#and she left him to protect the kids and has been raising them alone since they were young children

[aloeverified]

i wish jagged was luka and juleka's step-dad instead.

anarka and jagged meet in a dim, little corner street bar. she doesn't keep up with all the new fancy spots anymore and he's trying to hide away from anyone with a camera who might make his night worse.

anarka goes out for the first time in many, many years. luka and juleka want to have a little get together with their friends at the boat, and she trusts her kids enough and know they'll not do anything too reckless. besides, she remembers what it's like to want freedom and privacy from parents at that age, so she'll let them have a little party while she gets some alone time.

jagged was also looking to have a drink that night, trying to take his mind off another annoying disagreement with his producer. apparently, he'd gone against his contract by playing unreleased music during his television interview and was essentially being put on house arrests: no tours, no shows, no leaving paris. not until he had a new album ready to announce and was ready to do everything his producer asked of him.

he overhears anarka ordering, something strong he's only had on a handful of occasions. he takes a sea on the stool beside her and asks for the same. she smiles over at him, asking if it's been "one of those days."

he replies with a groan, saying everyday is one of those days with this ridiculous coworker of his. she chuckles at that and he questions if she's in a similar predicament.

she shakes her head and takes a first sip as their drinks are placed in front of them. she tells him it's just been a while since she's been able to go out, is all, might as well enjoy all the alone time she can while she has the chance.

he asks if his presence is taking away from her alone time, and she shakes her head once again before taking a larger drink. it's nice to have a drinking partner, she tells him it's been a long time since she's had one. he takes a sip of his drink as well, humming in agreement.

the two of them talk some more with more drinks coming. jagged realizes anarka has a very nice laugh and also a much higher tolerance than him.

somewhere in their conversation, something is said that causes anarka to have an epiphany. she jolts up in her seat, startling jagged, as she turns further towards him and announce that she knows him: he's a musician that her oldest kid is absolutely obsessed with!

jagged tries to hide the surprise in his voice as he repeats that she has kids. anarka nods, still very proud of her discovery. two, she tells him, the sweetest little kiddos in all of france. he listens to her gush about them for a few moments more, enjoying the way she face brightens with each word.

he decides to test his fate by saying he hopes her husband doesn't mind her having a drink with a rockstar, lots of people would get the wrong impression. anarka laughs, loud and heavy, telling him he doesn't have to worry about anything like that. she gives him a mischievous look, telling him that if she ever saw her lousy ex husband again, she'd throw him overboard.

jagged offers her his help if that ever happens, a long with his number written on one of the bar napkins. she stares at it for a moment in bewilderment, before laughing and sliding it into her purse, telling him she'll never turn down a drinking buddy.

from there on, jagged and anarka meet fairly often. it started off as getting a drink once a week together at the bar while so the kids could have a night to themselves and so jagged could unwind, but it eventually turns into them getting together every few nights for drinks, dinner, checking out new instrument stores.

luka grows suspicious that their mom is seeing someone and eventually decides to ask her about it while she's getting ready to go see jagged, and juleka jumps in to let their mom know she's happy for her and supports any relationship she may be pursuing.

she tells the kids to settle down, it's nothing like that. he's just a friend she's been getting together with to have some adult time. though, she does find him quite handsome and charming, and his accent does do something for her. she decides to text her "friend" to come by the boat to pick her up, rather than meeting a few blocks away.

imagine luka's shock when his idol shows up in his living room, more polished and out together than he's ever seen him, with a bouquet of flowers for his mom.

summary: jagged stone falls in love with anarka from the moment he sees her and she decides to entertain it, featuring bonus family shenanigans with juleka and luka having a good father figure for the first time in their lives and jagged realizing that maybe he doesn't mind the idea of settling down and having a family as much as he thought he would.

[warmilikeit]

Yandere Batfam x Camp half-blood (Neglected reader)

Dc x Pjo

Part 5

________________________

Diana is seething, she's filled with rage, the lies Bruce fed her?

"I'm very worried for their wellbeing..."

"I miss them very much"

"they're so young, I don't want anything bad to happen to them"

Asshole.

She kicked the door of the justice hall down, startling the kids who had gone back on patrol from trying to find (Name)

"hey what gives?" Flash asks

Superman raised his eyebrow "you left so suddenly, mind telling us where you've been?"

She looks at batman's sidekicks and then at him, while staring him straight in the eyes "the kid is dead" she says

"what?"

A silence washing over the entire room

"the lady who attacked your house, that wasn't an ordinary lady, in the eyes of mortals she may look normal, but in the eyes of divine beings... It's a monster, that monster was an empousa, a poisonous fire breathing monster who feeds on the blood of mortals and divine beings alike" Diana thinks about how she'll explain everything to J'onn later, but figure that he's probably reading her mind right now

Her suspicions are confirmed as J'onn nods at her

"your kid, (Name), they're a demigod, because of that they're a target for monsters, they're gone, eaten, sorry Bruce"

Crap Diana thinks, was she too harsh? She was just too angry

Ignoring the fact Diana just announced Bruce slept with a god, Superman placed his hand on Batman's shoulder "My condolences Bruce"

Everyone was giving their apologies to the bats

She didn't look at the widened eyes of batman's sidekicks, she noticed but chose to ignore the sound of Dick collapsing into a chair, she heard didn't pay attention to the footsteps of Damian who had to run out of the room

Cass stiffened up, she trembled as if resembling a cracking statue, Steph wants to cry, but she knows very well that she doesn't deserve to cry over you, Barbara just- it's like she just stopped working

As much as she feels so cruel right now, she knew it was the only thing that will keep you hidden, if not, they'll keep trying to find you

Green arrow crossed his arms, but it was clear he was disturbed by the death of a 12 year old kid "Diana, please elaborate"

"Bruce here, had intercourse with a god, that led to (Name) being born, monsters attack demigods, people who are half god half human such as myself, without proper protection monsters kill demigods easily, and (Name) suffered that fate, monsters attack demigods while they're young and tasty and leave them alone as they grow older, they don't feed usually on humans, just animals and demigods"

It seemed like Batman or more appropriately for this situation Bruce wasn't even listening, his mind still stuck at the announcement of your death

"If it'd make you feel better, you can take a break for a while... I know what it's like to lose family, we all do, let yourself grieve Batman, you might be a hardcore vigilante but you're still a father" (to everyone but name) Barry suggests

Starfire has been trying to calm Dick down, his breathing has become irregular and unstable, switching between deep and short breaths

_________________________

Jon runs after Damian, it looked like any second, the unbeatable demon spawn fell to his knees

"Damian! Are you okay!?" Jon asks

"I-i thought it'd only last a few days... Maybe a week if they're incompetent, or maybe months if we're unlucky" Damian started to cough

He took off his robin mask and took a deep breath "Since there was no body, I was fine, I thought they're okay, maybe a few injuries here and there, but they're alive so it's fine, but- the reason there was no body... Was because she was eaten- by stupid, how'd -" Jon didn't know what to do, between the both of them, Damian was the composed one

Then two of his siblings came, Jason and Tim

"what the fuck? Demon spawn?" Jason was surprised, and immediately glared at Jon, accusingly looking at him for making his brother this way

Jon put his up defensively "I didn't do anything, promise, I'm trying to comfort him!"

Tim knelt down with Damian "what happened?"

"(Name) is dead"

And suddenly it feels like nothing matters anymore

____________________________

"okay! And this'll be your bed!" Selina ended the tour of the cabin

Selena Beauregard, Daughter of Aphrodite, she was your sister, Gosh you have a sister! And she was nice! She wasn't like Cass who for some reason, closed her eyes everytime you tried to communicate with her

Barbara pretended to be busy, too busy, what do you mean you have to work? Didn't your workplace get burned down by two-face two days ago?

