid down so that their chests were pressed together. He wrapped his hands around neck from the front and the back as he pounded into her harder and harder. He completely took her breath away. She had no words but she panted and held onto his arms, digging her nails into his skin.

"Is this what you want?" He huskily mumbled into her ear and then nibbled on her earlobe. "Me fucking you deep and hard like this."

"Yes Daddy! It feels so fucking good." She exclaimed. YN couldn't take it anymore but she wasn't going to give up now. "You're so fucking deep, I love it."

Guillermo sucked and nibbled on her skin, leaving marks where his lips touched. Her hands reached out gripping onto the pillows as his hands ran into her hair gripped on it as he fucked her harder and harder.

His thrusts were becoming sloppier and sloppier.

"You're going to cum baby? I feel you throbbing inside of me." She moaned seductively which caused him to grunt. She ran her hands down his back and squeezed his ass as she kissed all over his face as she rolled her hips. "Please cum." She whispered into his ear. "Please cum for me."

That was all it took for him to pull out and let his seed paint her thighs. As he came down, she wiped away the evidence and collapsed back onto the bed, completely sedated. Guillermo laid down beside her and placed a kiss onto her cheek. She turned around and kissed him.

"We leave in the morning." He told her which caused her to nod her head and then slowly but surely fell asleep …

—

Six men were circulating the apartment. They were all ready to enter the building. No words were spoken and as they nodded to each other and then began to walk closer to the entrance.

Three soft knocks came to the door and then a note was slid through the bottom of the door. Guillermo picked up the note and read it. Even though he should be panicked, he didn't need to worry. He had already packed the car, all he needed to do was wake up YN and leave. He put the silencer on the gun and enters the bedroom.

"Princess, wake up. We need to go now." He whispered urgently. YN was a light sleeper so when she heard his voice she got and put on her shoes. They walked hand in hand out of the apartment. Guillermo kept her behind his body as they slowly descended down the stairs. Just as they turned a corner, they were faced with a man in a mask. Guillermo placed the nose of the gun to his temple and pulled the trigger. Effortlessly, he took out two other men.

They ran out of the car and he pushed her into the car.

"Hide." He told her. She nodded her head and laid on the floor of the cab of the truck.

Guillermo turned round and went back to the building. When he got back into the building. He found the rest of the men all standing there. He shot one of them through the back of his head which grabbed the other two's attention. One of them punched Guillermo's hand which caused him to drop his gun however he quickly recovered as he poked the man's throat with four fingers, breaking his larynx and crushing his windpipe. As the man struggled to breath, Guillermo bent down and grabbed his gun, shooting the man in the knee and as he fell, a bullet went through his forehead. From the corner of his eye, he saw the last man standing reach for his gun. Guillermo, being quicker, grabbed his knife and threw it. It hit him right into the chest and he collapsed. Guillermo walked up to the man and shot him in between the eyes and then pulled out his knife, wiping the blood on the dead body's clothes.

He walked back out into the car and knocked three times. "YN, it's me."

YN sat up and unlocked the door. Guillermo got in and sat in the driver's seat as YN made her way onto the passenger's seat. "Did you see anybody else?" He asked her.

"No." She replied. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." YN leaned forward and pecked his lips. "Let's get out of here."

Without anything further, Guillermo put the keys into the ignition and turned on the engine. As they drove away Jada interlinked her fingers Guillermo's as they drove away ….

A Year Later ...

YN had woken up that morning and felt like she needed a swim. But not in the pool in the backyard of the house, she wanted to be in the water of the ocean. She put on a simple black swimsuit and made her way out to the beach. It was still the dawn of day and the birds were chirping. She was finally at peace. After months of trying to escape the clutches of her father's rivals, she had finally arrived at the private island. There were a few locals who stayed on it to maintain the place and they had quickly become their friends.

She had become accustomed to the island life and preferred it more than anything. The only thing she didn't like was the fact that as soon she got there, her father demanded for Guillermo. He wanted him back in Mexico for another job. YN didn't want him to leave but she had no control over him because his contract was with her father and not her. They made love all day and all night before he left.

That was about seven months ago and YN missed him terribly. He would sneak phone calls to her quite frequently but it wasn't the same. She wanted to be in his presence. To feel him underneath her fingertips and to hear his voice first hand and not through a phone. Because she missed him, she started causing trouble for the personal security guards she's had since his departure. YN was on her fifth one and she didn't care for him. She would often run away from the home and disappear somewhere off the island for hours. This would cause her father to panic and she'd edge him on to fire them. None of them could match up to Guillermo so she saw no reason for them to stick around.

