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afictionaladventure16 · 2 years ago

Note

hi!! maybe a fic where pedro has been away from his daughter for a while due to filming and just before a few days before he’s supposed to come home, he calls her saying he has to stay for a couple more weeks. she gets upset and maybe rebels and acts out in some way. the eventual reunion could either be a angsty or fluff depending on what ur goin for!! love ur writing btw!!

Broken Promises (Pedro Pascal x Daughter!Reader)

Pedro Pascal Masterlist

Word Count: 4,516

A/N: First of all, thank you for your kind words! It means a lot! <3 I live for angsty requests! This one was fun to write! I kind of took what you asked and did some twists... I hope you like it, though!! Requests are open to anyone who wants to send something in! Also, I don't know if Pedro's older sister has a husband so, i made it up. ALSO, 4.5 k words! This might be my longest one yet. I stayed up till 4:30 am writing this one....

You anxiously looked over at the clock that was mounted on the wall, “The more you look at it, the slower it’ll move,” your tia commented as she noticed you looking at the clock for the seventh time in the past five minutes. “He said he’ll call before he got on his flight, his flight isn’t until Seven. Hours away, so would you please finish your homework before your father kills me because your grades slipped while he was away.”

You groaned, “It’s killing me that he hasn’t called to let me know he made it to the airport, not even a text!”

“He’s a busy man, Y/N. Plus you know how he is, he forgets where he places his phone like ever single minute, that’s why he’s so attached to that damn iPad,” Your tia commented as she continued to chop up vegetables for dinner. But she had a point, he could have let his phone in his carry on, or some obvious place that was in plain sight.

You knew your dad too well, sometimes you thought you knew him better than he knew himself. Sometimes it was true and it scared you. Why? Maybe it was because he was everything to you and you were everything to him. It had just been the two of you since your mother passed and it was as if her passing brought the two of you closer. You bonded over her death in a morbid way.

His mother passed when he was young, so he knew how to be a shoulder to cry on.

He knew the right things to say and the wrong things to say.

He knew the things you would want to avoid, the people you wouldn’t want to see. Overall, he just knew the pain you would go through. Ever since you were just this dynamic duo.

When he was away filming, you missed him dearly, but it gave you time to spend with your cousins and family you don’t get to see as often.

“Any plans for his return home?” your tia asked, interrupting your thoughts.

“Well, I do have my tournament coming up, which is out of state and papi said we can go on a road trip. Take the scenic route and do all the stops.”

“He did mention that, he sounded pretty excited.”

“Yeah, plus this tournament is a pretty big deal, the top four teams will be competing to go to championship,” you explained. You wouldn’t say that soccer was your life, but you did love playing soccer. There was something about being on the field and just leaving everything on the sidelines, leaving all your trauma and past for a few hours and just being free.

You had gotten into soccer when you were fairly young. You remembered your parents always cheering for you in the sidelines and then it was just your dad, then sometimes it would only be your tia who always had her phone up with most likely, your dad on the other side of the phone. Slowly the emptier the sidelines got, the reason for you to play grew, the more you wanted to just be free from your mind.

The sound of your phone ringing interrupted your thoughts, you jumped up and ran towards your phone that sat at the kitchen counter. “Papi?” You said as you answered the call.

“Y//N,” he began to say.

“About time you called, I was beginning to worry you had missed your flight or something. Are you at the airport already?”

“No,” He sighed.

“You’re kind of cutting it close, you know that right?” you glanced at the clock, six thirty, it had read.

“Cariño, I need you to listen to me,” he sighed.

You sat back down at the kitchen table, “What’s wrong?” you asked. Your mind was quick to race to certain thoughts, someone could be dead, you thought. Who could it be? You had been with your tia Javiera for the past month and she was the oldest. Usually she was the first to know everything.

“I’m sorry, Cariño,” he began. Your heart began to race, an uneasy feeling crept over you like storm clouds. “I’m gonna have to stay here for a few more weeks.”

“A few more weeks? B-But you’ll be here for our road trip right?” You were met with silence, a sinking feeling took hold in your stomach, “Right?” you asked again.

“Mija,” he muttered. Pedro spent the whole day putting off this phone call for this reason. He had gotten your hopes up and he knew you weren’t going to take it easy.

“Did you tell them no?”

“I can’t tell the directors no,” he answered.

“Did you even try?” Your voice choked with disappointment, he couldn’t be doing this. He promised he wouldn’t become that parent.

“Mija, I can’t say no, I have to stay here and do reshoots.”

“But our road trip!” You exclaimed.

“I know and I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

“Just like you promised to take me on this road trip?”

“Mija, por favor, Don’t do this to me,” he said, Pedro felt his heart heavy, he knew he was disappointing you and as much as he wanted to tell the directors to shove it and say no, he knew he couldn’t.

“Or like how you promised you’d never do this? How you promised you wouldn’t become that person.”

“Y/N,” When the first name came out, you knew he was beginning to get upset.

“Mija, give me the phone,” your Tia stepped in. She knew someone might say something they might regret and she didn’t want to see either of your hurt. But she forgot to realize you were her brothers daughter and just like him, you were stubborn too.

You held onto the phone, “You promised,” disappointment written over your voice, tears began to well up in your eyes.

“I know,” he whispered. If you had only seen how torn your father was at the moment, maybe you would have been okay with situation. Or maybe things would have turned differently, but you could only hear his voice and although, you heard the disappointment in his voice, you couldnt be bothered to care about it. All that mattered to you was that he had broken his first promise and you didn’t know if this was going to be the first of many and if so, what was next?

Would you be one of those kids that grew up only seeing their parents on the holidays and eventually writing a book titled, “My Parent, the Mandalorian, and the neglect I endured.” You never wanted to be one of those kids and when your dad first began to get bigger roles, he had promised you that you wouldn’t. That he wouldn’t become one of those famous parents.

You remained silent, hoping it was some kind of sick joke and maybe he’d say something along the lines of ‘Gotcha!’ or maybe he’d say ‘I’ll be there tomorrow, don’t worry!’ But seconds pass and he didn’t say any of it. “Okay,” you finally said.

“Mija,” Pedro began to say but you handed the phone to your tia.

“Pedro, it’s Javiera,” your tia said, a somber look fell on her face when she had heard him apologizing when she first took the phone. She felt bad for her little brother, but she also felt bad for you.

“Is she still there?” Pedro asks

Javiera looked at you, you wiped away tears that were managing to escape. You groaned to yourself, irritated with everything around you, you left the room. “She just left,” she replied.

“I fucked up, didn’t I?”

“Yeah,” she sighed.

“How do I fix this?” Pedro pleaded. Ever since your mother passed away, Pedro called his big sister for any little thing on parenting, he felt like every choice he made was the wrong one. Most of the time, it wasn’t, he was just overthinking it.

“There really is no way out of the reshoots? No way to reschedule?”

“Directors call,” he sighed. “I really fucked up, Javiera. No me va a perdonar” (She’s not gonna forgive me).

“No mas nicesieta tiempo. Let me talk to her, but for now… give her some space.”

“Are you saying not to call her?” Pedro questioned.

“Or text… just for a couple of days. If anything send her a goodnight text, but let’s not anger her more.” He let out a small sigh, Pedro always texted you. Even if he went the whole day without responding, he made sure to send a goodnight text every night.

“Alright,” he muttered. “I’m gonna need you to get in contact with the school, she’ll have to go with her team to the tournament.”

“I’ll contact them, and Pedro?”

“Mande?”

She let out a deep breathe, “It’s gonna be fine.”

Pedro tried his hardest to give himself a smile, to reassure himself that it would be fine and eventually it’ll pass, but he couldn’t. At the moment his heart was utterly broken, he had broken a promise, what felt like a sacred vow and now he had disappointed you. It probably wouldn’t be the first, but he sure as hell, hopes it wouldn’t become a habit.

Over the past week, you only left your room to go to school and shower. Your cousins dropped off your food in your room every day, you felt like they were somehow on your side. Your friends eventually began to blow up your phone, not only had you been distant with your family, but you’ve also been distant with them.

You felt your phone vibrate beside you, you groaned at the thought of getting a phone call from anyone. Picking up the phone you realized it was one of your teammates, Cassandra, “Yeah?”

“Finally you pick up,” Cassandra muttered. “Look, a bunch of us are going to go on a drive later tonight with Justin’s brother, he just got his license and we wanted to know if you want to join.”

“Can’t.”

“Oh come on, Y/N! You’ve been so distant and what will it hurt? You’re dad isn’t home anyway so he can’t say anything!”

You let out a sigh, she had a point, “I still have curfew.”

“So? Sneak out.”

You had to admit that Cassandra was a bad influence. She wasn’t your best friend, she was one of the girls in your soccer team. She was part of the older group in the varsity team, but she always invited you out. Part of you felt like she only did it because of your dads social status which is why you always declined her offer. That and because your dad didn’t really approve of you hanging out with her, he could always tell when someone was a bad influence. But Cassandra was right, he wasn’t here.

“Fine.”

“Really?” Cassandra asked taken back by your response.

“Like you said, my dad isn’t here, so it shouldn’t matter right?”

“Trouble in paradise?” She chuckled.

You rolled your eyes, “What time should I be ready?”

“We’ll pick you up at midnight, we’ll shoot you a text when we’re down the block,” Cassandra said before she hung up the phone. You felt your nerves beginning to get worked up, you had no idea what you just got yourself into, yet something inside you felt carefree.

If your dad were home, you knew he wouldn’t approve of you going out so late. He definitely wouldn’t have approved of you going on a joy ride with someone you didn’t even know and had just gotten their license. He wasn’t here though.

You remained in your room while you waited, your Tia Javiera came to check on you before she went to bed. Soon after you heard your phone vibrate on your desk, for a moment you thought it was Cassandra but it was still an hour away from midnight. You glanced at your phone,

Goodnight, Mija ♥️

It was a message from your dad. You rolled your eyes and put your phone away. You spent the rest of your time getting ready, you wore something simple, but made sure to cover up from the cold. A few minutes past midnight you received a text from Cassandra saying that they were waiting down the block. You began to quietly make your way out of the house.

“Where you going?” you heard someone whisper.

You turned around to see your cousin Pedro in the middle of the kitchen, “Pedro, what are you doing up?”

He held up a sandwich, “where you going?”

You looked at him with pleading eyes, “I’m only going to be gone for an hour, it’s just a drive around the block with some friends.”

He chuckled, “I don’t care what you do, Y/N. I’ve been there before. Have fun and if you go to McDonalds bring me some fries, kay?”

You rolled your eyes, “whatever.” You playfully flipped him off before walking out of the house. You made sure to close the door softly behind you. Once you were in the clear you booked it down the street. You spotted Cassandra waving you down from a dark green Tahoe.

“This car is a piece of junk,” you commented as you got into the Tahoe.

“Hey, no disrespecting Hilda!” The driver who you assumed to be Jasons brother, exclaimed.

“She’s a piece of junk but she’s Marty’s piece of junk,” Jason commented.

“Correct!” Marty said. “Now let’s get this party started!”

Pedro woke up in a startle to the sound of his phone ringing, at first he had thought it was just his dream, but the sound slowly began to get louder and louder until finally he woke up. He groaned, “who the fuck is calling so early?” he muttered to himself.

“Hello?” he answered in an annoyed tone.

“Pedro?” he heard his sister on the other line, her voice sounded strain.

“Javiera?” Pedro quickly sat up.

“Pedro,” Javiera’s voice trembled, there was some ruffling sounds on the other line.

“Javiera?” No answer. “Javier, que te pasa?”

“Pedro?” Javiera’s husband had taken over the phone.

“Augustine? Que esta pasando?” (What’s happening) Pedro was no sitting on the side of his bed, he no longer felt drowsy.

Augustine sighed, “Pedro, no se como dicier te. Y/N snuck out a few hours ago,”

“Shit,” Pedro let out a deep breath he didn’t know he was holding in. His mind had been racing to a million scenarios. “Well that’s a first,” he chuckled.

“Pedro,” Augustine said softly.

Pedro closed his eyes, the way Augustine said his name, he knew what it meant. “Is she okay?” Pedro asked as his voice trembled.

“She was in a car with a bunch of her friends and some drunk driver, he was driving over a hundred miles, the kid didn’t have a chance to react.”

“Augustine, is my baby okay?” Pedro was beginning to get ansty.

“She’s in the ICU,” Pedro could hear his sister crying in the background.

“Is she okay?” Pedro asked again.

“You need to get here as fast as possible, Pedro. She’s at Saint Mary’s Memorial Hospital, you know where that is?”

“Saint Mary’s, yeah,” Of course he knew where it was. He could never forget, it was the same hospital you were born at and now you were there again, but in different circumstances. Pedro was quick to hang up, calling his Director in the middle of night was something he would never do, unless it was something like this. Something like his daughter was hanging on by a thread and he didn’t care about anyones sleep, he just needed to get on the first plane back to New York.

The directors were understanding of the situation, they even helped Pedro get back to New York within the hour. He had never received treatment like that, but he was thankful for it.

Pedro had just a carry on, leaving most of his luggage back at the hotel with his assistant. He didn’t need much anyway, just the essentials.

Once he got out of the airport, he flagged down a taxi. The ride to the hospital seemed to be the longest ride ever. Pedro was anxious to get there, anxious to see you and to make sure you were okay. She’s in the ICU, Augustine’s voice kept repeating those words in his head like a broken record player. The sound of his sisters cries over the phone brought back memories he had thought he buried.

His thoughts were quickly interrupted by the brief halt of the car, Pedro looked out of the car window to see that he had arrived to his destination. “Thanks,” he said to the cab driver as he handed him some cash before bolting out of the car and into the hospital.

The sun was beginning to rise when Pedro finally arrived, he rushed over to the front desk. “May I help you, sir?”

“Uh- my, my daughter,” Pedro let out a shaky breath.

The receptionist knew that look too well, she had seen it so many times. “What’s the name?” she asked softly.

“Y/N Pascal.”

SHe was quick to type the name in, knowing that the last thing he wanted to do was wait any longer. “Take the elevator to floor three.”

“Thank you!” Pedro ran over to the elevator, punch the button for floor three.

He ran out of the elevator once they opened.

“Pedro!” He heard his sister exclaim.

Pedro let out a sigh of relief, he ran over to her and gave her a hug.

“I’m sorry,” she sobbed.

“It’s alright,” he looked over at his nephews, they both were distraught of the situation. “You boys okay?”

Young Pedro looked over at his uncle, tears in his eyes, “I should’ve stopped her, Tio. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he pulled his nephew into the hug. Pedro didn’t know why he was trying to comfort everyone at the moment, maybe a part of him felt like it was his responsibility because he felt so much guilt. “Where is she?”

“The doctors have her in surgery right now, she had some internal injuries they hoped to repair.” Pedro choked back the tears, he sat down on one of the chairs nearby. “They said by the looks of the crash site, she got the worse of it. She was sitting in the spot the car impacted with.”

Pedro pinched the bridge of his nose, “How bad is it?”

“The doctors said something about possible physical therapy,” Javiera added. “It’s still all unknown at the moment.”

“This is all my fault.”

“Don’t say that, Pedro.”

“She isn’t that kind of kid, Javiera! She would’ve never done this unless she was really mad at me,” Pedro let out a shaky breath. Javiera placed a comforting hand on her brothers shoulder. “I can’t lose her, Javiera,” Pedro sobbed.

“I know,” she whispered. She let Pedro cry into her shoulder and he cried for a while. After about an hour, he began to calm down, everyone sat in silence as they waited for the doctors to come out. Hours passed by when finally a doctor walked out of the doubled doors and to the Pascal family.

“Family of Y/N Pascal?” the doctor nervously figeted with his hands.

Pedro stood up quickly, “How is she?”

The doctor cleared his throat, he never like this part of the job, speaking to the family. “There was a lot of damage and we did the best we could,” Pedro felt a sob make its way into his throat, he tried his best to hold it back, it wasn’t bad news yet. “But she’s steady now.” Pedro let out a deep breathe. “This isn’t the end of her journey yet, she has a long road of recovery. She’s lucky to be alive.”

Pedro had tears falling from his eyes, his baby girl was okay. “Thank you,” he said to the doctor, “Can I see her?”

“Of course, I’ll take you to her.” The doctor led Pedro through the doubled doors, “She’s in the post Surgery, we’ll be moving her back to the ICU later today.” The doctor stood beside one of the doors, “She’ll have a lot of wires surrounding her, it may look scary but it’s what’s keeping her alive. She might not wake up right away, if anything we don’t expect her to wake up for a few days. It’s common in severe crash victims,” the doctor explained. “The tube in her throat will be taken out once she can breathe on her own.”

“Can I touch her at least?”

The doctor nodded, “It’s like handling a newborn, you have to be a bit careful.” The doctor tried to give Pedro a reassuring smile.

“Thank you,” he said softly before opening the door. The doctor was right, the way the wires surrounded you scared Pedro. “Oh baby girl,” he said softly as he walked up to the bed. “I’m sorry,” he let out a sob. He sat on the chair beside your bed, taking your hand into his, he placed a kiss on the top of your hand. “I’m sorry I broke our promise, but you need to wake up for me okay?” He slowly moved a strand of hair out of your face, careful to not touch the tubing and wires. “Te quiero mucho, Y/N. No puedo vivir sin ti.” (I love you so much, Y/N. I can’t live without you).

As the days passed, Pedro stayed beside your bedside during the day and during the night. He never left your bedside, not even to shower although he was beginning to get remarks about how he smelled. He didn’t care, he wanted to make sure he was there when you woke up.

It had been a full week and you still hadn’t woken up. The doctors were beginning to worry, they started to do more tests to make sure they didn’t miss anything before or to see if anything new showed up.