Steph- at least she was honest, she straight up told you she' didn't want anything to do with you

A guy with blonde hair and blue eyes walked out of the bathroom, a nice change from the black and blue eyes you're used to

"hey! You're our new sister! The one who was flirting with that Hephaestus kid-"

"Aster! (Name) Told me they were just friends and if they were flirting what's wrong with that? Love is love" Selena came to your rescue

Aster tilted his head confused with the way you're shifting "what's wrong?" He asked

"aren't people in Greek mythology who are named after flowers turn into them?" You nervously fiddle with your fingers

With that some of your siblings who are in their respective spaces burst out laughing and Aster is hugging you laughing whilst explaining that in Greek mythology "the people came first, not the flower"

That seemed to calm you down a bit, then another girl, whose name is Drew spoke up "so (Name) who's your mortal parent?"

You freeze up at this question but the other kids seemed normal about it

"don't worry (Name) it's some game we play, cause mom's standards are high, we compare mortal parents" Another one one your brothers said, his name is Castillo, he had a faded hair color of blue to purple that reminded you of Ramona flowers

(this is actually canon in Pjo, lmao)

He continued "my father was a famous k-pop idol" he bragged

A little girl then shouted "My dad was a model for Designer clothing!"

Selena rolled her eyes "So whose your dad (Name)?"

You didn't want to answer that, but at the same time- this is the first sibling playing you've ever been in, you're included here!

"my dad is Bruce Wayne... You can look me up on Google- but he, he really wasn't the best- umm dad"

"THE BRUCE WAYNE?" Someone gasps

"i thought his name was Brucie?"

You hear in the background

"I didn't know he was an asshole" Aster muttered

"come on bro, the guy parties all day and he's with children, how could you ever think that guy's a good father?" Castillo shrugs his shoulders

"that's okay (Name), a lot of mom's lovers are vain, taking it too seriously in their heads that they slept with the goddess of beauty, that's why mom stopped revealing herself, there are rare moments, but they're rare" another sister of yours says

You honestly feel so at home here...

________________________

I'm now realizing that the "Neglected daughter" fandom is literally so small, I just saw like three of my readers in another fic I was reading XD

Let's support each other!!!! :3

Also the characters without description are canon characters, people who are actually in pjo

The one with descriptions are OC's!

So Drew and Selena are canon characters! :3

Callisto and Aster aren't

I hope you enjoy the chapter!

@wpdarlingpan @mountvesuvu @nathaly36 @delias-stuff @vanessa-boo @bat1212 @sadslasher13 @ellaprime7

[dyns33]

Family protection

I missed Alfie during Flufftober, I'm not going to lie, even if it was fun

Thomas Shelby was preoccupied.

No, if he was honest, Thomas was just as terrified and furious at that moment, hurt inside, ready to devastate everything in his path, like every time he was told that a member of his family had been targeted.

It had perhaps been a mistake on his part to believe that it was not necessary to monitor Y/N after her marriage. Solomons' men took care of that.

So, when John had called him in a panic, saying that there were rumors about the kidnapping, or even the murder of their sister, he had at first remained frozen at his desk.

Since Polly had brought her back, this little girl from another mother, also abandoned by their fucking so called father, he had loved her. Maybe even more than the others.

The child was adorable. Shy at first, then smiling, with a crystal-clear laugh, asking for cuddles from her brothers, playing with dolls with her sister, and always wanting to be with them.

Normally, boys didn't accept the presence of girls. Poor Ada knew something about that. But strangely, with Y/N, it was different. Neither he, nor John, nor Arthur, could refuse her anything.

She came with them in the streets, in the countryside, in the trees. There were some limits of course, but he had shown her how to climb, jump, run. How to defend herself, if one strange day they weren't there.

Thomas confided things to her and her only when they were alone. The times he slept in the fields, she came to join him. That was often what pushed him to come home, because he didn't want her to catch her death. She stayed there, glued to him without saying anything, respecting his silence like no other member of his family, and for that, he ended up talking to her.

It was a false secret, that Y/N was his favorite. A secret that didn't bother anyone, since she was everyone's favorite.

So Thomas Shelby was preoccupied, because it was said that something had happened to his little sister, without anyone being able to clearly say what.

"She was in a bookstore." Arthur mumbled. "She goes there several times a month, to get books and read to the kids. They like it, she has a beautiful voice. After the session, she often has tea upstairs with the old owner. Men came in, beat up the employees and customers, before going upstairs. Then there was a fire. We don't know anything else."

"And Mr. Solomons ?"

"Haven't managed to reach him. His little assistant says he's… busy."

You'd think the same guys had come to Camden Town to destroy the King's Bakery. Because everything was in a pathetic state, and it was the doing of one man, who shouted orders from his office when he wasn't breaking anything that came his way.

If Thomas was preoccupied, Alfie had lost his mind.

During an important meeting with the Irish, he had let Ollie handle the business, and since the men had to be watched, it was a new kid who answered the phone.

He learned only two hours after his return that a woman had called. Not just any woman, his wife. Who was worried, because there were men in front of the bookstore, whom she didn't know.

She was smart, his wife. His tender Y/N, well raised by the Shelbys. Even if she was normally safe, she remained wary, thinking of looking behind or through the window, knowing all of her husband's employees.

The incompetents who followed her that day had been found with their throats slit in an alley.

Even though his patient was at his limit, Thomas let Alfie finish his tantrum, noting that he had left only the phone and the record player intact, which was playing opera to try to calm him down.

Y/N had disappeared for four hours now. He wouldn't calm down.

"They would have called, huh ? To give their fucking instructions. Or maybe they're scared, they know that my men, the most competent this time, and yours, are all over town, and that as soon as we know who did this, they'll be dead. But… If they don't have her… Tommy, if they don't have her, if she's in that still smoking pile of ashes… I'll burn everything."

"Arthur and John are going to find her."

"Yeah, huh ? You can sense it with your gypsy powers ? Your witch aunt read the cards and saw that my Y/N was healthy ?"

"Not now, Alfie."

Solomons growled, turning his office chair in anger and slamming it against the floor until it was all crumbs. It was only because it was his wife's family that he was acceptinf Thomas' presence.

And for his part, even though he wanted to blow his head off for not protecting his sister properly, Tommy sat there smoking his cigarette, remembering how it had felt to hold Grace in his arms.

When the phone rang, he stared at it for a moment, before looking at Alfie, frozen in the middle of the room, staring at the wall. He wondered if he hadn't heard, before realizing that the wandering Jew was afraid to answer.

It might have been the famous ransom demand, which would teach them that a lot of harm had been done to Y/N, and much more would come if they didn't do what the kidnappers wanted.

It might also have been the coroner, who had finished putting names on the bodies following the fire.

Slowly, Thomas put down his cigarette, before answering.

"… Tommy ?"

"… Y/N ?"

"Give me that !" ordered Alfie who immediately came back to life, snatching the phone from him before finding a softer voice. "Treacle ? Love ? Are you okay ? Where are you ?"

It turned out that despite the lack of practice, taking young Y/N into the woods to teach her how to climb, jump, play tightrope walkers and hide, had been a good thing.

Realizing that something was happening and since her husband was not reachable, she had climbed through the upstairs window on the courtyard side, hoisting herself up onto the roof, until she found a secluded spot to climb down.

Then, not knowing who to trust, she had stayed hidden until nightfall, to go to the closest and safest place from her position, which was her sister's house.

"Faster, Ismael !"

Thomas could have muttered that it would be better to get to Ada's alive, but he only clung to the door handle while the driver obeyed Mr. Solomons without worrying about pedestrians or other cars.

It was also useless to stop Alfie from jumping onto the sidewalk, forgetting his cane in the car to go and bang on the door like a madman until someone opened it.