After her swim, the sun was now in the sky and she walked back to the house. The only people that lived there were her father, the staff and a few of the body guards. She knew that by this time, the house would be alive and buzzing with activity.

"YN!" Her father yelled from the living room as she entered through the kitchen door.

"Yes Dad?" She replied.

"Come here for a second darling."

She walked to the living room and before she could greet her father, she saw Guillermo sitting on the couch. He was leaning forward onto his knees with his fingers intertwined between them. She had to stop herself from running forward and jumping onto him.

"What's this?" She asked.

Her father sighed as he got up from his seat and approached her. "I know that on your journey here, you grew used to having Guillermo around and that it wasn't in my best interest to take him away from you when you had grown to trust him. I know you kept rebelling because you didn't like the other guards that I brought in for you. So I've asked for Guillermo to come back."

YN smiled softly. "Thank you." He kissed the side of her head.

"I'll leave you too to rekindle then. Breakfast will be in thirty minutes."

"Okay."

Once her father was out of sight and far away, Yn was quick on her feet to go to him. He embraced her into his arms and held her close. One hand was on the back of her head whilst the other secured around her waist.

"I missed you so much." She sobbed softly. His cologne engulfed her senses and it felt so good to be in his arms again. He pulled away, just enough to look into her eyes.

"I missed you too." He smiled softly which caused her to smile. "I wish I could kiss you right now." He mumbled. YN bit onto her lip as she felt the same.

"I feel the same way. We should go somewhere. I know a place."

"What time do you want to go?"

"After breakfast. I spend most of my time out of the house. Papa will know I'm with you so he won't question it much."

"That's fine with me."

YN stood on her tip toes and placed a kiss dangerously close onto the corner of his lips. Afterwards she ran away up to her room which caused him to chuckle. Guillermo truly missed her.

It was later on in the day after breakfast did YN and Guillermo leave the compound. They drove to an isolated spot far south from the house. YN directed Guillermo through the woods on a dirt road and eventually came off the road. The further they drove in, the clearer the sound of water became. Soon enough a small waterfall came into view.

"Wow." Guillermo mumbled.

"Beautiful right?" YN smiled as she looked at his awestruck face. She took off her seatbelt and opened the door. "Come on then."

Guillermo followed her action, getting out of the car and locking it behind him. He watched as she stripped down to her bikini and dived in. Her body surfaced and she pushed her hair away from her face.

"You're not going to join me?" She asked smiling whilst biting onto her bottom lip. He took off his shoes and rolled up the bottom part of his trousers. He sat on a rock on the edge of the natural pool and dipped his feet in.

"Come on. I want you in here with me." She said as she swam towards him and got in between his legs. He looked down at her. The water dripped down her chest, following the curve of her breast. He licked his lips as he smiled down at her. She placed her hands on his thighs, pushing herself up so that she was closer to his face. She pecked his lips once and then again, until it became a full blown make-out session. She placed her hands on his cheeks, loving the feel of his beard underneath her fingers.

"Come in with me." She mumbled against his lips. YN moved away from him as got up and began discarding his clothes. Once he had stripped down to his bare body, YN untied her bikini and threw it beside him. He entered the pool and pulled her close. YN wrapped her hands around his neck as he held onto her thighs and wrapped her legs around his waist. She placed her forehead on his as her hands played with his hair.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you too.”

"I don't want you to ever leave me." She mumbled as she looked into his light green eyes.

"I won't." His hand came to her upper torso as he steadied her for him to enter into her. YN gasped as she tightened her hold onto him. Her head fell onto his shoulder as she adjusted to his size and began to slowly move on him.

"I love you so much." He whispered. YN took his face into her hands and kissed him lovingly. Their lips moved against each other, moulding together perfectly. Nothing compared to how she made him feel .....

On their way back onto the compound, they could see commotion. People were frantically running around

"What's going on?" YN questioned, her voice coming out softly.

Before anything else could be said, someone came running towards them. Guillermo slowed down the car and rolled his window down.

“Sir! We've been ambushed!”

“By who?”

“I don't know but they've taken the house!”

A fun shot rang out and blood splashed onto Guillermo's face causing YN to scream at the unexpected event. The man fell onto the ground as blood came oozing out of his mouth. Without further thought, Guillermo put the Jeep into reverse.

"Baby." YN voiced worriedly as he drove off the main road that led to the compound.