“Pedro, you need to go home and at least shower,” Augustine said as he placed a plate of food on a small table nearby.

“I’m fine,” Pedro said as he kept his eyes on you. Augustine sighed, it was no use, there was really nothing that was going to convince Pedro to leave the room.

“Come on, Cariño,” Pedro said softly. “You need to wake up.” he squeezed your hand gently. Pedro was about to let go when he felt you squeeze his hand, his eyes widen and he squeezed your hand again. Few seconds later your squeezed his hand, “Yes!” he exclaimed. He got up from his chair, “She squeezed my hand!” he yelled out to the nurses that were outside the door. They came rushing in, beginning to check your pupils and your vitals.

“Get the doctor,” one of them commanded the other.

The doctor was ecstatic to see the vitals go up, “Y/N, if you can hear me, squeeze your dads hand.” You squeezed your dads hand again. Seconds later your eyes fluttered opened, you winced at the brightness of the room. You felt something lodge in your throat, you lifted your arm to touch it, “no, no we’ll take it out for you, dear.”

“She’s awake,” Pedro said in disbelief.

“We’ll need to get the tubing out,” the doctor said. Pedro got up from his spot on the bedside, let the doctor take the tubing out from your mouth. “Your mouth is gonna feel dry for a couple of days, it’s common,” he began to say as he checked your pupils again. “Do you know where you are?”

“The-” you coughed, a nurse handed your cup of water. “The hospital?”

“Good, what year is it?”

“Twenty Twenty Three.”

“What’s your name?”

“Y/N.”

“And who’s that?” The doctor pointed over at your dad.

“My dad,” you said softly.

The doctor smiled, “We’ll run some more tests later,” he said to your dad, “I’ll leave you two alone for a now.”

Your dad thanked the doctor, he waited until they all left to go back to his spot by the bedside. You bothe remained quiet for a few minutes, one waiting for the other to speak. The other trying to get the courage to speak.

You let out a shaky breath, “I’m sorry,” you whisepred. “It was really stupid.”

Pedro shook his head, pulling you into a warm embrace, “It doesn’t matter,” he said softly. “All that matter is that you’re here and you’re alive.” He let go of the embrace, holding your head in his hands, “that’s all that matters to me right now, okay?” You gave him a nod, “I thought I was gonna lose you,” he choked out.

“I’m sorry,” you trembled.

“Que paso, Amor? How did it happen?”

You shrugged, “One second we were heading back and the next thing I know, I heard screaming and it was dark,” you sniffled. “Is everyone else okay?”

Your dad nods, “You got the worse of it. Cassandra was pretty shooken up, but they all got minor scratches and concussions.”

“Lucky me,” you said sarcastically. Your dad kissed the top of your head, “I really am sorry about everything.”

“No, I’m sorry, I broke a promise.”

“I overreacted,” you confessed.

“I don’t think you did,” he said softly. “I mean, I get it, we had a promise I wouldn’t break promises or cancel on you for work, especially with thing like your tournament. I wouldn’t let you become one of those kids with a book on how their parent was the worst parent ever.” you chuckled, causing your dad to smile, “I broke that promise and it scared you, and I’m sorry.”

“Thank you and I’m sorry I overreacted and landed myself in the most expensive place on earth that isn’t Disneyland.”

Your dad let out a laugh, “Forgiven.”

“Forgiven,” you repeated. “Now, how bad is this?” you gestured to your broken leg, “Is my soccer career totaled?”

“Soccer career? I thought you wanted to become an actor like your old man?”

“Well, acting wasn’t my first choice, but depending on this, it might just become my first choice.”

Pedro rolled his eyes, “Well, you’ll have physical therapy for sure, but let’s talk about it when we get there.”

“Alright, but can we talk about something else?”

“Dime (tell me).”

“Can you go shower?” you scrunched up your nose, “I’m pretty sure your B.O. is what woke me up!”

Pedro rolled his eyes, “Alright, alright, I’ll call your tia over to be with you while I go shower.” Pedro watched as you covered your nose in exaggeration, usually he would say something petty, but right now he just wanted to admire you and the fact that you were still alive. “Te amo, mija.”

“Y yo a ti, papi,” you gave him a smile, knowing that everything was going to be okay and that if you did write a book in the future, it’d probably be about how you grew up blessed to be Pedro Pascal’s daughter.

Pedro Pascal Taglist: @Sophieelizabeth01 @tracysnookok @cilliansangel @change-the-world-someday @graciegoeskrazy

To be added CLICK HERE

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ironstrange1991 · 2 years ago

Text

As Strange As It Seems (Part II)

Pairing: Doctor!Strange, Defender!Strange and Supreme!Strange x Fem!Reader

Synopsis: Y/n, Stephen and Defender are still learning about the relationship that exists between the three when a new variant crosses the border of their universe. Can the relationship survive a third Stephen?

Word Count: 7,8k

Warnings: Sexual content including p in v sex, creampie

A/N: Months later I finally managed to write part two. It's basically a chain of events leading up to the established polyamorous relationship that I love to write about.

Supreme is an idiot, but every time I write him I fall more in love with him. Really hope you guys like this one as much as I do because I am obsessed. There will be a part three and four of this. I'm just letting you know ;)

SERIES MASTERLIST

It was a lazy day for you. Although spring had arrived a few weeks ago the winter chill still persisted and you couldn't complain. You were a winter person. Blankets, tea, fluffy socks, the bodies of your two loves sandwiching you on the kink size sofa. What could you complain about?

On that particular morning you had woken up just before dawn and completely lost sleep, so you grabbed a blanket, your favorite book and went downstairs to the living room and sprawled on the couch. A few minutes later, you were completely involved with reading and even noticed the sun rising, only realizing it when you started to hear the routine noises of the morning in Greenwich Village.

It was Saturday morning and you weren't going to work for which you were very grateful. The last few weeks had been very busy at the office and you felt that if you didn't have a few days of rest you would soon have a burnout. So you decided that that weekend you would do absolutely nothing, it would be two lazy days, reading on the couch and eating takeout. Preferably Italian with red wine. Oh yes, you deserved some time off, some rest and definitely some peace and quiet.

You were distracted with your nose still buried in your book when you felt warm hands on your shoulders and a husky voice "Lost any sleep, baby?"

You sighed pressing your cheek against his hand "I took the opportunity to read a little. This book is really good."

He pressed his hands on your shoulders affectionately "I bet it is, how many times have you read it?"

"I've lost count. It's my comfort book. It hits the right spot every time."

He bent down to kiss the top of your head "I'm not sure I understand what you mean by that. Anyway, I'll make breakfast. Any special requests?"

You turned around, staring at him in surprise. He was still dressed in his sweatpants and T-shirt, his hair pulled back in a lazy bun. "Aren't you going to teach today?"

He shook his head "Wong said I could stay. Honestly, I needed some rest."

"That makes two of us" You said putting an arm around his neck and pulling him in for a kiss. A soft, unpretentious kiss.

"So... breakfast"

You nodded "Waffles?"

He smile giving another kiss on your lips "It’s right away”

...

You were scattered across the sofas and armchairs in the living room. Stephen was distracted reading one of his magic books and Defender had just returned to the room and lit the fireplace at your request.

He approached the sofa where you were lying and you lift your legs for him to sit down, then stretched them back on his lap. He grabbed your feet and began massaging them absently. You let out a satisfied hum and continued with your eyes fixed on your iPad giggling to what you were reading. You didn't even notice that Defender was looking at you with one eyebrow raised.

"What are you reading?" He asked pulling you out of your almost trance. You felt your face getting hot. "Nothing."

"She is reading porn. About us." Stephen responded by looking up from the book he was reading. Defender shifted on the couch.

"It’s not porn" You ran to explain yourself.

"What do you mean about us?" He asked staring at Stephen who now had his face resting on one of his hands."

"It’s nothing, baby" You said turning off the device's screen and placing it on the side table. You sat up and then crawled closer to him. He opened his arms and you snuggled into them sighing at the feel of his body warmth and scent.

"Nothing stands for a ten thousand word smut fanfic."

You bit the inside of your cheek realizing you had been caught. "Stephen, don't be an ass."

Stephen chuckled still without looking up from his book "Why? You don't want him to know you're dirty? He thinks you are such a genuinely innocent girl."

"I am." You said defending yourself, but there was a sly smile on your lips.

Stephen gave a small laugh. "I know you for more than three years now, sweetheart, save that for him."

Defender smirked and stroked your face "What else do I need to know?" He asked and grabbed your chin and lifted it so he could kiss you. This time the kiss was more intense, almost as if he was jealous.

He lightly bit your lower lip before pulling away and then looked at you curiously "What is a smut fanfic?"

You threw your head back laughing amused at the turn the conversation had taken.

"It’s porn. For woman." Stephen replied now looking at you "Am I right, sweetheart?"

"You'd be surprised to know how many men read and comment on these fics, Stephen."

Stephen opened his mouth to answer but nothing came out, he frowned and his cheeks turned slightly pink.

You smiled in victory and then decided to explain yourself "You have very creative fans, it's not just porn, it has a very interesting plot too. I wonder how they know so much about your powers. I myself didn't know many things that appear in these stories."

"You're assuming they're true." Stephen replied and you shrugged.

"Anyway, it is...interesting."

Defender shook his head as if to dispel the idea that unknown people were writing inappropriate stories about him. "I think it's better not to know the details."

You chuckled "Trust me, it's for the best." You kissed him softly, intertwining your fingers in his hair and then deepening the kiss, he let out a soft moan in your lips that made your heart melt. "You don't think I'm dirty, right, Stephen?" Your hand dropped to his chest and continued down, implying something more, but before he could respond both of their cell phones started ringing at the same time and you pulled away.

Your perfect day wouldn't be so perfect. You just didn't imagine that a day that started out so banal could become so... strange.

...

The two Stephens didn't say exactly what was going on as they hurried off to meet Wong. They said only that the Sorcerer Supreme had detected an extremely strong source of magic threatening to rip apart the fabric of reality. What that meant exactly you didn't know, but you could see the concern in the eyes of the two who didn't stop giving orders like "Don't leave the Sanctum for nothing, do you understand?" "Keep your cell phone in your hand at all times, we'll call you." "No matter what happens, stay here and stay safe."

There was more than concern in those words, there was fear and their fear, however controlled it was, was enough to make you terrified.

They left through a portal to the Kamar Taj. Whatever they thought that was going to happen they thought it was going to be there, after all as Stephen said many times, the Kamar Taj was the greatest source of magic gathered on Earth, but what was entering your reality was not seeking confrontation nor power, he was looking for shelter and so he came to the only place where he could feel safe. Home.

You perfectly remembered the day Defender arrived in your universe. It was loud and scary, but you didn't remember being afraid of him for even a second. First because he spent the first few hours unconscious and second because he exuded calm, his face expressions were serene, his voice was low and smooth.

This time it was different. It was silent, just a flash of blue light and then you saw the very tissue of reality rip apart right in front of you and Stephen walked past it. Another Stephen. Completely aware of his actions and there seemed to be no confusion in his impassive blue eyes. He knew exactly what he was doing and why he was doing it.

You didn't know if you were in shock, but you couldn't feel your body, you couldn't move even though you could hear your cell phone ringing shrilly in your hand. You watched the man in front of you dressed in blue robes and cloak make a herculean effort to close the tear he caused in reality and then he turned to face you. He took two steps towards you and you felt an unknown fear wash over you. You wanted to scream, you wanted to pick up the damn phone and tell Stephen that the danger wasn't at the Kamar Taj but at home with you, but you couldn't move. He kept walking until he was only inches away and then he reached out and grabbed the cell phone from your hand and declined the call.

"What is your name?" He asked. The baritone voice finally snapping you out of the catatonic state you were in.

"Y/n" Your voice was barely a whisper.

"I know you, Y/n. I saw you a long time a go...in my dreams. Well, maybe it's another version of you."

You opened your mouth to ask what he was doing in your universe, but the words seemed to have slipped your mind.

"I know what you're thinking. Why am I here. It's a long story really, but I needed somewhere to get away. My universe... it's destroyed and I'd be dead if I hadn't made it to here in time. I had no choice. You understand that, don't you?"

You shook your head but didn't say anything. His story was basically the same as Defender's and that terrified you. Another universe destroyed? Another Stephen Strange? How could you deal with that?

"I know it's a lot to take in. Are you familiar with the multiverse?" He asked in a condescending tone of voice.

You nodded.

"Good. Now, I need you to pick up your phone and call your Doctor Strange. Can you do that for me?" He returned your cell phone.

You stared at the device in your hand and then back at him "Which one?"

He looked at you confused.

...

"She doesn't answer her phone. Damn it!" Stephen's hands were shaking but it wasn't from the damage to his nerves. A minute earlier everyone at Kamar Taj could feel that something had happened. It was like an extremely strong source of energy that had entered the universe, but whatever it was wasn't in the Kamar Taj, it was somewhere else.

"We shouldn't have left the Sanctum unguarded." Defender said. His voice was calm, but Stephen knew himself well enough to know that it was a facade. "You are the Master of the Sanctum. You should go. I'll stay here with Wong..." They were interrupted by Defender's phone ringing. He glared at Stephen "It's her." He put it on the speakerphone.

"Stephen..."

Defender sighed in relief upon hearing your voice "Baby, are you okay?"

You took a while to respond.

"Y/n, tell me you're okay" Stephen asked trying to control his nervousness.

"Can you guys go back to the Sanctum? Now. He's here."

Stephen felt a shiver go down his spine. A thousand of possibilities raced through his mind in the silent seconds between what you said and Defender's question.

"Who's there, Y/n?"

He thought of Nightmare, he thought of Mordo, he even thought of Loki, any of his enemies he'd already fought who might now want revenge by taking away the person he loved most in the world from him.

"It's you, Stephen. It’s another you."

Stephen didn't wait for Defender to answer, he took his sling ring and opened a portal straight to the Sanctum and went through it. Defender came right behind him.

You watched the amazement in the other Stranger's eyes when he saw Stephen and Defender walking through the portal. Stephen came towards you and Defender placed himself between you and the intruder. "Stay away from her."

He took a step back raising both hands in surrender and it was only then that you noticed that his fingertips were blackened by what you assumed was some kind of magic.

Stephen cupped your face in his shaking hands "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" You shook your head and Stephen pulled you into his arms with a sigh of relief and then he finally turned around facing his variant "How did you get here?"

"I brought myself here. My universe is dead. Completely erased from existence and I would be dead too if I hadn't escaped in time."

Defender tilted his head slightly to the side "What happened to your universe?"

The other Stephen sighed "Long story. I'm lucky to have escaped with my life. Now tell me, who should I talk to to ask for shelter in this universe?"

"That would be me" Wong said and you only realized that the portal was still open when he walked through it stepping into the Sanctum and closing it. "I am Wong and I am the Sorcerer Supreme of this Universe."

The two Stephens took a step back to make room for Wong to pass. Defender took the moment to pull you into his arms and placed a lingering kiss on your forehead. You were shaking and he held you in his arms as if he wanted to protect you. Stephen also approached you, leaving Wong to handle the situation for the time being. He touched your face and held your hand firmly in his and you could tell they were shaking more than usual. You also noticed the other Strange's interested gaze on the three of you and then you turned away. You couldn't bear to look at him, to his clean-shaven face and his ocean blue eyes. He was a threat. You knew better than anyone that he was a threat.

...

Stephen thrusted against you moaning loud totally lost in his pleasure. He had you lying on your back on the mattress, his hands clasped in yours against the pillow and his face in the crook of your neck. He came inside you nice and warm and you loved the feeling but that night you weren't having any of that, your mind was elsewhere.

He kissed your lips and you struggled to smile at him but were relieved when it was over and he rolled onto his side. It wasn't that you didn't want him, you always wanted to make love to Stephen, but since the other Strange arrived things had been weird and you were anxious, always nervous and it was getting to you.

Stephen was silent, staring at the ceiling and then sighed, passing his hands over his face "What's wrong, sweetheart? You're somewhere else. Did I do something that upset you?"

You pulled the sheet up to cover your body "No. I'm sorry, I should have said I didn't feel like it, but I didn't want to upset you." You searched for his hand holding it tight in yours giving it a little squeeze "You didn't do anything wrong, it's just... him. He's been here for a week already."

Stephen pulled you close and you laid your head on his shoulder wrapping your arm around him. A satisfied sigh left your lips.

"Wong said he can stay." Stephen said sighing heavily. "Nobody asked my opinion on the matter, but what could I say? It's not like he has anywhere to go back."

You cupped his face "I'm sorry, I imagine how difficult this whole situation must be for you. First Defender and now..." You were silent for a minute and he didn't press you to speak.

"It’s just that… I don't like having him here" You finally said "He's not like Defender, there's something he's not telling us and his hands..."

Stephen squeezed you in his arms "I know. I can send him to Kamar Taj, at least he'll be away from you and I won’t be so worried every time I need to leave."

You didn't say anything.

"Defender thinks we should talk to him, try to understand what happened. And he also thinks that his place is here in the Sanctum, but I'm the one who decides that. I'm the Master of this Sanctum..."

"I don't talk to him" You said interrupting him. "I don't talk to him, but I'm still afraid of what this could mean for us. Tell me we're fine."

You could see the moment Stephen understood what you were talking about, the realization in his eyes.

"It would be easier for me if he wasn't here. I feel like I'm on 50 first dates, every day having to fall in love with the same man and Stephen I know I would, I will fall in love if I talk to him, if I have more time with him because he is you. Even if I am afraid of him."

Stephen stared at the ceiling rolling his lips as if he was thinking hard about what to say, but you couldn't keep your mouth shut, now that you started to speak the words kept coming out in a rush.