Calm only returned when he laid eyes on Y/N, settled in the living room and already surrounded by all the other Shelbys who had been called after them.

"Treacle. Forgive me." he sobbed as he threw himself at her knees, his arms around her and his head against her stomach. "I was so worried, love, I thought I was going to die."

"Oh, Alfie. I'm sorry, I wanted to call you before but I didn't have access to a phone."

"I'm the worst husband. I didn't protect you. If my men weren't dead, I'd slit their throats myself."

"Let's try to talk about something happier." Thomas coughed as he approached, placing a hand on his sister's shoulder who smiled at him. "Did you hurt yourself jumping off the roof ?"

"No, I'm fine. Just a little tired."

"Strange clothes."

"Yes, love. You weren't wearing that this morning."

"Oh, I…" Y/N said, visibly embarrassed. "I may have "borrowed" a disguise. And money. And a car."

"She's our lil sis !" Arthur declared proudly, oblivious to the dark looks from his aunt, sister, brothers, and brother-in-law.

Maybe they had also shown young Y/N how to steal, but only once or twice, for fun, telling her that it was wrong, and that she would never need to do that because they would take care of her.

Alfie mumbled in Hebrew, which made her laugh. Probably insults without malice. He only let go of her to allow the others to kiss her before he took her back to their home, returning worse than a leech at the first opportunity.

When he proposed to add some of his men to Solomons' for her next outings, the king of Candem was at first outraged. He didn't bark only because his wife had already experienced a lot of emotions, but he would not let Thomas humiliate him.

However, in the middle of the night, certainly when Y/N was sleeping, Solomons contacted him.

"How many men, and what price ?"

"I'm the one who feels insulted now, Alfie. She's my sister, that will be the necessary number and for nothing at all."

"Hmm… You know, they all have something to say about you, your siblings. All of them, while you take care of them. I know it, I see it, but they are never happy. But not Y/N. No, my treacle has nothing but compliments for her big brothers, and you the first. Tommy this, Tommy that. She adores you."

"I adore her too."

"Hmm. Not as much as me, and so there will be fewer men than mine, but… I accept the offer."

"Glad we almost agree on something, Mr. Solomons."

He did not sleep that night, because Thomas Shelby was a preoccupied man by nature. By business, by his family, by the future and the past.

But as for his favorite little sister, he could have slept peacefully, knowing that her husband was there to ensure her happiness and protection as he had sworn during their marriage.

And if something were to happen, they would join forces, then Thomas would probably kill Alfie to punish him, if the madman didn't kill himself first to join Y/N whom he loved at least as much as her brother loved her.

[autumn-hiraeth]

Just Say it Out Loud!

Hobie brown x reader

Headcanons. Angst. 1st part. 2nd part.

a/n: i loved all your comments <3. You can find more here “ Hobie's masterlist” ꨄ

Hobie hasn't stopped thinking about you and his daughter, ever since you met again he can't stop feeling guilty for everything he lost and everything you've been through. He never thought that he would be the type of man who abandons his children or his pregnant girlfriend and that thought is burning deep indise himself. Hobie can't help but look at the families and imagine that this could be him with his girls, it's obvious his heart hasn't stopped beating for you;Hobie brown still loving you and he's ready to say it out loud.

And that's why Hobie is right outside your door, knocking while holding a teddy bear in his hand. Hobie has been prepared for this moment, to see you again and is ready to apologize and tell you how much he loves you ; he wants a chance to love you and raise his daughter with you. But as soon as you open the door and see him, you burst his bubble of fantasies.

"You have to go Hobart" Gwen told him that he should be prepared for this, but hearing you speak so coldly breaks his heart. "Y/n...Luv...Listen to me...I.." you let down his defenses, Hobie is never intimidated but he has found that you make him nervous. "No, I don't want to listen to you and I definitely don't want you near my daughter" you mutter before slamming the door in his face, but you forget his stupid super strength.

"She's my daughter too" he murmurs preventing you from closing the door.

“ know I screwed up, I shouldn't have left ya that night, but I wanted to protect ya and I'm sorry if I left but I thought it was for the best even though it never felt right…I was wrong Y/N” “I don't care about Hobart, you made your choice deal with the consequences, she doesn't need you! ”

“She needs a father!” their screams manage to wake Rhea up, making her cry as she sobs for you, you sigh in frustration and Hobie calms down, watching you leave him in the hall to go calm down your daughter.

Hobie can hear you cooing to her and he can't help but smile at your loving voice. Feeling brave, he come in your flat.

On the wall there are a lot of photos, there are a lot of Rhea and in each one of them she is happy; Rhea is a happy kid. Hobie has no doubt that you have been a good mother and he also wants to be a good father to his daughter.

He's holding a picture of you holding newborn Rhea and he can't help but sob. He doesn't blame you because you didn't look for him, 'cause he knows that he was the one that got away, but he would have liked to know that you were carrying his kid.

“You have to go, Hobart” you watch him hold your first photo with Rhea and you almost feel pity because he will never know what it's like to hold his daughter. Hobie looks at you and then looks at the photo "you know she needs a father Y/n" "Hobart, she would only be in danger with you, I know it and so you do" "I know I can protect her, both of you" he murmurs but your betrayed heart doesn't believe him. "She just needs her mom"

+ Bonus

“Rhea, sweetie. C'mere with mom ”you call your little daughter. "Mommy!" Your daughter finally comes to you, but she is not alone, in her little hands there's a teddy bear, who is wearing a jacket like Hobie's. You can't help your heart melts. Maybe... Rhea has the right to know him.

But not today.

[jester089]

I have a request for the tdac characters to fall in love with child reader(platonically) and basically be attached to them like their younger sibling figure, and now imagine the reader starts to slowly get insane in some way and abstracts, and they just watch in horror as they see their practically younger sibling abstract and taken away to the black hole(I forgot what its called), and they get out of character, I need some angst and out of character mfs

So young

Now I have done multiple things on this type of idea so it's probs gonna be really similar to some of my past works. I'll still do my best though. For future reference in requesting please specify if you want a oneshot or headcannons. I did a little of both for this one but it was tiring, so please specify.

TADC Crew x Child Reader Who Abstracts

You were by far the youngest in the Digital Circus. Out of everyone you actually enjoyed it there, it was colorful, safe, had plenty of things to do. And had people who actually cared about you. It was a place of respite for you after you're awful family. Well awful isn't the right word they weren't abusive or anything. Just neglectful. Caine was a lot like a weird uncle to you. Always had some kind of gift for you when he saw you and despite what he says you know he cares about you. You were just about the only person who genuinely enjoyed his little adventures and jokes so he ended up getting kind of attached to you. As much as an AI could at least.

Gangle more often then not wasn't around you. She didn't avoid you or anything but she didn't go out of her way to be around you. One time when her mask broke and you saw her crying you went to Caine to ask if she was ok. He explained as best he could to you that she isn't really sad, just her mask broke. So you asked Caine to help you fix it. A few hours later you're at Gangle's door with a fixed mask in a present box. Once she saw that you of all people, the youngest one here went out of your way to help her she started to warm up to you.

Zooble most definitely didn't enjoy being around you Lies. She always acted like you annoyed her and she wanted to be anywhere else. But the few times you two have been alone she's surprisingly nice. She taught you how to make a paper hat one time then for the next few weeks you were never seen without one on.

Kinger took on a much more loving approach with you. He saw you as young and in danger and with no one to guide you. And if you were just left alone Jax would probably swoop in like a vulture and corrupt you. So he half took you in and did his best to raise you and teach you. It was hard as their isn't anything for learning in the circus but he did his best. It annoys him to no end when he hears a censored word come from you only to learn that Zooble's been teaching you swears behind his back.