"Everything is going to be okay. I got-." Halfway through his sentence, the side of the Jeep was struck on his side. The vehicle spun off the road and came to a crashing stop in the bushes. Guillermo has taken most of the impact. His head was slumped over the steering wheel as blood trickled down his face. YN sobbed as she took off her seatbelt and moved to check on him.

"Guillermo can you hear me?" She asked as she felt for his pulse. He groaned in response which meant that he was still coherent.

"I'm going to try and get you out okay?" She announced. As she reached over to unplug his seatbelt, her passenger door opened. She turned to face who the person was that had opened the door. For a second, she had thought someone had come to help. But that all changed when they harshly grabbed her and began to roughly pull her out of the car.

"NO! LET GO!" She screamed as she held onto the handle above the door and tried to kick the stranger. But he was too strong and because of the crash, she was quite weak. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" She screamed and continued to scream.

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? PLEASE!"

"GUILLERMO!" She cried for him as they dragged her out of the car.

Guillermo could hear her pleading screams and agonising cries. He tried to move but he couldn't. His eyes opened but things were blurred. He tried to call out to her but his speech came out slurred.

"YYY-NN. YN." His eyes stayed open long enough to see the mystery man throw her into the back of a van and drive away. That was all that he remembered before he gave into the pain and blacked out ....

Guillermo was loading his shot gun as he sat in his car. It was hidden in the bushes about half a mile away from the compound where they were keeping YN. After he woke up after passing out, he found out that the remaining Estes cartel had saved him from the wreckage and they had gotten a doctor to patch him up. Even though he was told to rest, he wasn't going to lay down until YN was back by his side.

So he went looking for answers. The streets weren't speaking to him as he was being nice. But he was running out of time and patience. After catching one of the members of the rival gang running his mouth about the ambush, Guillermo was able to torture the information of where they were keeping her.

Normally he would be at ease but he was being fuelled by rage. All sorts of images of them touching and hurting YN were blocking his vision. He placed the shotgun on the passenger seat and checked his assault rifle and his pistol. His knife was strapped safely onto his leg. Once he was ready, he opened the door and made sure that all of his weapons were on him before he left his car.

Two guards were patrolling the main gate of the compound. They were sitting in front of the black iron gate on some deck chairs sharing a blunt. Their guns were on their sides.

"Look at this bitch though. Her pussy is so good. All them fat lips be hugging my dick nice." One of the guards said as he was holding his phone showing his partner a picture of one of his many companions. The partner laughed as he let out a cloud of smoke.

"Can I get with her? I'm tryna see if your words hold weight."

"Ahaha! Of course you can man." He took the blunt from his partner and as he was putting his phone away, he caught sight of a figure walking towards them.

The first guard frowned. "Who the fuck is that?" He asked as he sat up straight with his eyes focused on the walking figure. The second guard followed the sight of his friend and saw the man.

"I don't know. We weren't expecting any visitors today." He said as he stood up and picked up his gun ready to shoot. It was pointed towards the figure.

"Hey!" Then the second guard shouted as he kept his gun up. "Hey! You're not allowed here!"

When they saw that the man wasn't slowing down, the first guard scrambled to his feet, grabbing his gun. But it was too late for any type of action from the men. A rocket was now flying towards them. Before they felt the impact of the rocket head, they screamed loudly. It was inevitable. The rocketed came into contact with the iron gate and exploded.

As the rocket exploded after making contact with the gate, he threw the rocket launcher onto the floor and he took his HK416 into his hands and began to survey the area through the eyepiece as he jumped over the burning bodies. Once he saw that the coast was clear, he walked through the courtyard and bust open through the front door.

YN could hear the commotion in the house. After the explosion echoed through the house she knew something was going down. She hoped that it was Guillermo coming for her but they were in the midst of the drug wars, it could be anyone from the rival gangs attacking the compound.

Her hands were tied behind her back and her mouth was duct taped so that she couldn't make any noise and bring attention to herself. As gunshots rang through the air, YN thought about how she could escape the predicament that she was in.

For the past three days, she had been weak because of the accident prior to being held captive. Now that her energy had been restored, she was able to see and think clearly. Her eyes darted around the room to look anything sharp that she could use to cut the ropes. And to her luck she found shards of broken glass on the floor just below the boarded up window.

"Bingo." She mumbled to herself as she sat up on the mattress. She got up and walked to the window. She then got down onto her knees and picked up the biggest and thickest piece that she could find. Using it as a knife, using the technique that Guillermo had taught her, she cut herself out of the ropes.