"I'm so sorry. I don't want this to ruin what we have. It's not like I'm talking about another man. It’s you, Stephen, it's always you. I love you too much, that's my problem..." You shut your mouth as you realized the words sounded shaky and your eyes was filled with tears. "It's just... so confusing."

You felt his arms tighten around you to keep you impossibly close "I know." Was all he said and then he kissed your lips softly. "We shouldn't have sex if you don't feel like it. You need to tell me. I won't be upset. Are we clear?"

You shook your head "I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize. You did nothing wrong. You didn't say anything wrong. We're fine. It's going to be fine." He kissed you again and somehow that was exactly what you needed to hear.

...

The days passed slowly and unlike Defender, Supreme Strange, as you came to call him, had no intention of being helpful. He didn't spend afternoons tidying up the library or even volunteering to work on anything at Kamar Taj. He seemed busy enough being a complete narcissistic jerk who somehow was everywhere. You kept bumping into him in the hallways. If you were going to prepare tea at dawn he was already in the kitchen doing the same thing and trying hard to get you to talk to him, even if you didn't show any interest. When you got home from work, took a shower and went down to relax on the couch, he was there, exactly on the couch you liked to stay. He would sprawl out there reading his stupid magic books, making you sit in one of the armchairs facing him and when you did that you couldn't concentrate. There was something about him that was as inviting as it was intimidating, and it irritated you to feel that way.

"Can I help you, honey?" His baritone voice broke the silence, startling you. And the fucking pet name sounded so inappropriate.

He didn't even look up from the book. He was sitting on one leg, the other stretched out on the couch, his arm stretched out over the back it, a thick book in his hand. He was dressed in pajama bottoms and a white T-shirt, his hair was wet and he smelled like cologne.

"You're staring." He said again and you looked away from the book you were trying to read without success "No, I'm not."

He smirked "Yes you are. I can feel your eyes burning into my skin."

Why did he have to be so insufferable? Stephen was cocky, Defender was proud and stubborn, but Supreme was just plain annoying. "You're sitting on my couch." You said with no effort to hide your irritation. "Every day I come home from work and I come downstairs to read my book like I always do and you're sitting on my couch."

"Sorry, honey, but I didn't see your name on it" He replied now looking up from the book and looking at you. A wry smile on his lips. "But if that's the case, just ask me to leave." You did not answer.

"You know what I think? I think you like to come home from work and sit right where you are and have something nice to look at."

You felt your cheeks getting hot and from the smirk on his lips you figured he could see them turning pink. You sighed closing the book and throwing it on the coffee table "You are insufferable." You said pulling away and going up the stairs.

"Is that why you date two of me?" He replied loud enough for you to hear.

Your conversations with him didn't evolve much in the days that followed and he didn't give you the couch like you expected him to, but little by little you noticed that he spent more time outside the house, interested in getting to know the world he was inserted in and the distance made you understand that all that irritation couldn't just be because of your couch, or because he dropped cups on your coffee table or didn't put the box of cereal back in the cupboard. No, it was something else and you suspected that his provocations also carried other meanings. Somehow you always knew that on your part it was inevitable.

It was Friday night and you loved Friday nights when you could spend time with your Stephens without worrying that you would have to work the next morning. You came home from work, took a shower and came downstairs smelling food coming from the kitchen. When you got there you found Defender distracted cooking. It was a sight to see. You hugged him from behind and rose on tiptoe to kiss his shoulder. "What a handsome cook" You said and he hummed "Not as handsome as his girlfriend."

You smiled tightening the hug and leaning your face against his back sighing heavily "I'm so tired." He wiped his hands on his napkin and turned around hugging you properly then placed a lingering kiss on your forehead "That's why I'm cooking for you. Because you deserve it."

He kissed your lips softly "Tell me how your day was"

You shrugged "Same as usual, but more tiring. We had tight deadlines so we needed to rush through all the paperwork to get the orders out on time."

He cupped your face "And here at home, is everything okay?" He asked looking apprehensive and you sighed pulling away when he had to stir the pan so the vegetables wouldn't stick. He used brandy to flambe them and you watched him work. He made it so easy, it came naturally to him.

"He's getting on my nerves, as usual, but he didn't try to kill me or anything like that. At this point I doubt he's dangerous, he's just... everything else."

Defender turned off the heat and then opened the oven to take a look at the roast he was preparing. He closed it again and then turned to face you. "I think he likes you." He said suddenly and you stared at him feeling a weird deja vu feeling.

"What do you mean? All he does is tease me." You said forcing an unconvincing laugh. Stephen sighed "And I think you like him."

Damn it. Damn Defender and his watchful eyes. Was it possible that he was able to see something that even you hadn't yet realized for sure?

"I don't." You said, but it looked like you were trying to defend yourself and he rolled his lips like he was trying hard not to say too much. "Stephen, I don’t. It's just that he's everywhere and he's not like you, he's nosy and arrogant and he keeps hanging around the house teasing me and calling me honey and I swear I try to get rid of him but ...he's everywhere."

Defender sighed "He's leaving on a mission with the Avengers in a few days."

You frowned "Really? I thought he wasn't interested in helping. He's sprawled out on the couch all day reading like he doesn't want anything out of life."

"We asked him to find a specific spell to help with the mission. The doctor and I were busy and he was available. It took him some time, but he managed to find it and he offered to go in my place and I accepted. I know more than anyone else the feeling of wanting to be useful, of wanting to have a purpose and I think Supreme is looking for that purpose."

You were silent. Everything you thought about Supreme seems to be wrong now. Well, you still found him annoying, conceited and he still stole your couch every day, but now he was going on a mission and those missions were always so dangerous.

...

Stephen was in the library, it was late at night and he couldn't sleep. His insomnia had gotten a lot worse after Supreme arrived and he was still trying to digest everything that was happening. It was too much. It was more than any sane person could handle and yet he had to keep acting like everything was fine. It was what everyone expected of him. Wong, the masters of Kamar Taj, the press, Stark, the other Avengers.

He was trying, or at least he managed to fake it well. Even for you. Every night he would look into your eyes and claim that everything was fine, but he couldn't sleep and ended up there in the library sitting at that desk with books that dealt too shallowly about the multiverse and the dangers of interacting with visitors from other realities .

Every night Stephen tried to convince himself that the fear he felt for his own universe was what kept him awake at night and every night he knew that was a lie. He was worried about you. He was worried because he could see the way you couldn't take your eyes off Supreme every time he was around and he couldn't tell if Supreme had feelings for you but he wasn't sure he didn't and Stephen was dying afraid he'd have to give in again like he did with Defender because what would that say about him as a man? And if he didn't give in would he be risking the life he had with you?

Stephen was brought out of his reverie by the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Couldn't sleep too, doctor?" Defender asked coming closer and Stephen could see by his face that he too was having a discussion with his own mind.

"It's been a tough month." Stephen summarized and Defender nodded pointing to the chair in front of the desk where Stephen was sitting "May I?"

He nodded and Defender sat up.

"She told me a few weeks ago that she didn't want him here. Maybe we should have sent him away."

Defender thought for a moment "Do you think that would change anything?"

"What the fuck do I know?" Stephen let out a nervous sigh "She told me that if he stayed she would fall in love with him and I didn't do anything to stop that from happening. What does that say about me?"

"What does that say about me?" Defender repeated. "She's mine too, Stephen. You offered to share her with me almost a year ago and that means sharing the responsibilities too. Tonight she told me the problem is he's everywhere so maybe it's really our fault for letting him stay here at home while we were out there working and if I remember correctly you tried to convince me to send him to Kamar Taj and I said his place was here."

Stephen shook his head "You see things differently, Defender. You looked at him and saw yourself. You were allowed to stay and you wanted to return the favor. I should have said no, but I didn't."

Defender let out a heavy sigh.

"Perhaps you should have asked me what I thought about it" Supreme's voice was irritating as he walked out of the darkness in the hall and approached where Stephen and Defender sat by the light of a single lamp. "I'm sorry I couldn't sleep so I decided to look for something to read and I overheard part of your conversation. You know, I was never good at talking to myself, it always seemed like a stupid thing to do but now the whole thing gained a new light."

"Would you have gone? To the Kamar Taj?" Defender asked.

Supreme crossed his arms leaning against one of the bookshelves and crossing his feet "I was running away from the destruction of my own universe. I would have gone anywhere."

"Would you go now? If we asked." Stephen asked and Supreme shook his head "Is she that bothered by me?"

"This has nothing to do with her" Stephen said through gritted teeth.

"This has everything to do with her" Supreme snapped and then nodded in agreement "I would. If you guys told me to go. I'm not here to fight anyone. Is that what you want? For me to leave? That will make you happy?"

Defender glared at Stephen shaking his head "It's not about what we want anymore." He said.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Supreme asked and Stephen ran his hands over his face nervously.

Supreme came over and pulled up a chair and sat down "Do any of you have a cigarette?"

Defender stared at him in surprise "What? No. We don't smoke."

He chuckled dryly "Yeah, neither have I. For almost 8 years now. But my universe was destroyed and all the people I knew are dead. I'm in another universe talking to two other variants of mine and besides I am almost sure I might be falling in love with your girl, so... yeah, I need a fucking cigarette."

Stephen stared at him for a long minute "If you try anything with her, I'm going to fucking kill you, do you understand?"

Supreme raised both hands in surrender "I didn’t do it and I won’t. Unless she shows she wants me too.”

Defender slammed his hand on the table getting up "She's right about you, you're insufferable." He said and then left.

...

You came home from work on Monday afternoon with an excruciating headache. You knew it was your fault for having gone all day without eating so after taking a shower and getting dressed comfortably you went downstairs determined to prepare something to eat. When you reached the bottom of the stairs, you glanced quickly at the couch where you expected to find Supreme absorbed in his reading, but he was not there. You went to the kitchen wondering if he had already left on his mission and then you found him sitting at the table with his chin resting on his hand while reading something on a laptop.

You rolled your lips considering turning back, but decided to act like an adult. After all, you couldn't keep running from him inside your own home. "Hey..."

He looked away from the screen, seeming to notice only at that moment that you were there. "I'm not on your precious couch as you can see."

You shrugged "Whatever. What are you doing?" You went to the cupboard and got a bag of bread and put it on the counter.

"Trying to catch up to a few things from your universe before heading out on a mission tomorrow. Not everything is the same, you know."

You nodded "Have you met Tony Stark?"

Supreme shook his head "Nice guy"

You stopped in front of the fridge picking up ingredients to prepare a sandwich and then you dedicated yourself to washing some lettuce leaves and cutting some slices of tomato.

"I'm going to make a sandwich, want one?" You asked turning to look at him. He looked surprised "No, thanks."

You shrugged going back to your work "It's not like you've eaten all day. The kitchen is just the way I left it yesterday."

"Careful, it might seem like you care about me."

You sighed finishing preparing your food. You cut the sandwich and put the halves on a plate and then went to the table and sat down across from him. "I don't want you to starve now that you're starting to be useful."

He smirked "Ouch, you treat the two Stephens that way too? Does it really work for them?"

You took a bite of the sandwich and chewed slowly "They're not like you."

He closed the laptop and clasped his hands together "And how am I?"

"Annoying." You answered without being intimidated. You were past the point of being intimidated by him, now you felt something else, a bit of irritation, a bit of curiosity.

"Yeah, you already said that. I'm sure you can think of other things, honey. Tell me, what do you find so different about me."

The pet name. You hated that pet name and at the same time your body seemed to respond to it every time he called you that.

"You have no beard. No goatee. That's different."

"A good different?" He asked with a smirk and you shrugged.

"Do you want me to grow a beard?"

You shook your head "I don't want you to do anything. It's none of my business."

"No, but now I'm curious. If it were any of your business. Would you want to?"

You took another bite of your sandwich and he waited for your answer.

"No. I like it the way it is. Different and handsome."

The compliment seemed to catch him off guard. "You think I'm handsome?"

You shrugged like it was no big deal "Do you think I would be in a relationship with two of you if I didn't think you were handsome?"

He chuckled "Fair enough. Are you going to tell me how you got into this mess?" He asked casually and then took the other half of your sandwich that was on the plate. He gave a bite. You didn't even bother to complain.

"Well, Stephen Strange is an attractive man, intelligent, sometimes funny, affectionate and he fucks really good. It's kind of hard not to fall in love with him."

He stared at you intently, his eyes seemed to darken "Is that why you want me to leave? Because you are afraid of falling in love with me?"

That caught you off guard. He took another bite of the sandwich and waited for you to answer.

"I do not know what you're talking about."

"No? I had a word with your Stephens and they seemed inclined to send me away to Kamar Taj. Is that what you want?" He looked at you intently, the blue eyes seemed to see inside you.

"It was what I wanted when you arrived. I'm not so sure anymore."

He nodded taking one last bite and then got up and took the plate off the table and placed it in the sink. He wiped his hands on the napkin and then turned to face you, both hands resting on the counter behind him, "You must decide what you want. I don't want to be where people don't want me. Contrary to what you think, at least at Kamar Taj I can be of service."

You did not answer. The idea of him leaving suddenly seemed absurd to you. He was supposed to stay in the Sanctum. That was his home. He would be alone at the Kamar Taj.

"Now if you want me to stay, you'll have to start treating me a lot better, honey."

That made you roll your eyes "And how exactly do you want to be treated?"

"Let's start by stopping the eye rolling. I don't like that. And then we can discuss the agreement that exists between the three of you. I'd like to be a part of it."

You were surprised by his boldness.

"What makes you think I'm interested?"

He shook his head "Like I said, you need to make up your mind."

...

Supreme's mission lasted more than just a few days. It had been almost two weeks and you found yourself thinking about how you would feel if he didn't come back. The idea was too scary. You imagined your fellow Avengers coming back and saying something had happened, that he was dead. It was almost a physical pain.

You wonder if you'd be expected to cry or would it be weird if you did? What the fuck people expected you to do?

When they got back, Supreme stayed at the Kamar Taj and Defender claimed that Wong had asked him to help with some errands. Stephen didn't even bother trying to explain. It was clear to you that the two Stephens were defending their territory and pushing Supreme away from the Sanctum for good. The idea that previously seemed like the best decision to make now seemed authoritarian, meaningless and even cruel. Still, you didn't say anything. What could you say? Supreme was right, you needed to decide what you wanted.

You were so lost in your own thoughts that you didn't even notice when it was time to leave work. Your boss knocked on the door and warned you. You grabbed your purse and car keys and left. Your head was aching and the traffic didn't helped to easy the pain.

When you finally got home you were too tired to even think about going upstairs to your room so you put your purse and keys on the counter, kicked off your shoes and sat down in the armchair by the fireplace, but staring at the empty couch in front of you didn't help you feel better, quite the opposite. You missed him. As unbelievable as it might seem, it was true. You missed his ill-timed comments, the teasing, the smirks, basically everything. You wanted him back, you needed him back.

You moved your fingers on your temples feeling that the headache was getting worse so you got up, took a pill from your bag and went to the kitchen to prepare some tea.

You were standing there in the kitchen waiting for the kettle to go off tapping the floor with your toe and you were barely aware of Stephen's presence until he wrapped his arms around your waist and kissed your neck, his goatee making your skin crawl. "May I have some tea?"

You wrapped your arms around his "Of course." You turned to kiss him softly, but he cupped the back of your neck, deepening the kiss with a need that surprised you.

He released you when he realized you weren't in the same mood as him, but he covered it up as well as ever.

"How was in the work?"

You smiled "Fine." You took your hand to your temple.

"What's wrong?" He asked worriedly replacing your hand with his. He held your head in both hands.

"Nothing, just a headache. A very painful headache."

He nodded, his thumbs moving in circles on your temples.

"Does it help?"

You shook your head no and squinted your eyes "It's different this time, stronger."

He pressed his thumb to the middle of your forehead "Does it hurt here?"

You nodded.

"Are your eyes sensitive to light?"

You hadn't noticed until he mentioned it, but you were bothered by kitchen lights "Yes."

"It's not a headache, sweetheart. It's a migraine. Never had one before, hm?"

The kettle whistled and you busied yourself making two cups of tea for yourselves.

"They are usually caused by stress, insomnia and prolonged fasting. In addition to genetic factors"

You handed him the cup and swallowed your pill taking a sip of tea right after. "I really didn't need to have one right now."

He took a sip of tea "You're stressed, you've barely been sleeping, you haven't been eating properly... Y/n, you need to talk to me.

You shook your head "Just tell me this pain will pass soon."

He sighed "In a few hours probably."

"Great."

The two took a sip in silence. There was something between you. You could feel it, he could feel it, and it was killing you.

"Stephen..."

He waited for what you had to say, but something in his eyes said he already knew what it was.

"Supreme needs to come back home. He belongs here and not at Kamar Taj."

"You said you wanted him gone."

You sighed "That was before..." You stopped before saying more than you should. "His place is here." You repeated.

He took a long drink of his tea and then shook his head "Do you miss him?"

"Stephen, this has nothing to do with me."

He chuckled dryly "Of course it has. It's all about you, Y/n"

You swallow thickly. "Ask what you really want to know then, Stephen. No more mincing words."

He looked away for a second and then sighed looking deep into your eyes "Do you love him?"

You reached out to touch his hand and held it tight in yours "I don't know. But I have feelings for him and I miss him here."

Stephen nodded "What do you want me to do? I'm lost here, Y/n. Do you want me to make a deal with him like I did with Defender? Do you want us to share you with him?"

You rolled your lips. That was what you wanted, but you feared the price was too high. "I don't know. All I know is that I don't want to lose you, Stephen."

He placed the cup on the counter and took a step towards you pinning you against the counter and then cupped your face in his hands "You will never lose me, sweetheart. I love you so much... my love for you is the only thing that helps me deal with all this madness. Not just for me, but because I know that any version of me will love you just as much. How can I fight this?"