Ragatha did her best with Kinger to raise you so you had some kind of future ahead of yourself. Despite the fact that they no one ages they still want you to be prepared. She took on a very "over protective older sister" kind of way with you. You're young, weak, and gullible so she's constantly worrying about you. Enough for her to set up a bed for you in her room. Plus side is she'll read you bedtime stories.

Jax's sole goal since he found out Kinger and Ragatha were teaching you and keeping you away from him is to taint you. Whenever you're left alone he kind of just appears and offers you something fun to do with him so you'll follow him. He has fed so many lies to your malleable young brain. Like "Hey kid. Did'ja know that Ragatha loves centipedes? I actually caught one earlier today. Why don'cha give it to er?" so naturally you did. You got grounded for that. Pomni is the one you feel closest too. You're innocent and kind nature help her keep calm(er). And her being around your height makes you feel more comfortable around her so you're always seen dragging her around to do something silly. You help her look for the exit, kind of. Your different way of seeing the world has helped her find many things out though. Did you know that their's a secret building at the bottom of the the digital lake? She only found it cause you mentioned said something about Atlantis while swimming then proceeded to dive under the water scaring her.

All of them started to get worried when your usual energetic and optimistic self started to act tired, all the time. Even someone as at your age who seems to be the perfect fit isn't immune to the problems the circus has it seems. When you started to get depressed it freaked Ragatha out causing her to be more strict with you because she didn't want to see you hurt. That only made it worse though. None of them take you abstracting well. Even Jax, despite being a jerk he ended up getting kind of attached to you. Cause no matter how mean he was you were always nice to him. "Wonder if their still causing chaos in the afterlife..." Caine being the ring master was always trying to cheer everyone up and get their mind off you but it never really worked. It slightly affected him too, not because he was attached to you. But because you were so young... "Couldn't even keep a kid alive..." Ragatha after losing you would either lock herself in her room staring at your old bed trying to decide on if she should or shouldn't take it down. It the only thing she has left to remember you by. You had your whole life ahead of you. But she ended up not being able to help. Just like with all those others... "Is it even worth the effort at this point. Am I even helping..." Kinger had already lost Queenie his S/O... Now you, the one he was actually starting to see as his kid. That is what pushed him over the deep end. You two his family, both abstracted. At least he'll get too see you two again... "I'll be there soon love, just have to grab Y/N's books..."

(Idk if this is good or at all what you wanted. But I tried. Hope you enjoyed it. Also if you all could please check my request rules before requesting. It would make my life much easier. Thanks. Also I kinda wanna re-write this without the abstraction part.)

xoxo, Jester

[fruity-fruition]

Tenma siblings headcanons from the top of my head

--

I'm a FIRMM believer that Tenma siblings are very physically affectionate (i.e. hugs, forehead kisses, cheek kisses, high fives, shoulder bumping, cuddling, hair ruffling, etc)

This takes Toya fully by surprise when they do it to him outright, without any room for denial.

--

Tsukasa was eating breakfast with Saki and Toya before realizing he was going to be late for a meet-up with Wondershow.

He has this thing, where he instinctively kisses Saki on the forehead before he heads off, so he does. But, in his unfiltered older brother instinct and disarray, he kisses Toya on the forehead too. And just. Leaves.

Toya kinda blue screens before snapping back and being like "what."

Saki doesn't even bat an eye lmao she just kinda looks at him like he's a little weird.

Toya: (literally saw Tsukasa kiss Saki's forehead first before beelining to him without any hesitation) "I think... he mistook me for you"

Saki: "Toya you dumb fuck (/affectionate) you've been one of us since you stepped foot in our house"

--

Tenma siblings cuddle a lot, usually on the couch during movies. Tsukasa in the middle, Saki to his right, and Toya to his left. They aren't aware of the set position but whenever they switch, all of them all at once just think "something is not right rn"

While cuddling, Tsukasa often uses his right hand (which Saki is leaning on) to either scroll his phone, read, or so show work (costume designing, script writing, ideas, etc). He always leans his head on Saki's. He uses his left hand to run through Toya's hair.

--

Toya starts referring to Saki and Tsukasa as his siblings and family outside sometimes.

Saki and Tsukasa listens to pop music sometimes. Not their main music taste, but enough for it to be significant.

This culminates to a very confusing moment for VBS, who've met Toya's biological, douche, emotionally constipated classical music family, when they hear Toya say "Oh, yeah I know Taylor Swift. My family listens to her sometimes."

Which scared VBS to their core because why is Harumichi Aoyagi listening to western white girl music

--

Tsukasa loves baking and cooking. It's a stress reliever thing for him. This is a huge bonus for his siblings (mainly Saki. Toya's not a huge sweets person) because there's always sweets in the pantries.

Toya never sneaks into the kitchen alone, he wouldn't dare. Plus, again, not a huge sweets person. Saki, however, is a horrible influence. They often have 2am gossip, accompanied by brownies and vanilla ice cream.

--

Toya and Saki can't cook for their life. (I know canonically, they're okay-ish, but hear me out.)

Toya, raised as a rich kid for most his life, has never cut a single raw ingredient in his life until his late teen years.

Saki's been hospitalized for the majority of her life.

Tsukasa's the only Tenma sibling with cooking and baking skills (considering he had to fend for himself for a while)

While they were baking together, Toya and Saki managed to get the batter on the ceiling AND explode the microwave because the batter had too much eggshells in it when they put it in. Tsukasa had to call Rui over to fix it.

Tsukasa: "I can't pay you for now, Rui I'm so sorry-"

Rui: "Don't worry about it, Tsukasa"

Tsukasa: "I'll repay you in sweets when we're done?"

Rui: "...preferably not ceiling ones but yeah I'd like that"

--

Speaking of,

Ruikasa starts dating and Tsukasa swears that Rui had nothing to worry about when it comes to his family. They're welcoming! They're open! They'll love him.

Rui decided to not tell him about the glares coming from a certain pinkish blonde and split haired boy when they announced the news. (At least the parents were sweet)

Toya and Saki actually has no real gripes against Rui. They're protective, sure, they will eventually corner Rui and interrogate him, but Saki just thinks it's funny and Toya is just Toya. Rui's paranoid lmao

--

Akito punching Toya in the main story left a bruise (as seen in the official animation) which Tsukasa and Saki got really concerned about during their arcade hangout (Toya's first 3* side story).

Tsukasa figured out that Akito was the one who did it, and ranted to Saki about it. But he retracts it when the duo made up.

Saki isn't letting that shit go, oh no. This GINGER punched her brother?? Then, she started hearing about how Akito likes messing with Tsukasa, even insulting him to his face sometimes.

So she has a personal beef with Akito. Who didn't even know she existed.

When Akito first step foot into the Tenma household, he was dreading the presence of Tsukasa, but to his shock and horror, Tsukasa is actually more tame at home.

His biggest worry should've been the girl with pigtails, who, upon seeing him, got up from her chair and heads straight to her room. not breaking eye contact.

It takes a while, but Saki and Akito gains an unlikely alliance.

--

Names I gave to the Tenmas:

Tenma siblings: All three of them, at once

Tenma Twins: Saki and Toya

Tenma brothers: Tsukasa and Toya

Prototype Tenma: Tsukasa and Saki

(real original I know)

--

Kohane is Wondershow's number #1 fan, probably Tsukasa's number #6 fan (I love her but her competition is Saki, Toya, and Wondershow. Idk what to tell you. At least she got a number)

She absolutely loses it when Toya got them all free tickets to one of their shows.

Akito dreads going. An is slightly excited. Kohane is radiating pure joy.

Akito nearly cries when when Kohane admits that she actually likes Tsukasa as a person, not just a performer, when she properly meets him.