In the foyer of the mansion, Guillermo was going through the gang members like a warm knife cutting through butter. Whilst he had one man in a chokehold, he was fighting another who was trying to fight him with a knife. As the man swiped for his face, Guillermo ducked down and punched the man in the stomach. As he doubled down, Guillermo took his pistol from his side and shot him in the head. He then shot the man that was in his arms twice in the chest and let him fall to the ground.

As he was about to walk up the stairs, he felt a bullet hit his chest. His body fell to the floor and he groaned as he felt the pain of the bullet through his bulletproof vest. He turned his body so that he could see the feet of his shooter. He shot at his knees. The man screamed as he fell to the floor. Guillermo shot him through the forehead. He rolled around the corner as he took the bullet off from the vest. He took some deep calming breaths as he loaded his gun and took an assault rifle from a deceased body on the floor. He checked the magazine and saw that it was still quite full.

He could hear the shouting of the men as they looked for him. He heard them going up the stairs which was perfect for him. He quickly got up to his feet and ran behind them and began shooting. The bodies all fell to the floor but Guillermo was still on high alert so as he began to yell for YN, his gun was still high up in position as he looked around making sure that no one was coming for him.

"YN!" She heard her name being yelled. It took her a moment to register his voice. She sat up from her mattress and ran to the door and began to bang on it.

"Guillermo! Baby I'm in here." She screamed as she made as much noise as she could to draw attention to herself. She could hear his footsteps getting faster and louder.

"YN?" She heard his voice on the other side of the door.

"I'm in here. I can't get out." She said.

"There's a padlock on the door. Step back a bit, I'm going to shoot at it."

"Okay." She took a few steps back and she covered her ears as she heard the fast rounds of bullets hit the door. Soon after she heard him kick the door open. Without waiting, she ran and jumped into his arms and captured his lips. He groaned softly as he wrapped his hands around her torso and held her close. He pulled away and laid his forehead on hers looking down into her eyes.

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" He asked as he placed his hands onto her face and looked for any type of bruising.

"I'm okay. They didn't do anything to me either than tie me up and put me in this room." She replied. "What about you?" YN asked as she noticed a black eye forming and that he was wincing a little bit.

"Don't worry about me." He gave her a small smile. "Let's get out of here." With that, he handed her his pistol and then took her hand into his.

As they made their way out, they scouted the rooms making sure that there was no one left. Guillermo walked into the kitchen and turned the gas stove on. Once they were outside and at a safe distance, Guillermo looked through the eyepiece to see his target of the stove through the window. He pulled the trigger and moments later, the house exploded.

They walked to the hidden spot where his truck was.

"How long did it take you to find me?" She asked him as they stood outside.

"Not long. It was just the journey that took long." He replied. He tucked her hair behind her ear. She truly wasn't harmed and that gave him so much relief. Just looking at her face he knew how much he loved this young woman. He didn't want to tell her but he had to. "I need to tell you something."

"What?" YN frowned slightly as her back straightened up in alertness.

"They got to your father." He said. There was no mincing of his words. From the beginning they had wanted her father. Even if they didn't get to him, they were going to get to him through her.

"What?" YN stumbled as tears began to cloud her vision.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered as he held her close.

"How?"

"Don't ask me to tell you.” He mumbled. YN buried her head into his chest as she cried for her father. He held her tight as her sobs vibrated through his chest. He wanted to take her pain away but this was something that she had to feel for her to heal. There was no way that he was going to tell her the gruesome details of what the gang did to her father. The details would scar her for life and he was not about to give her that trauma.

As she calmed down, he placed a kiss on the top of her head. She turned her head to the side whilst she was laying on his chest.

YN knew about the life that she was in but it didn't make it hurt any less. Her father had taken her in and loved her unconditionally. He loved all of his children equally and she never felt like he was neglectful. Even though he was ruthless in his business when it came to his family Rafael kept that personality in a box. The pain she felt of losing her father turned into anger.

"I'm going to kill them." She mumbled as she sniffed. "I'm going to kill them all."

Guillermo took her words in. He could hear the conviction in her voice. She meant what she said.

"And we will." he replied. He pulled away from their embrace and looked into her eyes. "I promise we will."

#munteanhore writes #the bodyguard fic #benicio del toro #benicio del toro x black reader #benicio del toro x black oc #benicio del toro fanfiction #benicio del toro one shot #benicio del toro x you

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