You smiled shyly "I don't want to fight anymore. If there's one thing I know it's that I'll always want you, I want each one of you because I love you Stephen. I love you too much."

"I know. I love you too, sweetheart, but do you have any idea how hard this is for me?"

You nodded "I'm sorry."

He placed a kiss on your forehead and took the cup from the counter and walked away pulling a chair and sat down.

"You understand that it's not just me now, don't you? It's not enough that I agree to bring Supreme back, you need to ask Defender."

You nodded pulling up a chair and sitting down too "I know, but I couldn't ask him before talking to you first."

...

Defender sat in his small office at the Kamar Taj and gestured for Supreme to sit down as well. There were issues to be dealt with and he was apparently the best person to handle the situation. He was certainly more patient than the other Stephen, but to be fair, all the patience in the world didn't seem to be enough to deal with Supreme Strange.

Supreme stared at him for a long moment, but then he pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Stephen asked me to talk to you first..."

"She made up her mind then, she wants me too. It must have been hard for him to accept."

Defender managed not to roll his eyes "I can't imagine why he thought it wouldn't be a good idea for you both to talk now."

Supreme clasped his hands in his lap "I'm all ears."

"We have rules. Very strict rules. Most of them were created by Y/n and Stephen and I agree. We follow them and they work. That's the key to making this relationship work."

Supreme nodded. "Okay. And what are those rules?"

Defender sighed "She'll explain everything to you when you get back home, but that's not the point. What he needs..." Defender ran a hand over his face "What I need is for you to give us your word that you will abide by the rules even if you don't like them."

"Even if I don't like them? How can I promise that I'll follow rules I don't know about?"

Defender wanted to punch him in the face. Even though he wasn't a violent man, he wanted to punch Supreme in the face. However, he just took a deep breath and decided to be honest.

"Do you love her?" He asked dryly and Supreme stared at him in surprise.

"I loved her before I even met her. You told me you saw her in your dreams once or twice? I saw her every night. With him. I spent two years of my life wanting to be him, wanting to have what he had. So when he offered the chance to have her I didn't think for a second. I accepted the rules before they were even made and followed them strictly and we created a good life here, together, the three of us."

Supreme shifted in his chair "I don't know if I understand where you're going with this..."

"I need to know that we're not risking the life we have on a caprice, because of some kind of stupid competition you might think exists between the three of us or because you think you have some right to it just because you're one of us."

Defender stared at him, waiting for an answer.

Supreme nodded "It's not like that at all. I can't say it's love because I've never felt something like that before. You know, we're not like that. I had Christine, you..."

Defender shook his head "I had Christine too"

"But it's not the same. I always hoped it would become something else, but it never did."

"Because it wasn't meant to be. Christine never loved us, we never loved her, not really."

Defender remembered very well his relationship with Christine Palmer and how he blamed himself for screwing up after the accident. It took a long time to understand.

"I feel like I can do this right..." Supreme said "...at least this time... Yes, I think I love her."

Defender sighed getting up, "Fine. So give me your word and we can get this over with.”

Supreme stood up "Okay. You have my word."

The two shook hands and Defender opened a portal to the Sanctum.

"I'll be teaching tomorrow until 2pm. Stephen will attend a conference at Avengers Tower and then head straight to Kamar Taj. She'll be alone in the Sanctum."

Supreme nodded "Thank you, Defender."

Reblog please! Leave a comment if you liked it. Interact! I will love to read all of your comments and opinions. It inspires me to keep writing!

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canonicallyobserving911 · 9 months ago

Text

Several Sentences Sunday

Fanonwriter2023 on AO3

Where CANON and FANON collide!

This is an EPIC LOVE STORY!

Season 7 FANON Speculation: Buddie Multi-Chapter Fanfic - Hiatus Reading: “I’m still in love with you but... I needed to learn how to love myself too!”

Chapters 24 will be posted soon.

Buck and Eddie got married and Buck's officially Chris' second dad!

Currently 23 chapters completed: 893.1K Words; Rated: Mature

One chapter will be posted at a time.

{Previous snippet linked here}

____________

I'm excited to finish writing Chapter 24 because Buck and Eddie are married and the Diaz family is starting the second half of their two-week long European family adventure. For anyone who hasn't read Chapters 22 and 23, here's a brief overview. In Chapter 22, Buck and Eddie got married, Chris was their best man and Eddie successfully surprised Buck with all the things he had planned for him including a three-tier wedding cake. Their honeymoon started that night and they had an important conversation before they consummated their marriage. In Chapter 23, they left Rome the day after their wedding and proceeded to visit 5 other cities for the remainder of their time in Italy. By the end of it, they agreed to continue speaking Italian even after they return to the U.S. because while they were in San Gimignano, they made a decision that could affect the course of their family's lives forever. What was the decision? 👀

They departed Rome at the end of the chapter and they landed in London on Christmas Eve to start the second half of their family adventure. What else are they going to do while they're still in Europe? Will Buck meet his biological father? 🤷🏽‍♀️

___________

Here's a snippet from Chapter 24 of Buck and Eddie being romantically fluffy Christmas night.

_________

It’s after 10 o’clock, Chris is in his room sleeping while Buck and Eddie are lying on the sofa quietly resting. Eddie’s on his back and Buck’s whole body is draped on top of his. His legs are in between Eddie’s and his head is lying on top of Eddie’s chest. Eddie’s rubbing circles onto Buck’s back and Buck’s listening to Eddie’s heartbeat. It's a familiar position and it's one they've been in hundreds of times when they're at home but they're in London, England right now and they've adjusted to the time zone change and everything else very well.

The TV is on but neither of them are paying it any attention and the Christmas music is still playing too but the volume on the Bluetooth speakers is so low they can barely hear which song is playing.

They’ve had a relatively relaxing Christmas Day with three awesome meals and they spent the entire day doing family activities like singing Christmas songs and watching Christmas movies together. It’s their first Diaz Family Christmas for just the three of them and everything went perfectly.

Chris was happy with all the gifts they got him and they were overjoyed with their gifts from him too. The video of them cutting their wedding cake was a huge surprise and now that they have it on their phones and iPads, they’re going to add it to the video of their marriage ceremony from Leonardo so it will be a continuous video instead of two separate ones.

While he lightly runs his fingers up and down Eddie’s arm, Buck lifts his head, sits his chin on top of Eddie’s chest and says, “Babe?”

“Hmm?” He hums as he meets his husband’s eyes.

“I know we didn’t talk about getting each other Christmas presents but uh… I got you something.”

Eddie raises his eyebrows. “You did?”

“Yes. I did but since I um… just got the confirmation for it last night, I didn’t have time to get it ready for today so… there’s no wrapping paper or anything but when I get the official one, I’ll make sure to wrap it in a box so you can open it.” He replies as he reaches over to the table to grab his phone.

“What did you get me?”

“It’s something special just for you.” He responds as he looks at his phone and Face ID unlocks. Once it does, he accesses his email, finds the one he’s looking for, expands the screen with two of his fingers then he turns his phone around so Eddie can read it.

He watches as his husband reads the email and he sees his eyes widen when he gets to the part that explains what it is.

Eddie bites his bottom lip, looks at his husband and whispers, “Buck?” but his voice is so low, he almost misses it. If he wasn’t looking right at him, he believes he would have.

After a few seconds, Eddie continues, “You did this for me?”

“I did because you deserve it.” He moves so he can sit up and after he does, he waits for Eddie to sit up too. Once they’re both sitting up, they move closer so they’re pressed together from their shoulders to their knees.

He leans in and places a soft kiss onto his lips then he takes Eddie’s free hand in his, laces their fingers together and continues. “Babe… you do so much for our family, you sacrifice a lot and you work so hard and you deserve something that’s just for you.”

Eddie slowly nods and he’s about to respond but Buck keeps talking.

“Before we left L.A., when I asked you what you wanted to do while we were in London, you said all you wanted was for me and Chris to be happy but babe… me and Chris want you to be happy too. Us seeing you happy and doing things you want to do make us happy too.”

He nods again because it’s true, all he wants is for his family to be happy so he gently squeezes Buck’s hand as he tries to blink away the tears that have welled behind his eyes. He allows his husband’s words to settle in his mind and he never would have thought in a million years someone would do anything like this for him but Buck not only knows him and sees him; he listens to him too. He understands everything about him and the email he just finished reading further proves how much Buck loves, knows and cares about him.

While holding Buck’s gaze he says, “But… this is a...”

What did Buck get Eddie for Christmas? 👀

Also, did Eddie get Buck something for Christmas too? 🙃

___________

This is an EPIC LOVE STORY!

Fic Summary: Months after Buck and Eddie were hit by the same lightning strike; they’re still struggling with the aftermath of it. But before they make their love confessions, they’ll spend time getting to know themselves as individuals first. Eddie learns to enjoy the simple things in life as he participates in activities on his own and with new friends while Buck learns the rest of the 31-year-old deep dark family secret about his conception and birth. Their journey to forever is still a work in progress but once they finally admit they’re in love with each other, everything that follows their love confessions will be cataclysmic.

__________

Chapter Summaries

Chapter 1 - Eddie makes a new friend while Buck receives devastating news regarding the sperm donation he made for Connor and Kameron.

Chapter 2 - Buck does a lot of research to learn more about the abnormalities found in his red blood cells and Eddie starts a new therapy journey that’s all about him and not the traumas he’s experienced.

Chapter 3 - After more than a month, Buck and Eddie finally spend time together outside of work but it doesn’t end well and they part with a lot of uncertainty regarding their places in each other’s lives.

Chapter 4 - Eddie has a few realizations about his life which causes him to consider moving back to El Paso, TX while Buck continues to be reminded of his past which causes him to take an impromptu road trip across America.

Chapter 5 - Both Buck and Eddie have difficult conversations with their parents and Buck finally learns the truth behind the reason why his mother despised him while Eddie finally tells his mother about the way she tries to control him.

Chapter 6 - More than two weeks after Buck pushed Eddie away after suggesting they needed a break; Eddie decides to try again. Eddie’s there for Buck when he’s at his worst just like Buck was there for him when he was at his worst and he won’t let Buck give up.

Chapter 7 - After Buck’s mental breakdown, Eddie has his back the same way Buck had his when he had his own breakdown more than a year ago. They share several vulnerable and emotionally intimate moments with one another and they begin to realize their small, sweet and caring gestures matter just as much if not more than any grand gesture ever could because these are the foundations of a long-lasting love relationship.

Chapter 8 - Buck, Eddie and Chris all have their own therapists and during their sessions, they reflect on their pasts while they’re in the present so they can prepare for their future together as a family.

Chapter 9 - Buck and Eddie are there for each other when Buck has to testify as a witness during the trial. But by the end of it, they’ll both realize their individual and shared traumas are going to keep resurfacing until they talk about them, deal with the fact that they’re in love with one another and face the fact that they can’t live without each other.

Chapter 10 - As Buck and Eddie finally begin to confront their past traumas, they realize how much they need each other to fill in the gaps of their memories. Additionally, the universe screams at them for what appears to be the one hundredth time so Buck can realize he doesn’t have to ‘find it’ because he already ‘made it’ and Eddie’s reminded tomorrow isn’t promised and he doesn’t have to die alone if he doesn’t want to.

Chapter 11 - A “virga” or dry thunderstorm is in the forecast but once the rain starts, the thunderstorm happening outside won’t be able to match the storm brewing inside between Buck and Eddie. It’s the universe’s final scream and when the tumultuous winds begin to blow, they’ll have one last chance to hold onto everything they’ve built over the last six years or they’ll lose it all forever.

Chapter 12 - Buck and Eddie have always shared a deep physical attraction and an emotional intimacy that’s unmatched but now that they’re in a relationship, they’re learning how to navigate the romantic intimacy they’ve been waiting for six years to explore. The love they have for each other is a once in a lifetime, soulmate, love of their lives type of love that transcends space and time.

Chapter 13 - While navigating the newness of their romantic relationship, Buck and Eddie take advantage of every moment they spend together. As their individual lives, people from their pasts, time constraints and the possibility of losing each other again make attempts to interrupt and interfere with their journey to forever, they love, care for, support and hold onto each other even tighter to withstand it all.

Chapter 14 - Buck and Eddie can see the lights at the end of the tunnels regarding the results of Buck’s Cancer Screening along with everything else they’re dealing with. But are the lights they see exits to the tunnels or are they headlights on different runaway trains that are speeding towards them in an effort to interrupt their forever?

Chapter 15 - Buck and Eddie have known they were exactly who the other one wanted in a partner since they met six years ago when they agreed to have each other’s backs. They’re in a romantic relationship, they’re both preparing to ask the other one to spend forever with them and by the end of the seventh week into their relationship, together they will plan their most important and greatest adventure for their future.

Chapter 16 - As Buck and Eddie begin to prepare for their marriage ceremony that will take place in Rome, Italy in December 2023, they start planning their first international adventure as a romantic couple. Even though Chris is still the only person they’ve told about their relationship, several people who know them have already witnessed the love they share and as the days continue, others will witness it too.

Chapter 17 - As Buck and Eddie get closer to departing Los Angeles for their international adventure, a moment in time will remind them; life is fragile, tomorrow isn’t promised and every second of everyday should be cherished because everything can change in an instant. The result of that realization will cause them to hold onto each other even more.

Chapter 18 - As Buck, Eddie and Chris prepare for family gatherings before and during the Thanksgiving holiday, the “Santa Ana Winds” start to blow and all sorts of expected and unexpected familial drama ensues.

Chapter 19 - As Buck and Eddie get closer to their wedding day, the universe begins to align everything so that some of their parent and children's relationships are strengthened while others come to an abrupt end.

Chapter 20 - With only 14 days remaining until Buck, Eddie and Chris depart Los Angeles, CA traveling to Rome, Italy, for their first family adventure, an early morning conversation about “tying up loose ends” helps Buck and Eddie realize there are still several things left unfinished on their ‘To Do’ lists. The question is will there be enough time to complete all of them?

Chapter 21 - Buck, Eddie and Chris are finalizing their ‘To Do’ Lists, double checking their itineraries and packing their suitcases in preparation for their trip to Europe so they can board their flight that departs Los Angeles, CA on Friday, December 15, 2023 at 3:25PM.

Chapter 22 - While Buck, Eddie and Chris spend the first 8 days of their European family adventure in Italy, their primary reason for going will be fulfilled as well as several others they hadn’t considered or anticipated.

Chapter 23 - As the Diaz Family continues their Italian family adventure, they’ll say, “Ciao” or hello and goodbye to a lot of things almost immediately after they become an official and legal family.

Chapter 24 - Will be posted soon.

__________

Read chapters 1-23 are available on AO3.

Continue reading on AO3

Chapter 24 will be posted soon.

#buddie #eddie diaz #evan buckley #christopher diaz #the buckley diaz family #buckley diaz family #The Diaz Family #ao3 fanfic #buddie fanfic #Fanonwriter2023 on AO3 #911 fanfic #Hiatus Reading #911 abc #911 on abc #“I'm still in love with you but... I needed to learn how to love myself too!”#Chapter 24 will be posted soon.#Several Sentences Sunday

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darklydeliciousdesires · 9 months ago

Text

London Will Burn - Chapter Twelve.

Look at me go! I updated on time for once, haha! Happy Friday, besties. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend <3

Previous chapters - One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven

Tag list - In the comments, please DM to be added/removed

Words - 4,180

Warnings - 18+ content throughout. Minors DNI.

“Sorry mate! Christ, the traffic was absolute murder! They’ve completely closed off the bloody main road outside my offices and... Oh, hot waiters. Hello!”

In times of tension, Rin knew she could always trust in her old friend Carly for a little light relief, literally veering off mid-sentence to appreciate the appearance of the wait staff there at San Carlo, where they were meeting for a long overdue catchup dinner.

With their beloved Rashida now living over in Chicago, it was just the two of them, their friendship fully re-bonded since Rin’s return from Africa. Not that geographical distance had diminished the love or closeness between the two lifelong friends whatsoever.

“Oh, don’t worry. It’s fucking mayhem out there! Come here, give me a smooch,” Rin assured her, kissing her cheek as they embraced. “I only got here on time because I was in Chelsea for a meeting this afternoon.” Carly took her seat, thanking Rin when she dutifully poured her a glass of wine. “Anyway, why are you eyeing up waiters? Not loved up with twat waffles, still?”

No, it was fair to say that Rin had never really liked Carly’s long-term boyfriend, Mathias. Not after their visit to Kenya, when he’s gotten absolutely smashed, resulting in him thinking he could square up to Sokoro, a decision that had landed him in a world of regret. Being dangled by his ankles over the top of the stairs within the lodge by the pissed off Kenyan until he’d apologised had sobered him up nicely, though.

“You will be pleased to hear that the man known only as twat waffles to you is no longer in my life. Yeeted him about four weeks ago. I’ll say it, you were right.”

Rin beamed. “I always am.” Well, not always. The events of the previous week were still burning in her gut, being shamed in the way she had been by Sean and his superior powers of deduction. “No but honestly, honey. I’m glad because you can do so much better than him!”

“In this instance, you are correct. I can and I will, with that waiter over there with the blonde hair if I have my way.” She paused, raising her glass in his direction. He was at the table in seconds.

“Good evening, ladies. Are we ready to order?”

Oh, he was so sweet, absolutely none the wiser to the fact there was a bona fide man eater about to chomp down upon him. “Not yet, love. I was just appreciating the fact that you happen to be the most gorgeous man within the restaurant, so cheers to you.”

He pinked at the cheeks, nodding while attempting to bite back his grin. “Well, when you need me, feel free to appreciate me again.”

Rin chuckled, shaking her head. “We'll take some focaccia and olives to nibble while we decide, please.”