Akito: "An you're my only hope. Toya's biased, Kohane's insane"

An: "idk dude Tenma and Kamishiro are pretty cool when they're not actively trying to blow the school up"

Akito: "An please"

--

I have so much more idk maybe I'll post more later

[hayaku14]

pushing daisies kaishin au #2

pushing daisies au where shinichi has been able to revive dead animals, plants, even people since he was a child.

kudou "i can literally talk to the dead" shinichi

shinichi's parents didn’t exactly encouraged him to use this power. especially not in public. they’ve seen him revive and re-kill dead plants and animals in the same breath, it doesn’t take a detective to figure out what could happen near a human corpse.

but a young shinichi is curious, a young shinichi admired his father, and a young shinichi wanted to prove himself a detective. but most of all, a young shinichi wanted to help.

so when he saw his father struggle in solving a particular case, a young shinichi figured that maybe asking straight from the source would help give them a hint.

the complete horror in yusaku's eyes shinichi saw that day made him promise himself to never do it again.

shinichi realizes later on that reviving someone just for a clue on the whos, hows, and whys of their death only to touch them again, to basically kill them again, is sick and twisted and the realization leaves him feeling raw and dirty.

he then decides that if he’s gonna find out the truth, if he’s gonna bring justice, it’s not by making the victims suffer a second death. he will unravel the mystery not by magic but by logic.

the curious case of kuroba kaito

hakuba immediately contacts shinichi.

“he was...a friend. if i have to gather all the best detectives to catch his murderer then so be it.”

hakuba goes on to explain.

it was a kid heist. shots were fired. snipers. kaitou kid was caught on camera falling, as if he’d been shot, but he appears a minute later flying away on his glider with not a speck of blood on his suit. all should be well however, a few buildings away in an alleyway, the body of kuroba kaito is found dead. gunshots through the heart and chest.

a simple explanation would’ve been that the glider was a fake activated by kid’s assistant as a last ditch effort to save his legacy and this kuroba kaito was kaitou kid himself. he would’ve said it out loud but by the look on hakuba’s face, he can tell that he already connected those dots long before shinichi even stepped foot in the morgue. that wasn’t what hakuba called him for.

“can i...take a look at the body alone?”

hakuba raises an eye at him but moves to leave without questioning. "alright then. i have to check on another friend anyway. she's been...distraught ever since she heard the news and..." hakuba's words trail away as his eyes unconsciously drifted towards kuroba kaito's covered body. shinichi patiently waits through the quiet pain that he sees on hakuba. the pinch in his brows, the tenseness of his body. he must've been a really good friend.

hakuba shakes his head and turns his attention back to shinichi. "sorry, i...its been a long day. i'll leave you here then. call me if you find anything."

left alone, shinichi carefully zips open the body bag covering kaitou kid's upper body. he looked eerily similar to himself and imagining his own body cold and dead in the morgue sent a shiver down his spine. shaking his head, he pulls a chair close and reads through the file hakuba brought him.

"no witnesses. no camera. not a trace nor lead to anything. just some reports on mysterious gunshots in previous heists that lead to nowhere." they were professionals, whoever did this, shinichi thought. it was not going to be an easy case.

he takes another peek at the body. so this was kaitou kid, huh. too young to be the same as the one before his hiatus. perhaps a successor? motive could be related to his predecessor. his mother hasn't said anything of interest. does she really not know or is she protecting him? he runs his hand through his hair. there's too little information to go on...unless...

temptation rears its head. the source of information is right there in front of him. one touch and it could open up new leads to the case. an immediate disgust twists deep into his gut. he promised himself to never use it on people. to never kill. his father's haunted eyes embedded in his mind. he shouldn't. he really shouldn't. but he remembers the anguished look on hakuba's face. if he was going to do it, this might be the only good time. any longer and his touch would not revive kid. and gone along with him would be vital information to catch his murderer.

shinichi heaves a deep sigh. he has never used his abilities on dead people since that one incident as a child but he couldn't shake off the look on hakuba's face. it was now or never. shinichi reaches for kid's hand.

---

pushing daisies au #1

[formosusiniquis]

There's something about the idea that every adult that spends more than ten minutes alone with Steve Harrington is instantly enamored with him 

The King Steve era house parties don't get broken up by the cops anymore. Steve is too far from his nearest neighbors for a noise complaint and the cops who would do it like Steve. They know they don't have to worry about any underage drinking and driving incidents after a Steve Harrington party because anyone who doesn't have a DD just crashes at the Harrington place, it's not like they have to worry about getting out of there before his parents get home.

His teachers can't help but let certain things slide. Excusing a middle school Steve's tardiness, the Harrington house is such a long bike ride away from the school and the bus route doesn't reach the grounds of Loch Nora. High School Steve's grades are average at best and his attention drifts, but his questions if poorly worded are insightful at heart and if you catch him away from the friends he tries too hard to keep he's polite and willing to spend time discussing his school work. By senior year they're excusing his tardiness again, they all know he has to swing by the middle school on his way over; and his forgetfulness too, two concussions in as many years it's a wonder he's not worse.

Joyce Byers, who by all accounts should hate this boy who fought her son and belittled her family, already has a snag in her armor thinking about a little boy who used to bike to Melvalds all alone for more milk and the sugar dusted cereal his mother didn't like him to have. Has her walls damaged by Jonathan coming home with a Christmas present they both know Nancy Wheeler even in her middle class glory couldn't afford. Has the adoption papers ready to be notarized when that same little boy, just a little bit bigger, offers to cart her Will around town since he knows she and Jon are busy and he has nothing better to do; really, and Will is the only one that ever says please or thank you.

Hopper, who largely left the everyday police work to the other officers, didn't interact with Steve much until the Upside Down business started. He's ready to add Harrington to the list of kids he'd die to protect the second the bloodstained boy cracks open a bleary eye from the Byers' sofa. Concussed and happy for it since it meant the youngest ones were safe.

Claudia Henderson has decided that the law has little to do with family. She's seen too many young men in the hospital grieving loved ones they can't see while parents who don't care make decisions for the dying. Steve Harrington is hers now has been since he did her Dusty's hair. The Sinclairs only let Erica roam the mall on her own on days they know Steve is working. They know no matter what Erica and Lucas promise the two of them aren't staying together. There's something rotten in Hawkins, and the kids don't whisper as quietly as they think they do. They know there's something they are missing, but they don't need to know everything to know they can trust the boy who put himself bodily in front of their child to protect him. Karen still occasionally mourns the loss of Steve as a son-in-law but the fact that he still drives Mike around even on his surliest days, she couldn't ask for more.

Wayne Munson lasted the longest. A product of night shifts and a powerful wariness around anyone whose tax bracket exceeds his by more than one jump. But he knows the kind of skittish that Steve is, remembers an eight year old boy with eyes he hadn't grown into who used to skitter away from a sharp tongue or raised hand just the same. Even then all it takes is sitting next to Steve on a rare night off, the game fuzzing in and out on the TV, listening to him softly explain the rules of it all to his boy relating it back to the ones of that dragon game Eddie likes so much and he's gone. Steve's a hard worker, a wage slave as much as Wayne these days, seems wrong to begrudge him just cause the house he's kept at is a little bigger than theirs. There are worse boys to have as future in-laws, even if he is a Cubs fan.

The only person who doesn't seem to get the memo is Richard Harrington. So rarely around his own son he isn't swept up in the charm. Richard and Stephanie Harrington make their way back to Hawkins, unannounced on a Tuesday. The sleepy morning hours are still lingering when they make their way into the house, through the foyer, and onto the kitchen; following the sounds of crooning oldies. Richard has long thought his son a disappointment, too lazy to get into college and too spoiled to leave home, catching him dancing around the kitchen like a fairy with some trailer trash punk is really the last straw. He lets the wife he wishes he didn't have make some asinine comment to this freak that's in his kitchen, and turns to the child he never wanted to say, "I want you out, I won't have a queer living under my roof."

Stephanie and that long haired bastard both rear back like they've been slapped. While Richard is forced to watch as the son he's neglected straightens up, every ounce the man every other adult on Hawkins has watched him become, look him in the eye and say, "It's not your house, it never was. Grandpa Otis left it to me. So if you've got a problem with me or my fucking boyfriend, you can get out of my house. Looks like you're already packed."

That empty house gets emptier as Richard, alone, takes the furniture he paid for and the clothes that lingered in the closet; but it's quickly filled with the hand-me-downs of everyone who has ever fallen for that Harrington charm. They're all too happy to help Steve fill what's his.

[igotanidea]

Single parent struggles : father!Dick Grayson x mother!reader

THAT!!! PICTURE!!!!!

summary/request: single Father Dick Grayson x single Mother reader? Where at some kids birthday party also can the kids be between the ages of like 3 and 4.

A/N: writing this was just so cute and heartwarming and pleasant and fluffy. I think this is going to be my new verse, so if anyone ever get any ideas in that - please ask me to write more UwU <3

***

„Thomas, please stop running around!” Y/N laughed happily when her 4 year old son slipped on the floor and run into her legs. She was quick enough to catch him, before he actually landed on his bottom and started crying.

“Sorry mum!” he grinned with the cutest smile there was, and not paying much attention to his mother’s admonishment regained his balance and followed the friends that he was chasing. “Wait for me!” he yelled before disappearing.

Her son was invited to a birthday party of his kindergarten friend, and obviously, she happened to be a tag along. Helping with the service and acting as a supervisor.  Not that  she complained. Being a single parent was rewarding, but also happened to be her bread and butter and she didn’t have many occasion to go out the house and spend time with actual adult outside of work. Sure, she loved Thomas with all her heart and never regretted the decision of having him, even when his failure of a father took off running the second he found out about the pregnancy, but sometimes she was just tired. And having an opportunity to hang out and relax and watch her son being so happy around other kids were simply heartwarming. Thomas shed too many tears and experienced sadness asking about the other parent and Y/N swore, that to the maximum of her  abilities, she would protect him from that pain.

“God….” she muttered to herself, gathering the fruit bowl from the counter. “I swear the kids never get tired……” her son’s energy was exhausting, but the serene expression in her eyes were showing the truth feelings behind the sigh. Lost in her own thoughts Y/N turned around not noticing the man standing right behind her, bumping straight into the sculpted chest, immediately being caught by two strong arms, the bowl serving as some sort of airbag.

“I know, right?” the man let out a laugh still holding onto her “I’m dealing with the same problem with my daughter. Don’t know who said that girls are quieter and more polite than boys but it does not apply in this case.”

“Hello Richard.” Y/N tilted her head “didn’t see you around for a while.”

Richard Grayson, more often than not called “Dick” was the treat for all the mothers. Handsome, well-build, kind with charming, boyish attitude and most importantly, single father. Rumor has it that the mother had some mental problems and one day escaped the hospital where she and the daughter were getting some treatment and observation, took the kid and left it on the threshold of Dick’s house before disappearing herself. Despite Dick’s attempt to locate her (and boy, that man definitely had the resources, being the son of the Bruce Wayne) he never succeeded, giving up after some time.

And that gave the soccer mothers plenty of opportunities to get him involved in all possible kids’ activities. Kindergarten play? Picnic? Cinema sally? Birthday party? He was pretty much everywhere. Much to all the husbands’ displeasure.

But, since both he and Y/N were the only single parent and  the subjects of many rumors that gave them the opportunity to get close and become really good friends. After all, there’s no one better to understand the struggles of raising a kid alone.

“Yeah….” He scratched his head awkwardly, letting go of her arm “I’ve been running after Abby, making sure she does not get in any troubles. But it seems like the fire is fought for a moment and I can finally catch a breath. “

“Really?” Y/N mocked putting the bowl away, crossing arms over her chest “guess the apple does not fall far from the tree, right? Abby takes a lot after you.”

“Are you calling me a troublemaker?” Dick caught his chest and his eyes widened in a fake shock. “Me?”

“Yes.” She teased “Aren’t you?”

“Maybe a bit” he muttered taking a step forward. This made Y/N take a step back and in no time she was trapped between the kitchen counter and his body. “But there’s one more thing me and Abby have in common.”

“And what may that be, Mr. Grayson?” she raised an eyebrow, observing his face carefully and impatiently awaiting the answer.

“We both happen to like the member of the l/n family.” He smirked, grabbing her waist and pulling her towards him closing the distance between them.  Her hands found a way towards his neck, locking around it and bringing his lips down for a kiss. It’s been a while since they had any opportunity to be alone, and they were not going to miss it. Even if that meant making out in a messy kitchen in someone else’s house, hiding from their kids. They were acting like teenagers, sneaking around and trying to keep their relationship a secret. And despite the fact that they were both adults this courtship was gentle, careful, soft. They have been hurt before and the cautiousness was making them both take it slow.

But obviously it didn’t mean that there was no passion between them when Dick grabbed onto her tighter, wanting her closer, his hands travelling around her back, sneaking under her shirt, craving to feel her skin, but still keeping the slow, loving pace.

“Behave….” She mumbled into the kiss, but not really stopping him. “Someone can see us…..”

“Oh, please…” he fought the urge to roll his eyes, moving to brush her cheek, jaw and neck in the teasing attempt to make her whine for him  “you can’t keep your hands to yourself either.” The bastard was right since her fingers were playing with his hair, pulling lightly.

“I can stop….” She started withdrawing her hands but he was quick to grab her wrist keeping it in place.

“Don’t.” his soft whispers and touches were literally making her melt. “I missed you, Y/n. I missed this…. us……” God, how she loved his attention, even when he pulled back and stopped kissing her, instead looking her straight in the eyes. “I .... wish to have more of you just for myself…..”

“I know. I feel the same.”  She smiled and her eyes glistened. Before she met him, after Thomas’s father left, she didn’t believe she could find love again. But life can be surprising and even if they haven’t really said the L word to each other,now she was trapped in the arms of a man who did love her with the undying passion and with whom she felt save and taken care of us as never before. And every time they stole a kiss or a secret touch or just talked or spent time together she felt like crying because of that warm feeling inside her chest and belly. This time was no different as  few tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Crying again?” Dick cupped her face, brushing those drops away with his thumb “don’t cry on my account princess.” He brushed his nose over hers, forehead meeting forehead, eyes closing, breathing each other in.

“How can I not?” she sighed deeply, unable to hold back everything he was making her feel. “Dick, I….”

“I know, baby. Trust me, I know.” he planted a chaste kiss on her forehead, rocking her gently to the sound of music coming from the garden causing her to smile again.  

He knew.

He knew the heartbreak, the pain, the unanswered question why. He’s been through it all. And it was not his intention to play around with Y/n’s emotions and feelings or to hurt her. Ever. Not with everything she’s been through.

“I’m not like him…..” he whispered, almost inaudibly and she had to swallow the lump in her throat.

“How long do you think since one of the mums start looking for you to move the chairs or ask for another stupid favor?”

“Y/N Y/L/N. Are you jealous?”

“And what if I am?” she twirled a strand of hair on her finger, eyes fixed on his.

“Well, than I’m flattered, but you have no reason for that, baby.” His hands intertwined with hers, caressing tenderly “I lo…..” he almost said it. Almost.

“Daddy?” a quiet, girl’s voice cut him off and it took massive amount of energy to muffle the annoyed groan. Of course it was kids who interrupted him.

“Yes, sweetheart?” he pulled back

“I cut my finger….” Abby pouted, her gaze switching between her father and Y/N. “what are you doing?”

“We were just getting some fruits for you.” the older girl smiled “I’m gonna go and let your father take care of you, little one. See you around, Richard.” She moved away from him and with one final lingering secret brush of hands left him, still aching for her, not able to ever get enough of her presence.