He made a quick note on his iPad, smiling widely. “Certainly.” Scampering away, Rin fixed her friend with a look of pure mirth.

“You’re terrible, Muriel.”

Her assessment had Carly in hysterics, reciting their favourite line from the nineteen nineties cult classic film, Muriel’s wedding. They’d always said it to one another when there was mischief afoot. “I am, this much is true. So, how’s everything? How’s work, and my beautiful goddaughter?”

“Tiger is perfect, as usual. As for work... hm.”

Inclining her head, she took a sip of wine and thanking the waiter when he brought over the required pre-dinner nibbles. She winked again and of course, he blushed furiously. “Oh? I sense a story there. Does it have anything to do with her dad? How’s all of that going, by the way?” Of course, Carly had been made privy to it all. She’d known right from the start, after all.

She ground her teeth before forcing a somewhat terse smile to her face. “I gave him a black eye last week.”

Some things truly never changed, Carly making a motion with her hand that she should elaborate. “The tea requires spilling, Miss C.”

And so, Rin did. She spared certain details over her work (although of course, Carly well knew she was a hardened criminal, Rin never gave away enough that could implicate her at any point in the future, just in case) but managed to sum it all up in a way that gave the story without all of the nuanced ins and outs of it.

“Right, so he potentially saved you from making a big mistake with the Per...” she began, eyes scanning around before leaning in close to whisper, “the PM, shall we say, and you gave him hell for it?”

“He embarrassed me in front of my associates, and took great pleasure in doing so,” she spoke, picking up another small cube of focaccia and dunking it into the balsamic vinegar bowl. “I don’t take kindly to that.”

A taste of one’s own medicine was always the bitterest, Carly couldn’t help but note. “Yet you do exactly the same with him at any given opportunity.”

Rin frowned. “I’m sorry, who’s side are you on here, exactly?”

“Yours, always yours, love,” she was quick to interject, “but sweet, from what you’ve told me about him, if you bite at him, he’ll do exactly the same back. You two, you’re much too similar for your own good. Something I believe you once said about you both, didn’t you?”

The focaccia was chewed upon with mild fury. “He doesn’t deserve to ever have one over on me. Not after what he did. I want him to suffer. His punishment will be prolonged, mark my words.”

God, she was so hardheaded, especially when it came to Sean. Carly looked a little pensive, picking up her wine. “Do you want to know what I think about that? The complete, unfiltered truth?”

Her lips thinned, eventually nodding. “I suppose an outside perspective couldn’t hurt.”

“Okay.” She took a breath and another sip of Sauvignon Blanc for courage, placing her glass back down again softly.

“You’ve already punished him enough, Rin. You deprived him of a relationship with his daughter for six years, and you came back and took an empire he was planning to preside over out from under him, and then made him effectively run his own company for you, on your terms. Trust me, from what you’ve told me about Sean, you’ve hit him twice where it hurts with big strikes. Family and business are what means everything to him, and you hold all the power over both. Prolonging that, well, as far as I can see, mate, all that does is cause problems for you.”

“How?”

“Your business deals should be running smoothly, and if you continue to hold him in contempt, they simply won’t. Risky really, when taken into consideration just what you do. Then of course, for Tiger. In fact, mostly for Tiger. Trying to repeatedly cut her father down for a mistake he made seven years ago will only hurt you and her in the end. Has he ever offered you an apology for his actions?”

She lifted her chin, remembering it, when he told her of his lament. “He has. I have to give him that.”

Carly reached for her arm, squeezing softly. “Well, then. There you go. You have to stop figuratively yeeting him right in the gonads for it at point or another, or behaving like this is only lowering you to his level, or former level, I don’t know. I can’t speak for him, but I can speak for your character. You’re better than this.”

If anyone was going to give her the truth, it was Carly. It was a truth she did need to hear, too, before the battleground that was her relationship – or lack thereof – with the father of her child became even bloodier than it already was. “Why are you bloody laughing? I’m trying to talk seriously for once in my flippin’ life! You could at least appreciate my attempt to be sage!”

“I am,” Rin chuckled, covering her hand with hers where it still rested upon her arm. “It’s just you still can’t help but be funny through it. Yeeting him in the gonads, oh god.” She descended there, laughing richly, even wiping a few tears from her eyes, it had entertained her so much.

“And at the fucking risk of getting my head bitten off, well, maybe it’s because you still lust after what’s hanging directly above the gonads that you’re getting yourself so bent out of shape over him.”

Immediately, she sat a little more upright, her laughter stalled. “Order me the burrata salad to start and then the salmon penne. I’m going for a cigarette.”

“Avoidance tactics,” Carly chimed as Rin rose from her seat, discreetly offering her middle finger in salute.

“Bugger off.”

“Filthy habit,” she further teased, Rin mouthing that she was a knob, her clearly entertained friend giggling as she picked up her wine. “This could all be so much simpler for you if you weren’t so much like your dad.” she muttered, sipping the buttery smooth Sauvignon while looking down at the menu to make her choice.

They had a lovely night together, parting ways at just gone 10pm, Carly heading home and Rin calling a car to do the same. After stopping at a Tesco Express to purchase a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black, though, home was not where she ended up.

Sean was coming to the end of a five-mile treadmill run when the buzzer sounded through his penthouse, slowing the machine to walk before climbing off, his bare chest glistening with sweat.

“Yes?” he spoke into the intercom, seeing the woman upon the screen turn to reveal her face to the front entrance camera.

“Can we talk?”

She had a nerve, turning up out of the blue at 10:35pm. “That depends on whether I’m going to get lambasted all over again for trying to do the fucking right thing, Catherine.”

“You aren’t. Promise.” She knew she needed to give a little, Carly’s words hitting home with her a little. He buzzed her in, Rin moving to the lift, hitting the button for the penthouse. As it glided in ascent, she spoke sternly to herself, her internal monologue advising that she needed to keep calm and talk things through with him, apologise for her pride getting in the way the week before, that she was doing this for the greater good of business continuing to run smoothy, and for her daughter to have a father in her life. One who truly did want to be there.

All of her steely composure flew straight out the window when he opened the door to her, though, when her eyes nearly fell out of her head for seeing him there, shirtless and gleaming with sweat, his navy joggers so low slung she could almost see his...

“Well, don’t you look resplendent in Dolce and Gabbana,” he spoke, raising an eyebrow.

She cocked her head, swallowing hard. “How did you know this is D&G?”

He took a moment, his eyes roaming her slender curves. “I have an eye for quality.” The scent of her perfume wafted under his nose, spellbinding, those orchid notes reminding him how it felt to have his senses flooded by it, his eyes meeting hers.

Her body moved, yet her feet planted, her mouth agape as her chest and cheeks flushed, overcome by the sight of him like that, her throat drying. No. Not now. She willed her brain to take the reins away from the jockey that was her desire, steer her right, but she failed. It was too strong, charging away down a path she swore never to encroach upon again, moving in a second to press her mouth to his, his arms immediately locking around her as he kissed her back with all the heat of a thousand suns.

Now they were in trouble.

Flattened against the door, he pinned her there as they gave in to the torrent, his hands smoothing over her body, reaching to ruck her dress up around her waist, both panting furiously as their tongues rolled in an erotic dance, Sean grasping her thong and tearing it from her in one swift yank. It sent a flood to where she ached for him, her legs wrapping around him as he lifted her, pulling his joggers down just enough to free his cock and plunge it into her fully.

Lord, how she’d missed the feel of being split wide around him, kissing him in utter frenzy. It was mindless, feral sex, their need for one another rampant and unhinged, her body banging against the thick, black door as he fucked out every single wave of desire, longing and, if he was honest, utter contempt he held for her, his fingers dug in hard beneath her thighs.

It sizzled through her, each sparking pulse, tiny fireworks set to burn within her blood, crying out as he filled her again and again, his teeth at her neck scintillating, hanging onto him for dear life. It felt like he was attempting to fuck her right through the door, the pace barbaric, smouldering, everything she needed and had craved in the years they’d been parted.

It shimmered through them both, the crest of an almighty wave they rode until it crashed, washing over them entirely, Rin feeling completely mindless as she swam to the surface of her pleasure, desire glimmering down her spine. That was the moment her brain engaged, her breathless body pinned by his, their tightened muscles slackening as the divinity ebbed away.

Oh, god. Damn him. Damn him for being so fucking irresistible.

He was the first to speak, finally sobering from his orgasm enough to form words. “Please don’t tell me we’ve just possibly given Tiger a sibling.”

“We haven’t,” she panted, “IUD.”

“Oh, thank Christ.” He finally looked at her, withdrawing and placing her down, his mouth twitching a little. “So, you wanted to talk?”

“I did,” she confirmed, rearranging her dress, looking away. Easily, she could have throttled herself for her actions, hiding her face in her hands for a moment, dying a little. “For fucks sake! We’re such a mess.”

He raised an eyebrow, pulling his joggers and boxers back up again. “That we are, Catherine.” He paused, watching her run her hands over her hair, still looking desperately uncomfortable. “We could become less messy, though. Perhaps if we ceased the urge to needle at one another quite so much as we do.”

“Are you truly admitting to the fact that you do?” she asked, Sean feeling his blood flicker in annoyance.

“I am, yes. Because somebody who continues to fucking punish me for the mistakes of my past bloody deserves it. Know that for my part, it is only in retaliation,” he told her, walking over to his kitchen, Butch there in his bed, absolutely none the wiser to her arrival and subsequent pounding against the front door.

She pulled the bottle from her bag, nodding towards him. “It’s because you enjoy the fight, Sean. Don’t pretend that isn’t how it is.”

God. The Woman was insufferable. He turned to her, his nostrils flaring. “Stop it. If I can put my ego aside here and admit my transgressions, then so can you. You know full well you hold your power over me like a fucking sword of Damocles, in both business and with Tiger whenever the opportunity arises. Now, admit that, or get the fuck out. I’m going for a shower; I suggest you take the time I’m gone to consider that. Glasses are above the sink cupboard.”

She knew she had to, he was right, but god, it wasn’t easy. They were both just too similar, too – to use an analogy she herself had many times before – cut from the exact same cloth. Except this time, deep down Rin knew that Sean was right, and she loathed him for it all the more.

Life would be made exponentially easier for her if she simply ceased her desire to punish him, to realise that Carly was right. She had struck back against him more than evenly. The playing field was entirely equal once more.

Just last week she’d heard Ed Dumani offer peace towards Sean, and regardless of the fact he hadn’t been ready to accept, she knew that a clean slate was exactly what had to happen between her and the father of her child, so that ultimately that precious little girl didn’t suffer because of her parent’s rampant toxicity.

“I almost expected you to have done a runner.” His words pulled her from her thoughts, a freshly showered Sean entering the kitchen again, going to the cupboard himself to retrieve the glasses she’d been preoccupied from fetching. “I perhaps couldn’t blame you if you had.”

He poured two large measures, Rin thanking him as he slid hers across the black marble worktop, knocking it back in one. He followed suit. “Come on, it’s fucking cold in here and the lounge is warm.” They walked back out again, Butch still sleeping on with a series of deep snores, taking a seat upon the long, L shaped grey sofa, Sean refilling their glasses. “So, what did you come here with the intention of saying?”

Taking a breath, she closed her eyes for a second, seeing Tiger there in her mind’s eye. It forced her to take a lasso to her pride and give it several tethering yanks. “I want to apologise for my part in us continuing to have friction. It isn’t conducive to us healthily co-parenting Tiger, no matter how much I dislike you at times. I need to be better for my daughter.”

He snorted softly, sipping his drink. “At times? Catherine, you despise me near enough constantly.”

“Do you truly blame me for that?”

“Yes, I fucking do when you’ve had seven bloody years to get over it!” he spoke tersely. “I apologised to you, and it was sincere. I regret what I did to you, every fucking day I regret it, but god above, woman! You have to take your fucking boot off my bloody neck at some point.” She looked accepting of his words, albeit that acceptance bitter, Sean continuing in her silence. “I lost everything, went through hell after my father died, attempted to claw it back only to have you take it all again and only give it on your terms. Terms I have complied with.”

“But Sean...”

“No, for fucks sake, there isn’t a fucking but here! Stop fucking punishing me. If you want me to cease resenting you, then you have to stop making me sorry for something I already regret! I am doing everything in my power to prove worthiness, to prove most importantly that I can and will be a fit father for Tiger, but as soon as you perceive me to have any kind of upper hand, you fucking use her against me, like you did with the Persians!”

Her ire ramped in an instant. “You fucking enjoyed that, making me look small!”

“I didn’t want Bahram Forouhandeh to fucking kill you! I was looking out for you, you ignorant, insufferable woman!” His eyes were wide, exasperated as he scoffed, sinking his whiskey. “And yes, maybe I did derive a little joy from cutting you down, but bloody hell, Rin! Like you don’t do exactly the same to me at every fucking opportunity!”

“I just apologised, and you’re throwing it at me all over again!”

“Because you need to have it thrown at you all over a-bloody-gain to recognise what you’re doing to me!” He took a moment, his heart jackrabbiting in his chest, trying to calm down from the anger that had all too sharply risen. “Your father was exactly the same. On his terms or not at all. You? You’re better than that, and I am one of the very few people in your life who not only sees that, but isn’t too afraid of you to tell you either.”

Neither was Carly, and it wasn’t lost on her, how his statements more or less matched those of her oldest friend. She’d always taken pride in the fact people likened her to her father, but truly never dawned in her until right then that perhaps it wasn’t always a complimentary likeness.

Bolting back her drink, she took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Sean.” They were words that did not come easily, feeling bitter, like ashes in her mouth.

Standing, he picked up the bottle, moving to seat himself at her side, topping up her empty glass. “Finally. Now I only have to await a little sincerity in your actions going forward, and maybe my fucking blood pressure might lower a tad.”

Lifting the glass to her lips, she took a sip, nodding. “What would like first, then, for me to show this sincerity?”

“A blowjob wouldn’t go amiss.” He expected the light slap he received to the chest. “Well, you did ask.”

“And you just shagged the shit out of me against the front door not ten minutes ago!”

He smirked, his eyebrows twitching. “I never claimed not to he insatiable.”

Rolling her eyes, she rested her head back against the comfy sofa, biting her lip. He certainly never had, as a mere few minutes against the door had reminded her, should she have forgotten. “No, you definitely didn’t. I’m still not putting your cock in my mouth, though.”

“Spoil sport.” The conversation moved away from their dalliance into the verboten, talking instead about of work and life, and then of Tiger when they were over half a bottle into the whiskey.

“I know I say how perfect she is, the bias of being her mum, and she’s always so well-mannered when we meet up with you,” Rin began, her words peppered by giggles.

“Apart from when we took her on the Harry Potter tour and she had a meltdown mid-way round,” he interrupted with, remembering the squealing well.

“Yes, apart from that.” She paused again, looking pained. “You fucking have a habit of doing this to me, interrupting and making me forget what I was about to say!”

He snickered, flicking the side of her glass. “No, darling. That’s called alcohol.”

“Anyway, as I was saying…”

“As you were saying.”

God, how he knew how to wind her up, even when he was being playful rather than deliberately devious. “Be quiet, or I’ll black your other eye.”

“You bloody won’t,” he warned, “look at it, still purple.” It was, too, just a smidgen marking the skin violet around the socket.

“As I was saying, she isn’t the perfect, Tiger. She’s going through a phase of saying things she definitely shouldn’t at the moment. She called the window cleaner a dickhead the other day because he appeared suddenly and startled her.”

Predictably, Sean cracked up hard. “The profanity apple has not fallen far from the tree, I see.”

She laughed, cringing a little. “No, it certainly hasn’t. That child had bionic hearing, and stealth mode. I never know when she’s going to sneak up on me and overhear my vulgar mouth. Bastard shoes was another recent one, when she couldn’t get her little Timberland boots on because she hadn’t loosened the laces. Sokoro nearly pissed himself laughing at her.”

“When do you plan on telling her who I am?” he then asked, Rin feeling a little pit inside for the question, no matter how gently delivered.

“Soon, I think. Before our next meeting. She needs to know.”

He smiled. “Good plan.”

What was also a good plan to them that night was working their way through the rest of the Johnnie Walker, Rin feeling the effects strongly, not having much memory of the night. Upon waking the following morning, she certainly had no remembrance over how she’d ended up in Sean’s bed, her sober, slightly hungover self feeling a little flicker of panic.

They hadn’t... nope. Her underwear was still on, she felt after checking, her shuffling around stirring the body at her side.

“Morning,” he yawned, propping himself up. “I hope you don’t mind, but if you’d slept on the sofa you’d have only awoken to Butch trying to sit on your head, so I brought you in here.”

“You have more than one bedroom though, no?”

He might have been half asleep, but he heard the tease in her tones clearly. “I do, but the beds aren’t made up and I was too pissed to wrestle with a fucking duvet cover, so yes. Here you are.”

The warmth of him, the bright of his blue eyes, the scent of his skin. No. Not again.

“Here I am.” She looked down for a second, feeling a hand reach beneath her chin, Sean shifting closer, his heart quickening as she looked up from beneath her long, full eyelashes at him.

That time, he was the instigator of the kiss they fell into, his body moving to cover hers.

Now they were in trouble.

#sean wallace fanfiction #gangs of london fanfiction #sean wallace smut #sean wallace fanfic #sean wallace fic #sean wallace x ofc #gangs of london #gangs of london fanfic #gangs of london fic #joe cole #london will burn #sean and rin

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blackberrysummerblog · 2 years ago

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(Not even close to Six) Sentence Sunday

Hi all, and thank you so much to everyone who tagged me last week! I haven’t been doing as much writing as I’d like because there’s some work being done on the part of my house where I usually write, and there’s just literally nowhere else I can set up shop. I’m sitting on my couch right now with my ipad resting on the arm while I attempt to type this post on a bluetooth keyboard wobbling in my lap…the worst.

I was going to post a few bits from two new WIPs I’m doing (one will be for mermay if I get it done in time!), but I also wanted to share this scene from my crucible marriage fic. Then it was just going to be too long, so, here: I’ve been working in more Mage-related plot and this is a scene where Simon is returning home after being sent off on another bullshit MacGuffin mission.

I’m reading when Simon slinks in, the avenging angel as he’s seldom portrayed in film and literature. “I’m so beat, Baz.”

He looks it. Simon’s shoulders slump as he drags himself across the room, kicking his shoes off along the way. He yawns extravagantly, and I notice a bruise on his jaw.

I let my book drift to the side and watch him climb onto the bed; his eyelids droop as he crawls toward me on all fours. Without giving pause or so much as another word, Simon clambers over me and drops down on top of my stomach, one leg pressed between mine and his head nuzzling into my chest. He gives a deep, satisfied sigh as he wraps his arms around my ribcage.

I lift my book and consider giving him a thwack, but instead I bury my nose in his hair and kiss the top of his head. “My poor love. Day not as easy as promised, hmm?” Snow’s head moves from side to side, his nose buried in my shirt. He’s roasting hot, as always, and heavy, though not enough to hurt me. He smells of sweat, smoke, frying butter, and something else. It’s some kind of dirt, possibly soot—I’ll have to spell both him and the bedclothes clean once he’s asleep, which based on the evidence will be in about thirty seconds. “Shall I read to you?” I murmur, well aware that he won’t be the least bit interested in Heart of Darkness.

Snow mumbles something that sounds like “Love the sound of your voice,” then shifts his face so that his mouth is less in my clothing. “’S okay for me to sleep on you,” he says—it’s not a question. He’s an unreserved nightmare, sent to destroy my peace and drool on my favorite shirt.

“Hmmph.” Bracing my arms over his ridiculous broad shoulders, I begin to read aloud. What does it mean that he’s this comfortable with me already? Am I the person he wants comfort from now, and if so, why? Have I given him any reason to believe I’ll give it? Simon sighs in what seems to be both exhaustion and contentment when I begin reading aloud. He wriggles back and forth in a manner that feels somehow impossibly good and innocent all at once, like I’m simply an extension of the bed he’s making himself comfortable on. Sure enough, he’s snoring softly within minutes, and I let the book drop again so that I can stroke his hair. It’s thick enough that his scalp is barely visible when my fingers rake through his curls. I spell Simon clean and perform a Kiss it better on his bruise, although I can’t reach his jawline to kiss. Stroking it lightly while kissing his forehead seems to do the trick. “Oh, Simon, love.” I indulge myself enough to rub small circles on his back, between and below his wings, resting the palm of my other hand on the nape of his neck. “Why do you let him do this to you?” Tugging the back of his t-shirt up, I check for kidney damage before gently rolling him onto his side to examine his chest and stomach. There’s a few scratches but no sign of internal bleeding, thank snakes.

Deciding against changing into pajamas, I merely turn off the light and nestle back down into my pillows, unsurprised when Simon rolls back over so he’s half on top of me, his arm and leg landing like dead weight across my body.

Magic above, I love him with every aching cell in my heart.

I’d return every cut, every bruise, every hurt he suffers threefold, if I could. The worst part is the Mage’s indifference; Snow performs his duty as if it’s enough, and that someday he’ll come home to his mentor’s smiles and open arms, and praise for a job well done. Meanwhile the son of a direhog barely seems to notice the bits and pieces being flayed off his protege with each mission; it’s the Mage’s due, and it never even seems to occur to him that Simon would light up at a single warm word from him. Snakes, it wouldn’t occur to him to want Simon to light up.

“Sweetheart,” I murmur, because Snow is asleep and can’t hear me. “Darling.” I run my fingers through his hair lightly, so lightly. If I were human—if I were alive—I’d have to shift him soon; his great heavy body would be crushing my aortic artery right now and starving me of oxygen. Simon Snow-Pitch nuzzles against me in his sleep, his arms tightening around me as he rubs his face on my chest. “I’ll take care of you. Always,” I whisper into thick bronze curls. I don’t mean to, but my lips wander down to his ear and I hear myself whisper again, “Darling.” It’s barely noticeable, but Simon smiles at whatever dream he’s having, and then softly exhales.

Sorry if I tag anyone who’s already posted today! @palimpsessed @larkral @thehoneyedhufflepuff @artsyunderstudy @hushed-chorus @thewholelemon @imagineacoolusername @raenestee @ivelovedhimthroughworse @bazzybelle @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @j-nipper-95 @cutestkilla @alleycat0306 @sailorblossoms @stardustasincocaine @valeffelees and anyone else who’d like to share!

#six sentence sunday #snowbaz #simon snow #baz pitch #wip #crucible marriage au #crucible au

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johnsbleu · 1 year ago

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Hold My Hand: John Wick x Reader Chapter 159

warnings: nsfw, john's pov at the beginning hmh masterlist

Buying another shop was a great idea at first, but it’s been a real hassle these past few weeks. Nothing seems to be going right, the security system goes off at least once a week, someone can’t figure out how to make returns or run the machine, and that always means that I’m running into the city to figure it out. I’m getting a little stressed out, but I’m trying my best to keep it under wraps since I don’t want Y/N to get upset as well. I just don’t want her to get stressed out. She doesn’t need this stress on top of being a new mom.

I had to run into the shop since there was someone there trying to return something and the new girl didn’t know how to do it. I asked if there was someone there to help but Naomi, who used to work at the shop in Mill Neck, was off today. I didn’t want to bother her on her day off, so I decided to just head out there myself while the girls stayed home.

Since I’m in New York City, I decide to stop off at a bakery that Y/N loves and pick up some treats for her and Ronan. I pull up in front of the shop as someone backs out of a spot, and I quickly pull in and take it. A spot right in front of the bakery is rare, so I won’t pass it up.

As I enter the bakery, the sweet smell of freshly baked goods fills my nostrils. The display case is full of various pastries and bread, making it difficult for me to choose what to get for the girls. I finally settle on a few things, and even get a baguette, still warm from the oven. The cozy atmosphere of the bakery makes me want to stay a little longer, but I remember that Y/N is waiting for me at home. With my purchases in hand, I head back to my car, eager to see Y/N and Ronan.

Since John had to run into the city, you called up Tess and asked if she wanted to go for a walk at the nature preserve that’s about 15 minutes away. You packed up the kids and dogs, then you headed out to it with her for a late morning walk.

It was nice to spend some time outside since it’s sunny and breezy today, and you even let Ronan put her feet in the little stream that runs through the preserve. The dogs enjoyed splashing in the water and running around too, but now they stink. Bleu will definitely need a bath later tonight. Luckily since it’s warm, you can do it in the backyard rather than in the house.

After spending a few hours at the nature preserve, you dropped Tess off at home, then you headed to the grocery store to pick up something to make for dinner tonight. You don’t know if John is home yet but if he doesn’t get home until later, you want to have dinner waiting for him since you know he probably hasn’t eaten since breakfast this morning.

You pull into the driveway and see John’s car parked, so you know that he’s home. You sit up a little to see that Ronan is still asleep in her car seat, so you get out of the car and get her so you can put her in her room before you come back for the groceries.

Half expecting John to be there to greet you, you’re a little bummed when you walk into the kitchen and find it empty. You furrow your brow when you hear the house so quiet until you see John asleep on the couch, and a smile spreads across your face when you see his long legs across the couch and his dark hair covering his face a little.

You tiptoe past him and head up to Ronan’s room to put her down for her nap, then you head back to the car for the rest of the groceries. As quietly as you can, you get them out of the crunchy brown sacks and put everything away, then you take off your shoes and tiptoe past John and up to Ronan’s room with your phone, iPad, and Ronan’s bag. She’ll be waking up in the next 20 minutes, so you’ll want to keep her occupied in her room until John is awake.

Exhaling quietly, you sit down in the rocker and curl up as you scroll through your phone. You tilt your head back against the chair and feel your eyes growing heavy, and before you can even stop it, you fall asleep.

It’s nearing 6 PM now, and John is still asleep on the couch. You thought he’d be awake by now, but he’s not. He’s obviously really tired, but you can’t stay cooped up in Ronan’s room much longer. You’re both getting hungry.

“Okay, we need to be quiet because daddy is sleeping,” you whisper to Ronan and put your finger on your mouth,“Yeah, shh. Daddy is sleeping.”

You open the door and immediately spot John on the couch, and you grimace as you quietly walk down the stairs. You freeze when you step on the creaky floorboard and look over at John to see him still sleeping. Ronan spots him and squeals loudly and calls out for him, and you quickly run into the kitchen and poke your head out to see he hasn’t moved.

“Is he dead?” you say, then you put Ronan in her highchair and give her a few pieces of cereal before you head back into the living room to check on John. You kneel down next to him and see his chest rising and falling as he breathes, and you feel relief wash over you.

Since you’ll be making dinner soon and making noise, you want John to go up to your room if he needs to keep resting. You don’t want to disturb him though.

You hesitate every time you reach out to touch his chest to wake him up, but you finally give in and rub his chest a few times before he stretches out and rubs his hands over his face.

“Hi, baby. I just want you to know I’m going to make dinner soon, so you should go upstairs and get some rest.” you whisper to him as he looks over at you, and you smile softly at him, “Go get some rest upstairs.”

“I’m okay,” he says as he reaches out to touch your cheek, then he rolls onto his side and smiles at you before he closes his eyes again.

You lean over to kiss his forehead, then you get up and head into the kitchen since he’s okay with you making noise while you make dinner. Ronan has eaten the pieces of cereal you’ve given her, so you get her out and allow her to go into the living room to see her daddy. Her little giggles cause a smile to spread across your face since you know John’s probably scooped her up and is snuggling her now.

On the counter is a pastel pink colored box that you hadn’t noticed earlier, and you open it and smile when you see a dozen different pastries inside. You look at the box and smile when you see it’s the bakery that you love in New York City, and you feel your heart flutter knowing John was sweet enough to stop by and get something for you.

Dinner was good but quiet. John still seems so tired. He cleared his plate and helped you clean up the kitchen, but he didn’t say much. He got the table cleaned off and Ronan’s highchair, then he sat down with her on the couch to read a book to her. You were expecting him to fall asleep while he read it but he made it through.

You’re just now getting Ronan ready for bed and John is still in the rocking chair just staring at the floor.

“Hey,” you smile at him when he looks at you, “Say goodnight to her so you can head to bed.”

John looks at you and nods his head, then he gets up and walk over to kiss Ronan goodnight. He hugs her tight in his arms and puckers his lips for a kiss, then he hands her back to you. You smile as you look at him, but you know he can see the worry in your eyes. He’s being quiet and withdrawn, and he’s not the type of person to take naps during the day, so this is all so weird.

“Hey, peach…” he calls out, and you turn around, “You’re coming to bed after, right?”

“Yeah, of course.” you nod, then you cock up your brow, “Will you be awake?”

John laughs, nodding, “I will be.”

“Okay, we’ll see.” you tease, then you close your eyes and rub Ronan’s back to coax her to sleep.

As you come around the corner, you see John sitting up in bed as he watches TV. He smiles and perks up more, then he waves you over to him, pulling you up to straddle his waist so he can give you a huge hug and kiss. You melt against his lips as you kiss him, then you snuggle into his arms.

“Mm, definitely missed this today.” he whispers, and you nod your head.

The two of you hold each other for a few minutes, then you press a kiss to his lips and walk over to get changed into some pajamas. You pull out a tank top and some shorts since it’s pretty warm tonight, then you get changed and put your hair into a bun before you crawl back in bed with John.

He’s been so quiet and tired tonight, and you’re starting to wonder if maybe he’s coming down with the flu or something.

You reach up and place your hand on his forehead, which causes him to look at you in confusion. You sit up more and press your cheek to his forehead, then you sit down and shrug.

“You don’t have the flu.”

“I’m not sick,” he laughs, reaching for your hand.

You inhale deeply and sigh, “Well, what’s going on?”

“Just…tired today. That’s all.” he says, holding your gaze, “I didn’t sleep that great last night.”

“Yeah, it was really hot in here last night.” you nod, laying down next to him, “I won’t lay all over you tonight.”

John laughs as he pulls you closer, “I don’t care if I sweat to death, I need you to lay with me.”

You sit up to turn on the fan next to your bed, then you move back to John and kiss him before you lay with your head on his chest. You draw circles on his skin for a few moments, then you tilt your head back to look at him.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

John nods, “I am.”

He’s lying to you. He’s lying. You can tell. You know him. He’s lying.

“Okay.” you smile softly at him, then you lean up to kiss him as he intertwines his fingers with yours. You roll onto your back as he continues kissing you, then you laugh when he leans down and peppers your neck in feather-light kisses that cause you to shiver.

Cupping his face, you hold his gaze for a few moments, then you kiss him again before you both move back so you can lay on his chest. John exhales softly as you rub his chest, then after a few moments, you look up to see him asleep again.

You reach over for the remote to turn off the TV, then you press a soft kiss to his cheek, “Goodnight, baby.”

Inhaling deeply, you squeeze your eyes shut and feel John pressing kisses to your cheek as he rubs your back. You finally open your eyes to look at him, and he smiles as he rubs his thumb over your cheek.

“I gotta run into the city.”

“Why?”

John sighs, “They just need some extra help out there today. I’m not sure when I’ll be home, but I’ll call you in a little bit to let you know what’s going on.”

You sit up and rest on your elbows, then you look over to check the time on the clock on John’s nightstand. 7:12. You look back at John and nod your head as you lean over to kiss him goodbye.

“Wait…” you pull him back for another kiss. “I love you.”

“I love you, peach.” he whispers, then he kisses your forehead. “I just got Ronan up and fed, so she’s just in her pack ‘n play.”

You nod as you sit up and take John’s hand, then you walk with him downstairs to the living room where Ronan is playing with some toys. You spot the steaming cup of coffee on the table and the cinnamon roll next to it on a plate, and you look over at John and smile.

“Thank you.”

“I’ll call you in a little bit.” he whispers, and you nod your head. He walks over to Ronan and smiles, “Be good for mom.”

Ronan reaches up for John as he leans down to kiss her, then she plops back on her butt to play with her toys. You sit down on the couch and pull your knees close to your chest as John walks out the front door and gets in his car. You rest your chin on your knee and watch as he backs out of the driveway, then you sigh and continue staring out the window.

John is lying. He’s lying about being fine. But you know he’s only doing it to protect your feelings. For the past few weeks, he’s been called out to the Manhattan shop several times during the week, and you know it’s starting to catch up to him. He’s missing out on spending time with Ronan, so you know he’s incredibly bummed out.

You’ve decided to show up there and surprise him, so hopefully it goes well.

It’s been weeks since you last visited the Manhattan shop and John has hired more people since then, so you don’t know them like you do with the shop in Mill Neck. You find it funny when they greet you at the door as if you’re just a customer.

“Hi! Welcome to Next Chapter. Can I help you find anything?”

You smile at girl behind the counter, “Just looking for my husband.”

“Oh…” she slouches a little and stammers, “Well, I…I don’t know who he is, so I can’t really help you.”

Naomi comes around the corner and smiles, “Mrs. Wick! Hi.”

“Hi,” you hug her and look around, “The shop looks nice.”

The poor girl behind the counter puts her hand over her mouth as her face turns red, “I am so sorry. I didn’t realize that you were…”

“It’s okay,” you laugh as you reach out to shake her hand, “I actually haven’t been out here much, so that’s my fault. I’m Y/N.”

“Maya,” she says as she shakes your hand.

You smile at her, “Seriously, don’t feel bad. It really is my fault. I should be coming out here more often.”

Naomi walks over to help someone when they come in, and you smile at Maya before you head downstairs to the office. As soon as you get to the bottom of the stairs, you see John with his head down and his phone pressed to his ear.

“Why aren’t you answering?” he says under his breath, then he looks at his phone and presses it to his ear again.

You feel your phone vibrating in your purse and realize he’s trying to get a hold of you, which makes you smile. How cute is he?

“Hi,” you say softly, and John looks up at you, “Are you trying to call me?”

John perks up as he nods, “Yeah, what are you doing here?”

“Oh, I can leave.” you point over your shoulder and shrug, “I mean, if you don’t want me to be here.”

“Stop!” he shakes his head, laughing, “But why did you come all the way out here?”

You smile as you watch him get up to hug you, “I came to be with you.”

John wraps his arms around you tight and holds you as he leans back against the desk. You lean against his chest and hug him, and you feel him tighten his grip on you when you try to move.

“What’s going on, John? Talk to me.”

John exhales and finally loosens his grip on you as you lean back, “I’ve been really stressed out these past few weeks. Something comes up constantly here and I have to come out here and deal with it. I didn’t think it would be so stressful.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I didn’t want you to get stressed out too,” he whispers, wiping away the tear on your cheek, “See?”

You reach up and place his hand on your cheek, “I’m crying because you’re stressing and going through this alone. That’s not what a marriage is, John. We do this together. We bought the shop. This isn’t your problem alone.”

“I know, I just didn’t want you to get stressed out.” he whispers, and you tilt your head and hold his gaze as he starts to laugh. “I know, I should have just told you.”

“What happened to Team Wick, huh?” you jokingly shove his shoulder before you wrap your arms around his waist and hug him again. “You don’t have to be stressed out and suffer through this stuff alone. Not anymore. Not since I’m here. You’re my partner in crime, babe. It’s you and me.”

John nods as he leans back against the desk, then he sits on it and pulls you between his legs, sliding his hands into your back pockets, “I miss you and Ronan so much. I feel like I’m missing out on everything.”