“Daddy?” Abby asked again once Y/N was out of sight.

“Yes?”

“Do you like Thomas’s mum?”

“Do you?”

“She’s nice and pretty. And gives the best hugs. “ the girl frowned, thinking deeply “so yes, I think I like her.”

“That’s good to know.” Dick smiled pecking the top of Abby’s head.  He was not going to let this woman out of his life and his daughter’s acceptance was very important for the future purposes.

[ladylooch]

A Visit To Manchester - [Lucie x Connor]

Summary: Connor takes a day trip home to tell his parent his surprising news.

Word count: 2.7k

Connor puts his SUV in park in the driveway of his parents Manchester, Massachusettes home. It is a massive, sprawling mansion in the town his dad grew up in. Connor smiles, thinking about his Grandpa Randy and the legacy he left behind for them in this town. He also helped his dad build pieces of this house and everytime Connor comes here, he feels his presence. Connor blows out a sigh, hoping his grandpa will help give him the strength to disappoint his dad.

Other sons may be excited to tell their dad about becoming a grandparent. Connor doesn’t feel that way. He knows his dad is going to be upset. It’s been itching at his brain since he and Lucie reconciled a few weeks ago. He wishes she was here. She had planned to be, but she woke up too sick and nauseous to sit in the car for the 4 hour drive down the East Coast.

So he is in this alone. Although truthfully, he thinks that is probably for the best, something he didn’t want to tell Lucie about. She’s already feeling enough guilt and worry about being a young mother. He doesn’t want to add worries about his family not liking her to that. Plus, Connor knows that isn’t the case. It’s just… complicated. Like this whole having a baby thing has been since basically conception.

Inside the garage, Connor’s dad, Miles, tinkers around his tool bench amidst his mom’s latest restoration project. When Connor pops his door open, his dad turns towards the driveway. He puts his hands on his hips, raising his eyebrows in a “what are you doing here?” way.

“Hey.” Connor calls with a wave before adjusting his hat on his head. He didn’t have time to shower before he left. He was too busy holding Lucie’s hair back from her mouth over the toilet. Fuck, he wants to get back to her as soon as possible. He wants to make sure she is okay. He thought he was protective over her before, but nothing matches the feelings he has about Lucie now that she is carrying his child.

The wind whistles through the circular driveway as Connor shoves his hands in the pockets of his jacket to join his dad in the garage. He pulls them out again to clasp his dad into a hug.

“Good to see you, buddy. No Lucie today?”

“Ah, she’s not feeling well.” Connor fills in. “She says hi though.”

“Bummer.” Miles frowns. “Mom was excited to have another artistic eye on this piece.” He motions to the sanded down wood which looks to be a dresser.

“We can send her a picture.” Connor assures, knowing that would be a welcome distraction for Lucie. “What is mom wanting to do with it?”

“Paint it bright orange.”

“Yuck.” Connor laughs with his dad, both their giggles floating to his mom, Kailey, who stands in the doorway, watching their curled heads bob in unison with their laughter.

“Lucie would understand the vision.” She insists, coming to her son. She runs a hand up his back. Connor sighs, falling down into her embrace by bending his knees. He breathes in her familiar vanilla scent mixing with the wintry sea breeze. “Hi baby.” She says, giving him one more extra squeeze. Connor reluctantly releases her, but keeps an arm around her shoulder. The three of them turn their attention back to the stripped dresser.

“You really think orange is going to get this thing sold?” Miles wonders aloud.

“Yeah, the 70s are making another comeback!”

“Yuck.” Miles looks at her, blue eyes sparkling teasingly.

“You have no vision.” She quips back, narrowing her eyes playfully. “I bet this would look great in your bedroom, baby.” She directs at Connor.

“No.” Connor says immediately. “Not if it’s going to be orange.”

“You know, I had a kid so they would always agree with me. Now you’re siding with your dad?”

“Gotta throw him a bone once and a while.” Connor grins down at her. She groans, pressing her nose into his chest to hide her smile then walking off to run her fingers along the wood top, likely checking for places she may need to sand over again. “I have to finish this today. Dad and I are going to pick up this old crib tomorrow. I’m restoring it for your cousin, Caitlin. She’s having another boy.”

“Ah.” I fill in, swallowing hard. I wonder if that’s what Lucie and I are having. But truthfully, I don’t care either way. I just want a healthy baby- half me and half Luc.

“She keeps insisting she wants white, but I saw her eyeing a light blue one I re-did a few months ago that is currently in the shop. So, I’ll probably do that.”

“Nice.” Connor nods along, feeling his nerves begin to expand in his chest. He swallows hard, digging his hands back into his pockets. They ball into fists as he folds his bottom lip between his teeth. Silence settles between them and he takes the opportunity to look at both his parents. They seem to be in a good enough mood.

“Uh.” Connor clears his throat of the anxious mucus coating it. “I actually have something to tell you both.” His heart pounds in his chest. “Well, Lucie and I do.” He corrects himself. This isn’t only his news. It’s hers too. Fuck, he wishes she was here.

Across from him, his mom tilts her head expectantly while his dad’s eyebrows furrow. He knows. If his mom does, she doesn’t show it. But she’s always been the calmer one.

“We are having a baby.” Connor exhales the words. A heavy silence fills the garage for a beat and Connor immediately has to fill it. “In November.” His dad’s nose, bent from years of fighting in the NHL, scrunches.

“Lucie is pregnant?” He repeats back to the garage.

“Yeah. It’s early, but that’s why she isn’t here. She’s been pretty sick.” Connor rubs the back of his neck, eyes floating between his parents. His mom has a slow smile forming over her face and wetness collecting along her lower lids. Connor smiles back at her.

“Wow.” His dad scoffs. “We are so-”

“Happy for you!” His mom darts in. She rushes around the big bench, throwing herself into her son for a huge hug. She sways them back and forth, squeezing his cheek to hers. He looks at his dad over her small shoulder, who is definitely not pleased with the news.

“Thanks, mama.”

“Ah! I’m so excited! Screw Caitlin. I’m gonna get this crib for you and Luc.”

“That would be really nice.” He says, trying to look at her and not at the angry scowl across his dad’s face.

“So…” His dad starts, making Connor’s mom tense next to him.

“Miles.” She grumbles in warning.

“I tell you at the start of this season that you need to really dig deep and focus. Which you don’t do, ending up in a trade, and then to put a cherry on top, you knock up your girlfriend? Who is what? Barely 22 and hasn’t finished college yet.”

“Yeah. I did it just to piss you off.” Connor snaps back, annoyed at his condescending tone.

“Miles. Lay off.” Kailey warns.

“No, we raised him better than this.”

“Sure, but I guess the apple doesn’t fall that far from the tree.” Connor retorts, squaring his shoulders. Who the fuck is he to lecture him on unplanned pregnancies?

“Boys, I’m serious. Knock it off. Let’s go inside and talk about how we can support Connor and Lucie during this big milestone.” Connor and Miles stare each other down, almost daring each other to cross the line further. Kailey wisely steps between them, creating an obstacle just in case this goes sideways. Instead, Miles snorts, shaking his head before he walks off towards the backyard without another word. “He’s surprised.” Kailey immediately tries to justify. Connor looks down at her with disappointed eyes. “He’ll have to process in his time, babe.”

“I love Lucie, Mom.” Connor says, not understanding his dad’s difficulty in grasping this as a good thing.

“I know, hon. She is wonderful and good to you. We love her.” She nods and stops talking, like a few more words were behind that sentence. Eventually she sighs and says, “Did you go to an ultrasound yet?”

“Yeah.” Connor smiles widely, digging his phone out of his pocket.

They stand in the garage, flipping through the pictures he and Lucie have electronically and the video of a tiny blob wiggling in black and white.