“Well,” you exhale as you look at him, “I got her all packed up for college and she’s moving out this weekend.”

“Stop,” John laughs, then he shakes his head.

You reach back for John’s hands and intertwine your fingers with his, “You honestly haven’t missed out on much. She’s doing all the same things.”

“Still shitting her pants?” he asks, and you nod and laugh when he playfully groans, “Damn.”

“Yup, still pooping her pants. I gave her a bath the other night and she shit herself during it. You missed that.”

John laughs, “Glad I missed that.”

“I’m sure.”

John is quiet for a few moments, then he looks at you and blinks a few times before he looks down at your hands, “Do you think she misses me?”

Taking a deep breath, you hold his gaze and shrug as you tear up, “I don’t know how to answer that.”

“What does that mean?”

You wipe the tears on your face, “If I say no, you’ll be bummed. If I say yes, you’ll feel even worse. You’ll feel like shit no matter how I answer.”

John leans his forehead against yours and sighs, “I need to figure out this shit here. I can’t keep leaving you two.”

You cup his face and nod, “Let me help.”

Letting go of you, John walks over and sits down at his desk, then he gets out some papers while you pull up a chair next to him. He looks over at you and smiles, then he pulls your chair closer to him with incredibly sexy effortlessness.

“I got a ton of new books that came in, I need to organize those and get them out on the shelves. The security system is shit, so I need to cancel that and get someone out here today to set up a new one, so I’ve been looking up some places.” he says, and you nod as you lean closer to look at his laptop.

“What do you need me to do?”

John takes a deep breath and looks at you, and you cock up your brow since you know he wasn’t going to give you something to do. You came here to help, so he better find something for you to do.

“I’m here to help. It’s my shop too.”

John nods, then he looks around his desk, “The apartment upstairs is still up for rent, but I haven’t really had any offers on it. I’m not sure people really want to live and work in the same place.”

You nod, then you point upstairs, “How about Maya?”

“She was just hired a few weeks ago, but I overheard her talking to Naomi about it.”

“Well,” you get up and shrug, “Then I’ll go ask her.”

Heading upstairs, you smile when you walk past a few customers, then you finally spot Maya helping an older gentleman find a book. You wait a few moments for her to look over at you, and you smile at her when she does.

“Excuse me…” you say softly, “Can I speak with you downstairs when you get a moment?”

The color drains from Maya’s face, “Of course.”

“Whenever you have a moment. No rush.” you smile softly, then you head back down to John and see him on the phone.

“Yeah, today would be perfect.” he nods, and you sit down, “Yeah, thank you. Bye.”

You look at him and raise your eyebrows, “They’re coming?”

“Should be here by 2.” he says, looking down at his watch before he looks at you, “Talk to Maya?”

“She was with someone, so I just asked her to come down when she’s free.”

John chuckles, “Probably gave her a heart attack in the process.”

“She felt so bad because she thought I was a customer when I came in.” you say as you laugh, then you get up and grab a box of books and look through them, “It’s my fault since I don’t come in here much.”

“No, it’s my fault.” he says, and you look over at him, “It’s my fault because I never ask if you want to come with.”

You furrow your brow as you laugh, “I’m fully capable of driving here myself. Don’t take the blame.”

John gets up from his desk and walks over to wrap his arms around your waist, “Is Ro with your mom?”

“Tess,” you say, looking over your shoulder. “I just dropped her off there since she was closer.”

“Makes sense.” he buries his face in the crook of your neck and exhales, “Do you think my girls would want to go out on a date with me tonight?”

You smile as you look at him, “I think they would like that very much.”

John smiles softly, then he leans over to kiss you before he lets go, “Oh, hey, Maya.”

“Hi,” she says as she wrings her hands, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

You laugh as you brush it off, then you gesture for her to sit down as you walk over to sit with John, “So, how do you like the shop?”

“I like it a lot. It’s got the right vibes.” she says, and John laughs quietly. “It’s nice. Not too busy, but not too quiet that I get bored.”

“Yeah, that’s how I feel about the shop back home.” you nod, then you look at John, “It’s quiet but not too quiet, but our shop in Mill Neck has a different feel to it. More like a small town bookshop, where as here it has a little more…of a sophisticated vibe to it, you know? We still try to bring some of that homey feel to it though with the couches and chairs.”

Maya nods, “I can see that.”

“So, John mentioned that he overheard you talking to Naomi about the apartment upstairs…”

“Yeah, I just asked what was up there.” Maya says as her eyes grow as wide as buttons, “Is…is that a problem?”

You laugh as you reach out to touch her hand, “No! Oh my god, no. I’m so sorry if I’ve given you the impression that you’re in trouble.”

John laughs, “You’re scaring her.”

“I am so sorry!” you put your hands over your face and laugh, “Literally not my intention. I’m just trying to be as professional as John always is. He’s so much better at it.”

“We’re asking because it’s for rent,” John says, and you sit back and nod your head. “If you’re interested in it, we’d be more than happy to show you around.”

Maya smiles a little, “Really?”

“Yeah, it’s a one bedroom, but it’s not bad for a single person.” John says, then he shrugs and looks at you. “It came with the shop when we bought it, and we thought it would be good for an employee, as long as they don’t mind living where they work.”

“Uh,” Maya chuckles a little, “I mean, it depends on rent, of course.”

John nods, “We could work something out.”

Maya nods her head, “I think it would be so freaking cool to live here.”

“You’d have a great view,” you say as she smiles, “You’d be close to work! That’s a bonus.”

“Can I take the day to think about it?”

John nods, “Of course. There’s no rush.”

“Do you want me to show you the apartment?” you ask, and Maya clasps her hands and nods. You look over at John and reach for the keys, then you wait for Maya to get out of the office before you lean down to kiss him, “Be right back.”

“Hate to go see...wait…” he laughs as he shakes his head, “Hate to see you go…”

You smirk as you look at him, “Jonathan Wick, are you flustered?”

John leans over to make sure Maya isn’t near, then he reaches out and spanks you, “These shorts…”

You laugh as you lean over to kiss him, then you wink before you head upstairs with Maya. The two of you head to the back of the shop where there’s a door that leads upstairs, and you unlock it and gesture for her to go first. The stairwell is cramped, so you quickly head up to the apartment door and unlock it.

“You got your kitchen here, bathroom here, living room, and the bedroom. Great view from the window,” you say as you walk into the empty apartment. “You can paint it whatever you want, hang whatever you want.”

The living room is big and spacious and the windows are large, so there’s plenty of natural light that comes in. The dark exposed ceiling gives the illusion that room is taller than it really is, but it also leaves the room feeling a little more modern.

Maya nods as a smile spreads across her face, then she walks around and looks at everything, “It’s really cute. Bigger than I thought.”

“Yeah, the bedroom is quite big.” you nod, leaning back against the kitchen counter.

“Oh, uh, I have a cat and a dog.” she says, looking at you, “Can I have pets here?”

You nod, “Of course. I have a dog at home who I couldn’t live without, so I would never tell you no. And trust me, John would never tell you no either. Bleu is everything to that man. So, yes, you can definitely have pets.”

Maya laughs, “Thanks, they’re my babies.”

“Completely understand.” you nod, then you smile at her, “Take all the time you need, Maya. We’re in no rush. And if you decide this isn’t right for you, that’s okay too.”

“Thanks. I just want to talk to my dad about it.” she says, shrugging, “He gives good advice.”

You smile, “You’re very lucky to have that.”

Maya walks past you and heads back down to the shop, and you lock up and make your way downstairs to the office again, finding John still going through papers at the desk.

“So, did she like it?”

“She did. I forgot how big that place actually is. I guess I remember it just being a studio.” you say, furrowing your brow, “I don’t know what I was thinking. But yes, she liked it and said she wants to speak with her dad first because he gives good advice.”

John chuckles, then he leans over to kiss you a few times, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” you whisper, holding his hand, “What else do you need help with?”

“Uh, just those two boxes over there. The books need to be divided up by genre so we can put them out.”

You nod as you get up, “I’m on it. Is that it?”

“Yeah, I think that’s pretty much everything.”

“See how much easier everything is when you just let your wife handle it.” you joke, and John lets out a laugh as he nods.

A knock on the door causes you to look over your shoulder, and you look over at John as he gets up and shakes hands with who you assume is the guy from the security company.

John touches the lower part of your back, then he kisses your cheek, “I’ll be right back.”

“Okay,” you nod, then you smile at him as he leaves.

John still wants to take you and Ronan out on a date tonight, so you left the shop and headed home to shower and get ready. You know that you won’t be going anywhere fancy for dinner since Ronan will be tagging along, but you still want to change into something else. Maybe a nice summer dress.

You set a few dresses out on your bed, then you stand back and look at them as Ronan waddles over to the bed.

“What dress should momma wear?” you ask, and Ronan scrunches up her face and looks at you, “Yeah, which one? That one? Okay.”

You take the powder blue dress that Ronan pointed at and put it on, then you turn around to fix it in the mirror as you look at yourself. The dress falls just a little above your knee, so you’ll have to keep that in mind if Ronan runs off during dinner. It’s probably not the best thing to wear since she’s quite the little runner lately, but you feel good in it and you might even get a few lingering looks from John.

Since he’s been working so much these past few weeks, you haven’t really had much time alone. You’ve had enough time alone for a quickie here and there, but the two of you always love to lay in bed and talk, and John always loves to take his time with you--you’re definitely not complaining about that. You’re hoping that maybe tonight you two can spend some time together after your date.

“Alright,” you reach down for Ronan and pick her up, “Let’s get you ready, bug.”

Walking to Ronan’s room, you kiss her cheek over and over, then you set her down in the middle of the floor before you go through her closet to find a dress for her. You find a cute romper that has little peaches all over it, and you kneel down and check Ronan’s diaper before you put the romper on her. You get the peach colored headband, then you put it on and smile as you look at her.

“Oh, bug, you’re so beautiful!”

You perk up when you hear the front door open, so you lift Ronan up and walk out to see John coming in the front door with two bouquets of flowers.

“Hi, daddy!”

John smiles as you come down the stairs, “Look at my beautiful girls.”

Ronan bounces in your arms and waves at John as she calls out for her dada, and you laugh as you walk over to him so he can kiss her.

“These are for you, little lady.” he says, handing her the bouquet of light pink carnations and baby’s breath.

“Oh, these are so beautiful!” you say as you take them, then you hold them up to her nose so she can smell them, “Smell. Mmm.”

John laughs when Ronan tries to bite one of the flowers, “No, baby, you smell them. Like this…”

You smile when John demonstrates for Ronan how to smell a flower, then you hoist her up, “We better get these into some water.”

“Oh, and these are for you, miss.” John holds up the other flowers and smiles, “Flowers for my dates who both look so pretty.”

You blush as you look at him, “Thank you. Ro picked out my dress.”

“I’m going to shower. I’ll be ready in 30 minutes.” he whispers, and you nod as he leans over to kiss you. “You look beautiful, baby.”

You let Ronan down and listen to her little feet as she follows behind you to the kitchen. She clings to your leg and drools all over it, then she reaches for the handle on the cabinet and pulls on it, rocking back and forth until she falls on her butt. You let out a small laugh when she gets up and waddles off to find something else to do instead since she can’t get in the cabinet with the safety locks.

After getting the flowers in some vases, you leave them on the counter and head out to find Ronan chewing on the TV remote. Thankfully you clean it regularly since she tends to chew on it whenever it’s around. You’re pretty sure she likes it because she likes the way the rubber buttons feel on her gums.

“You and this dang remote,” you laugh, then you grab a teething toy, “Here.”

Ronan takes it from you, then she waddles around the living room and over to Bleu. She sits down next to him and leans her head against his belly, and you smile as you sit down on the couch and wait for John.

You’re making a funny noise and making Ronan laugh until she’s wheezing with laughter, and almost everyone in the diner is looking over to watch. You blow raspberries in the crook of Ronan’s neck and smiles when she squeals.

“Okay, okay,” you laugh, setting her in your lap, “Momma will stop.”

John laughs as he reaches for your hand, “You two…”

“What?”

“I just love you two so much.”

You tilt your head a little and smile softly, “We love you too!”

John presses a kiss to the back of your hand and looks down at Ronan as she chews on your other hand, and he laughs a little, “She’s chewing on everything.”

“She was chewing on my leg earlier.” you say, then you wiggle finger over Ronan’s lips and laughs when she tries to chew on it, “I think she’s teething again, so…”

John grimaces a little, “At least we know what to do now.”

Ronan stands up in your lap and claps her hands, then she reaches over for John. He sits up a little and takes her, then he hold tight to her when she stands up in the booth next to him.

You prop your head up on your fist and watch Ronan grin at her daddy, and you laugh when she leans over with her mouth wide open to kiss him. John scrunches up his face a little and wipes away the spit she’s left on his cheek, then he kisses her.

John and Ronan share an inseparable bond, yet they never exclude you. Despite Ronan being a baby, she ensures that you feel included--it’s such a weird way to put it, but a testament to her deep affection for you and John. She always wants you and John, and she is always craving the attention and affection from you both, which of course you two are never upset about giving her.

“When we get home, do you want to spend some time in the pool?” you ask, and John nods his head. “It’s pretty warm tonight.”

“Well, let’s head out now. That way Ro can swim with us for a bit before she goes to bed.” John suggests, then he gets some money and tucks it behind a cup as you get up and fix your dress. You clap your hands and take Ronan when she leans over for you, then you wait for John to get up before you walk with him to the front door.

“Hey,” John whispers as you stand at the car, “Maybe mom and dad can have some hot tub time?”

“Oh, absolutely.” you smile, then you smirk when John perks up.

Ronan had so much fun with you and John in the pool but she got tired not long after. You brought her upstairs and put her down for the night, then you headed back to the pool and hopped in with John before you both moved to the hot tub with some wine.

“Oh, I meant to tell you earlier, Maya asked if we could meet with her dad this weekend to discuss the apartment.” John says, and you nod your head, “I figured we could discuss it and talk about the lease.”

“Sounds good to me,” you say as you close your eyes and feel the warm water relaxing your body. You frown when the jets turn off, then you look over at John, “The timer ran out.”

John laughs as he walks over to turn the jets back on, then he stands in front of you and smiles, leaning down to kiss you a few times. You cup his face to keep him from moving away from you, and he reaches down and lifts you up as the two of you kiss. He sits down with you in his lap, then he pulls the string on your swimsuit top and pulls it off of you.

“Fuck…” he whispers as he looks at your chest, then he leans down and sucks on your nipple, closing his eyes and humming loudly, “Put your feet up here.”

You furrow your brow when John suggests you stand up in front of him on the bench, then you nod when you realize why he wants that. He unties the side of your bottoms, then he pulls them off and tosses them aside before he licks his lips and leans up to bury his face between your legs. You lean over and hold onto the side of the hot tub, then you laugh a little.

“I know you want this, but this is such an awkward--” you squeeze your eyes shut and moan loudly as John sucks on your clit. You look down at John and bite your lip, “Holy shit…”

“You were saying…”

You chuckle softly as you tilt your head back, then meet his gaze before stepping away from the bench and leaning against his chest for a passionate kiss. Keeping your lips locked onto his, he rises to remove his swim trunks while you trail your hands up and down his torso before slipping them beneath the water’s surface to stroke him intimately. As he grasps at your ass, you moan in pleasure into each other's mouths until finally settling into his lap where you let out soft moans of ecstasy as you feel him brush against your inner thighs.

After adjusting your position several times, you eventually slide down the length of him as your eyes roll shut. His hands are irresistibly drawn to your thighs, gliding upwards until they rest firmly on your ass. With rapt attention, he guides the rhythm of you on top of him.

“Oh, fuck, John,” you whine as you tilt your head back, then you look at him, “Fuck, I’ve missed you.”

John places his right hand on the back of your neck and pulls you closer, “I’ve missed you too.”

You close your eyes and moan softly as John leans up to suck on your neck, and you roll your hips faster, chasing the pleasure. His hand slides down to your breast where he pinches and twists your nipple, then he sucks on it and wraps his arms around you tight before you both look at each other.

“Take your time,” you whisper, nodding your head and cupping his face, “Take your time with me.”

“Absolutely.”

You brought Ronan along to meet with Maya and her dad to act as a…buffer. John can be intimidating, but he’s not as intimidating when he’s holding his baby girl. Hopefully when Maya’s dad sees John with Ronan, he’ll understand that John is the same as him: a dad who just really loves his daughter and wants what’s best for her.

You’re currently in the apartment with Ronan, and you’re kneeling down by the window with her as she looks out and points at every car on the street. John ran to get some sandwiches for the two of you since you both completely forgot to eat lunch, but he should be back soon.

“Hello?” Maya pokes her head in and smiles, “Hi.”

“Hey, come in.” you get up and fix your jeans as you walk over to meet her dad.

Maya walks over and gestures to her dad, “This is my dad.”

“Hi,” you reach out and shake his hand, “I’m Y/N.”

“William,” he nods, then he puts his hands on his waist and nods as he looks around the living room, already inspecting it.

Very much a protective dad.

“Oh, I’m not sure you’ve met her yet, this is Ronan,” you say, reaching down to pick her up, “Can you say hi, baby?”

Maya smiles when Ronan waves at her, then she laughs, “She looks just like John.”

“It’s the eyes,” John says as he walks in, then he sets the bag down and walks over to shake hands with William, and they immediately begin talking about the apartment.

You bounce Ronan in your arms a few times, then you laugh when she leans over for Maya to hold her. Maya cautiously takes her from you and holds her, then she sits down on the floor. You sit down with them and get a few of Ronan’s toys, and you smile when she holds them up to show Maya.

“How old is she?”

“Just turned 9 months,” you say, tickling Ronan’s belly. “She just started walking, so she’s kind of in love with walking around right now. Every where I go, I just hear her little feet right behind me.”

Maya laughs, “That’s cute.”

“She’d get so frustrated when John and I would be a few feet away talking and she’d just cry because she couldn’t get to us. She started crawling early and walking too. We’re fully convinced she’s a genius, but it’s most likely because she just tries to keep up with us.” you say, then you look over at John as he hands William the lease he came up with last night. He glances at you for a moment, and you smile at him before you look back at Ronan, “She just loves her daddy so much.”

Ronan gets up and wobbles a little, then she walks over to John and clings to his jeans before he reaches down and picks her up. She reaches up and scratches her fingers over his beard as he tries his hardest to keep a straight face, and you and Maya both laugh.

“Maya,” William looks at her and waves her over, so the two of you both get up and walk over to the counter. “Mr. Wick has come up with a lease for you.”

“I just figured a three month lease would be best. Say in three months, you no longer wish to live here or even work here,” John shrugs as he looks at her, “This way you’re not tied down for six months or longer.”

Maya nods, then she looks at her dad, “And the rent is okay?”

“Rent is…the cheapest you’re going to get in Manhattan, especially with a place this big and nice.” he says, then he laughs, “Kind of feel bad for how cheap it is.”

“Well, just because we’ve lowered the rent doesn’t mean anything. Anytime you need repairs or anything, don’t hesitate to call us. We’ll call someone and get them out here to fix it.” you say, and John nods, “And we’ll pay for it. We own this place, and John and I went back and forth for about a month over what to do with it. We certainly don’t need it since we have a home in Mill Neck, so we figured why not rent it out to someone?”

Maya perks up as she looks at her dad, “So you like it?”

“I do,” William nods and looks around, “It’s a nice place.”

John hoists Ronan up a little, “We got a new security system as well, so she’s safe here.”

You smile as you look at John, then you rub his back a little before intertwining your fingers with his. He lets go to wrap his arm around your shoulder, then he pulls you closer and kisses the top of your head while Maya and William walk around to discuss everything.

Ronan kicks her legs to be put down, then she waddles after Maya as you laugh. Maya looks down when Ronan clings to her leg, and John lets out a small laugh when she reaches up to be held.

“Grace better be careful. I think Ro is finding a few favorite.” John says, and you laugh as you move to stand in front of him. He looks over the top of your head at William, then he looks at you, “Lunch in the park after?”

You nod your head as you lean up to kiss his cheek, “Yeah.”

“And I’m right here for work too.” Maya whispers, and her dad nods. “I really like this place, dad. And Mr. and Mrs. Wick are really, really nice to me.”

William nods, then he wraps his arm around her shoulder, “If this is what you want…”

“I do.” she nods, and he leans down to kiss her cheek.

You smile when they walk back over to you to sign the lease, and you open the cupboard and pull out the purple gift bag, “I had a feeling you’d say yes, so I got you a housewarming gift. If I was a single girl, I’d take the place too.”

Maya laughs as she pulls out the little potted plant and the candle you bought for her, then she hugs you, “Thank you.”

John takes the papers after they’ve signed them, then he hands Maya a set of keys, “There you go. Welcome home.”

“I have an apartment!” Maya laughs.

“The only thing we ask is no crazy parties since the shop is downstairs,” John says, and Maya laughs as she nods. “That’s pretty much it. Oh, and if you have anything in particular that you want, such as a certain couch and desk, just let us know and we’ll pick it up for you.”

William shakes his head as he laughs, “She’s got plenty of stuff at home.”

Ronan throws her toy to the floor and laughs as it skids over to your feet, then she walks over and reaches up for you.

“We’ll get out of your hair. You can move in whenever you want.” John says, then he shakes William’s hand, “I promise she’ll be safe here. I know how protective we can get about our kids, especially our daughters. You have my word.”

You feel your heart flutter a little as John looks over at Ronan in your arms, then you walk over and hug Maya, “I can’t wait to see how you decorate the place. Paint and do whatever you want in here!”

“Yeah, I’m really excited for that part.” she smiles, then she waves at Ronan, “Bye.”

“Say bye, Ro.” you wave, and Ronan waves at Maya as you walk to the door.

John grabs the bag from the counter, then he walks down the stairs with you to the shop. It’s open today but things were taken care of--thankfully. You walk through the shop and smile at some customers, then you wave at Naomi before heading out to the street where your car is parked out front.

“Definitely gonna need the stroller.” you say, hoisting Ronan up more, “I’m a little weakling or she’s just getting so much bigger.”

John laughs as he gets it from the trunk, then he kisses Ronan’s cheek as he puts her in it. You stuff your purse in the bottom, then you wrap your arm around John’s bicep and lock the car before walking across the street to the park.

“So, I have a question,” John says, and you look up at him, “If you were single, you’d want to live out here?”

“Well, no. I love Mill Neck.” you say, shrugging. “I don’t want to live here. There’s too many people and it’s never quiet. I don’t even like coming into the city when I’m alone. It makes me so, so, so anxious. I only ever come out here when I’m with you or if I’m coming out here to see you.”

John nods, “What if when you first moved here, you found this shop and it was looking to hire and rent an apartment out, would you have taken it?”

“Maybe, I guess. I don’t know. Part of me wants to say yes.”

“We wouldn’t have met then,” he says, and you look up at him again, “We wouldn’t have met if you had moved here.”

You shake your head as you laugh, “I don’t believe that. I think you and I would meet no matter what. No matter where in New York I was living, you and I would meet.”

“You really think that?”

“We were meant to meet so that we could have this beautiful little girl,” you say, nodding your head, “Whether we met because Bleu ran up to me at the mailbox or we both hailed the same taxi, we would have met.”

John smiles, “Yeah.”

“I was literally outside of the museum while you were inside fucking shit up. You think that wasn’t fate?” you laugh, and John smiles wider. “We might have just missed one another once or twice but it wasn’t the right time until September 5th.”

“Best day of my life.” John smiles, pulling you closer to his side.

You tilt your head back and smile at him, “We were destined to meet and fall in love because without one another, we wouldn’t have Ronan. Ronan wouldn’t be who she is if you weren’t her dad.”

John smiles as he leans down to kiss you, “I love you so much, you know that?”

“Do you know that I love you so much?” you ask, and John nods his head before leaning down to kiss you.

Ronan squeals loudly as you and John kiss, and you laugh against his lips and look down at her as she waves at random people. You smile as you look at some little kids waving at her, then you look back at John.

“Best thing we ever did,” he whispers, and you nod your head as he cups your face, “Best thing I ever did: meeting you.”

“Stop!” you laugh as you put your hand over your face, “You’ll make me cry.”

You feel a sense of comfort and safety in his embrace, like nothing else in the world really matters. His touch is gentle yet firm, and you can't help but smile at the warmth he brings to your heart. As you pull away from him, John looks into your eyes and whispers words of love that make your heart skip a beat, and a smile spreads across your face. You realize how lucky you are to have him in your life, and you vow to cherish every moment with him. The memory of this embrace will stay with you forever, a reminder of the love that surrounds you.

taglist: @sakurachan-9 @beingnerdyissupercool @tnu-ree @ruby-octo Lemme know if u want to be added!

#john wick x you #john wick x reader #john wick imagine #john wick x y/n #john wick fic #fic: hold my hand #hiii sorry it's been so long since i updated last! life has been A LOT lately #plus i'll be honest i've been writing this one really random chapter lmaoooo i can't wait to share it #there's a few chapters that i can't wait to share tbh #anyway enjoyyyyy i love u all byeeee

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sumire-no-nikki · 1 year ago

Text

A Matter of Time

At the end of July I was gripped by a sudden fever.

It was the last Sunday of the month. I woke up quite late, had my morning coffee and set up the day’s work on the floor table. It was a very Summer Sunday. The air felt stale on my skin, constantly at the precipice of breaking out into sweat but not quite. It was a helpless time, a dull headache of a day.

I had been in the midst of organising my iMac, Macbook and a new SSD that day. I was facing the renaming and copying of hundreds of folders. It was quite a tedious task and I was restless. I needed a fix. And the thing is I knew exactly where I was headed that day. My imagination always gets the best me, and an idle mind is the devil's workshop, so they say. Reaching out to untouched corners of the past always requires some level of feigning ignorance to the consequences. I knew well enough that I would unravel something but my boredom overrode all discipline, all sense that day. So I found myself meandering through old folders filled with a past version of myself and people I knew in that unrecognisable life. Well, there has to be a truth to it—to the idea that the universe will continue to hurl the same lessons your way, each instance a more violent encounter, unless you learn from it. That Sunday came the final lesson.

Inside a folder named "2019," I found her waiting for me. My dear K, memories of her frozen there like no time had passed. There were screenshots of conversations, photos I recall having sent her. Seeing all of those again was the catalyst for Sunday’s foolhardiness.

I looked her name up, I looked her sisters’ names up. Nothing but old Facebook comments came up and there really was not much I could do at that point as I don’t use Facebook. This should have been the dead end but I’ve always been stubborn. The only thing it did was empower my craving.

So I dug up an old email correspondence. I’ve been avoiding doing this for nearly three years. With a split second decision I’ve undone all that control. The last message was from 2020 right before the worldwide lockdowns started. I had been talking about returning to Japan and she was talking about looking into getting an iPad. How innocent those days were.

I copied the email address I found and composed an email. In under eight hundred words I wrapped my well wishes, my love, my yearning. “Wishing you nothing but the best,” I signed it. I shut my laptop. I exhaled, only realising then that I had been holding my breath that entire time I was writing the email.

In the first few hours since I sent the email there was a heaviness. The problem is that I could not tell if what I had committed meant an end or a beginning. Have I truly mended the fraying edges, given myself closure, or have I ripped open a new wound instead?

Sometime during the following week my ever so efficient iPhone decided to notify me of the fact that I had sent the email a couple of days ago and I had not heard back. It prompted: “follow up” with a button on the top right as if it were that easy. I panicked. I was in a hurry to make it disappear from the screen. I swiped it into oblivion. I would not let myself read it again. In the end it was sad to see it there at the top of my inbox. I suppose that was the moment when I finally understood the reality that our friendship really has missed the last train for good.

It is funny to feel all this longing now because my friendship with K had been a terribly chaotic one.

I remember K as fun, emotionally sensitive and a daydreamer. I enjoyed the memes, the mindless jokes. I enjoyed her sisters always having a funny thing to say. I enjoyed the video calls. I’ve never fit in anywhere but they welcomed me in their circle. I was the honorary fourth sister. I appreciate that when I would be blocked by the loops of logic in my head K would point to my heart and ask about what that part of me had to say. She showed me a side to life that I had often written off. When I was so lost in the grind, never satisfied with the heights I climbed, she underlined the magnitude of my early emancipation, my scholarships and educational accomplishments. In those days I was never enough for myself, but for K I was everything. “You’re my star, my claim to fame,” she always told me. I let her read my honours thesis before anyone else. She tuned in to my undergraduate graduation livestream because I was giving the department valedictorian speech and I was going to be awarded the highest honour of the year. I had no one to attend my graduation. She showed up for me.

But she was also jealous, indirect and shortsighted. She seemed most present when I was going through a crisis, revelling at the realisation that I have problems that I can’t always solve. When I shared my successes she was almost avoidant. She came and went as she pleased, leaving me in the dark to wonder what I had done wrong. She had her sisters as allies at the end of the day, while I’m reminded that I will never truly be part of the family no matter how close I got. I couldn’t care less what her educational attainments were, really, but she certainly measured herself against me and I never knew what to do with myself in those moments. She had dropped out after her first year was stuck in a crammed home with an abusive mother, while I found my liberation as I cut my ties with my own toxic family and went on to pursue a post graduate degree. She told me it was hard for her to be my friend because my accomplishments made her feel small. She was three years older and yet she felt like I had done more with my life. She thought I was too perfect. I took it personally. Her words were weapons.

Being from a toxic household myself, I knew to pick up on the unsaid, the passive aggressive. I knew desperation as an instinct and I held on to everything because I know the taste of favour withdrawn. I sought to earn her approval because then I only understood worth as something to achieve. I contorted into shapes that comforted her. I tiptoed around the good things that happened to me, wary to share them. My good news meant bad news to her after all, and that meant she would be less convinced to keep me around, so I thought. And when I did find myself in trouble it almost felt like relief to both of us. I could run to her with this problem: “Look! I’m flawed and hurt! Here’s something bad that happened to me! I’ve been knocked down and you can feel superior now!” I begged and begged. That proved exhausting, unjust and cruel. The friendship soured. And when I hit rock bottom, when my life crumbled into an unrecognisable mess, when I needed someone the most, turning to her felt like I was twisting the knife myself. There was shame when there shouldn’t have been. I thought insecurity was a price I had to pay to keep her in my life.

This is not to say that I was an angel during our friendship. I had high expectations and I was ruthless in demanding them. I was hungry for proof that I was loved and needed. I was stubborn, too focused on logic and sense that I refused to give emotions any credit at all. I would not communicate until I was at my boiling point, seeing patience as a duty that must be repaid. I was uncaring, insensitive and I thought fixing someone’s situation is the ultimate expression of love. I was heavy handed, harsh. I was not a fun person to be around.

But perhaps what made it all the more painful is the fact that for all our differences we actually had a lot in common. We understand generational trauma. We both know what it’s like to move to a foreign country. We had the same academic goals of learning languages and we value education greatly. We both love literature, romantics in our own ways. We had a shared dream. It wasn’t a very big one but it was ours.

At the end of the day, I don’t think our friendship would have survived. It was always headed for the cliff and it was just a matter of time.

I recall typing in an email to her near the end: “I welcome what will stay to stay, and I let go of what wants to leave without resistance.” Truth is I was partially referring to our friendship with that line. I had tried everything—I had tried harsh, patient, distant, clingy. Nothing I did seemed to get our friendship to keep its head above water. After many false endings and optimistic new beginnings, by the end of the decade I think we both understood that holding on too tightly solved nothing. We both had gone through transformative events at that point. She lost her step-father in a car accident that she herself suffered great injuries from, while I had just finished my master’s yet found myself more lost than I’d ever been, having landed myself in a psychiatric hold. She was on the way to bettering her life, defeating depression and learning to believe in herself again. And I was finally on a slow path to shedding all the past versions of myself, learning to come as I am rather than needing to be someone. We were individually getting better, it seemed. But I suppose that didn’t mean we would get better together.

Reading what I’ve written here, I feel like I’ve come to really understand that I have been grieving this friendship long before it ended. Here I am missing someone who had hurt me and had hurt in return, I feel all this love for her, for the memories. But she isn’t who she used to be anymore. She’s just a stranger now.

I think about K and how she’ll never know me as I am now. My heart is broken. She’ll never know that I can do latte art now, how my music tastes have evolved. She would never get to meet any of my cats. She’ll never hear of my travels. I won’t be there when she gets her first flat. I’ll never get to watch her violin recitals. I won’t know what her cooking tastes like. I’ll never know if she has new favourite books and if she ever changed her mind about Murakami.

The 2019 screenshots that inspired all of this are of a conversation between K and another person who I hurt deeply--J. I told K one morning that I had a dream about him and that after years and years of regret I still hope for his forgiveness. K stepped up and told me she doesn’t mind messaging J on Instagram. They didn’t know each other but she volunteered to reach out on my behalf anyway. After about a month she showed me the screenshots of J’s response—a rejection, a condemnation, my just desserts. I wasn’t surprised really. I hurt J badly. I realised too late how much I love him. I told K I deserved it. But when I was ready to punish myself all over again, K was the one who dusted me off and picked me back up. She said that people change, situations change, and it could really be a new start for me and J if he would just allow a reunion. She said it’s a shame that for all the love we had for each other, J would not allow for a new beginning. Even though I had made that life altering mistake, K reminded me that I am still worthy of redemption.

Those words mean a lot to me.

After remembering all the petty fights, the immature choices and thoughtless remarks, it is in fact this enduring act of kindness that I choose to remember her by, forever and always.

Thinking about it now, I suppose I had always applied that same sentiment to my friendship with K. I always thought that even though we’ve drifted apart, we could always reconnect and start fresh when the time is right. I held on to the hope without realising it. Weeks after my email to her, there’s nothing but fragments of a thread. The thin and brittle thread we kept trying to salvage seem to finally have disintegrated for good—I see this very clearly now, three years after the fact.

Of course there are so many reasons for her lack of response. The most plausible one is that the email she used then must be one of her oldest ones from her teenage years. It wasn’t even her actual name. She could have lost the password or just never thought to check it anymore as she is now using a more current email. Before we lost touch we were getting quite close. She had some financial issues which I was offering to help her with. And she had even floated the idea of flying to the states for the first time to see me. I offered for her to stay at my place. I told her we’d take a road trip. I could drive her anywhere she wanted. We were doing well. I cannot think of what I might have done to I upset her. I don’t believe I’ve given her any reason for her to cut me off.

But it doesn’t matter now.

Time heals wounds but I suppose it also dulls the strongest of emotions. Maybe she just doesn’t feel compelled to keep me in her life anymore.

I’ve been to the UK so many times now and every single time I’ve thought about taking a train to her. Every single time I fought against that idea. I know for sure now that I’ll never set foot in Coventry. I won’t be the one to destroy her peace. But in future, when I find myself in London or elsewhere again, I will choose to think of K and feel gratitude, to have known her, without needing to blame myself for the way our paths diverged.

The idea of this entry was like a geyser inside me. It came in bursts. I thought I would write and publish this in one sitting. It has taken me nearly 20 days. At first it was guilt, anguish for all the shortcomings. I was hurt by the rejection and the delayed realisation. But I have nothing left to mourn now, I think. All I’ve got now is a celebration of what has been.

With this I lay flowers on the grave of our friendship.

#diary #sumire-no-nikki

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