“Ugh, this brings me back!” She chuckles, rubbing at his back. “Seeing you on that ultrasound was indescribable. So much joy and being scared shitless.” She shakes her head. “Your dad looked like he was gonna pull all those pretty curls out of his head.”

“I felt like the whole world shifted when the heartbeat played through the room.”

“Are you going to find out the gender?”

“Lucie is the mother of my child. Yeah, we are finding out.” He chuckles.

“What does she think it is?”

“Girl.”

“Oooo, the Woods aren’t really known for girls.” She murmurs, biting her lip. “But I’m with whatever Lucie thinks.” She wiggles her eyebrows. “Are you hungry? I made some brownies last night. Your dad ate half of them but there are still some left.” Connor trails behind her as she continues to talk. She does her best to take his mind off his dad’s reaction and sudden escape from the conversation.

But it becomes harder and harder the longer his dad remains absent from the conversation. After a few hours, Connor hits the bathroom, then texts Lucie after washing his hands.

How you doing?

Not good. Are you on your way back yet?

I’ll head out soon. I’m sorry you’re having a rough day, baby. Can I grab anything on my way home?

Um some crackers? Maybe gatorade.

You got it. I love you.

We love you too.

Connor smiles at her mention of we. He inhales heavily, looking at himself in the mirror. He looks tired, slightly older than he remembers looking with dark bags under his eyes. Lucie hasn’t been sleeping well and when she’s up, he is up. Longer, dark stubble coats his jaw more than usual and he kinda sees what his dad’s concerns may have been. Lucie has been pregnant for 9 weeks and he is already feeling it- physically, mentally, and emotionally. He can’t imagine how she feels, having some of the same emotions with a lot more of the physical burden. With that in mind, he rolls his shoulders back, perking himself up for the four hour drive back to her.

“Hey, I’m gonna head out. Get back to Luc.” He says to his mom, heading to the fridge to grab a Red Bull.

“Okay, baby. Thank you for coming to see us. Keep me in the loop on how things are going, okay? I texted Lucie, but have her call me when she’s feeling up to it.”

“Will do.” He says, then wraps his arms around her, squeezing tight.

Connor stuffs his feet back into his sneakers in the mudroom, then pulls open the garage door while taking another hearty swig of the energy drink. He glances to the right, seeing his dad back to tinkering at the tool bench. Clearly that’s more important than being inside with him and his mom.

Dick.

His dad glances over at him, but doesn’t offer any words to Connor as he heads towards his car. Connor doesn’t bother saying goodbye either.

As Connor pulls out of the driveway, his dad’s identical blue eyes sweep over him with a disappointed tint. It lodges in Connor’s chest, burning him up with acid and the realization that he let his dad down. Connor swallows hard, turning the wheel with the heel of his hand then speeding off back to New York where his girl needs him.

He drums his thumb on the steering wheel, feeling his chest tighten and his throat begins to close up. By the time he hits I-95, he can barely see the road from his tears.

Connor may barely be a father, and he sure as hell doesn’t have all the answers, but he would never let his kid drive away feeling like he feels right now.

With an angry jab at the display on his center console, he calls his dad. The ring shrills through the surrounding speakers, making Connor’s blood pressure soar.

“Con-”

“I’ve got something to say to you and I’m man enough to say it, so shut up and listen.” He brings both hands on the leather steering wheel, white knuckling it. “This is a surprise to us too. We fucked up, okay. We fucking know that. We don’t need a lecture about it. And you’re going to be a grandparent, whether you like it or not. But I’m telling you right now, don’t bother stepping into that role until you’re fucking ready to. My kid deserves better than whatever the hell that was back there.”

“Buddy, I’m just-”

“I don’t give a shit what you are. This isn’t about you, dad. This is about us. We are starting our family. One that we really want. The love of my life is having my baby. She’s bringing life into this world for us, and if you can’t support that, then you need to stay away from us until you can show up the way that we need you to. The way that I need you to.” His voice waivers with that last sentence.

“I love you. I’m here for you.” His dad responds tightly. Connor can tell he is trying not to cry.

The line goes quiet and Connor does too. He swallows thickly, taking a hand off the wheel to wipe his cheeks.

“Babies change everything.” Miles says quietly. “You flipped my whole world upside down when we had you. I don’t know if you’re ready for that.” Connor narrows his eyes, huffing his exhale.

“I don’t have a choice. I have to be. Maybe you could learn something from that.” Connor snaps, then clicks end.

The whole drive back to New York, Connor’s body stays tense. By the time he pulls into a parking spot, his whole body aches. He unlocks the front door, immediately confronted with the adorable sight of Lucie sleeping, curled up on the couch, hugging herself. He smiles, going over to kiss her cheek and gently moving her hair off her face. She doesn’t stir, passed out from utter exhaustion. Connor glances over the back of the couch, seeing Lio making something for himself at the kitchen stove.

“Oh fuck.” Connor whines as he opens the fridge for a beer. He sees the blue gatorade sitting mostly empty on the shelf next to the Budweiser, reminding him of the missed stop he forgot on the way home.

“I got her more. And the crackers. She couldn’t wait.” Lio fills in, pausing Connor’s turn back towards the door.

“Thanks, man.” Connor sighs, popping the top off his beer bottle and flicking it towards the trash. It bounces off the side. Connor ignores it, too damn tired to walk over there and pick it up.

“How did it go?”

Connor shoots an annoyed look at Lio over the amber bottle of beer.

“That good huh?” Lio jokes. “To be fair, I’m not sure the conversation with my dad would go any better.”

“Yeah, but you’re you. And who the fuck would that kid be with?” Connor snorts. “It’s not the same. Lucie is going to be my wife.” Lio smiles, a genuinely sweet smile that has Connor smiling too.

“Damn, I knew this would happen. You two would meet and fall in love and change the whole world. That kid is so damn lucky to have you two as its parents.”

Just like that, Lio’s words soothe everything that happened today. Because he is right.

This kid hit the jackpot.

Connor is going to make sure they know that, everyday that he is on this Earth, getting to be their dad

Read Lucie and Connor here.

[im-in-love-with-99-demons-again]

I loved the kurapica and the younger sister of chrollo story a lot can I please request a part 2 for it.

Imagine her feeling so guilty when she gave birth to her twins who also ineated the eyes she send the children to him with a note saying that she doesn't deserve to a mother of the kids and that he finally got 2 more kurta in the world and hope he is happy about it.

The sadder part if you want is her dying after childbirth and the note is her last will for kurapica how would he react the twins and her death because of it.

Imagine kurapica holding the children with the scarlet eyes how protective he would be even watching his friends like a hawk when they see the twins .

WAIT OMGGGGGG THIS IS LIKE 😍😍

idk if you wanted the reader to die while giving childbirth or

from the effect of it later on..

..or after a while she gave birth she offed herself?......yes

Part one: Here

I just realized you wanted her to give the children to Kurapika with the note........I mean I did something like it...sorta 🤧

Warnings: Angst, kinda no comfort

not really spell checked

How long has it been since he last saw you? Days? weeks? Months?

.....not sure but he truly regretted telling you to leave, he didn't open the envelope you gave him that night but it has been tempting him ever since you left.

He tried to text you, call you but to no avail, it just went straight to voice message.

He tried to ask Leorio, Melody, Killua and Gon if they heard anything from you but none of them did. He tried to look for you but not much because he still had work to do.

Now the only thing he didn't do was open the note you had given him before your departure.

-

-

(Y/n View)

these babies were growing inside you and that only made your guilt build up.

You had found out that you were having twins around the 10th week. you had been avoiding going to the hospital and mostly hiding away in a small shack in meteor city, it wasn't the best place to give birth and raise children but ....do you even deserve to mother these children?

Or to even call yourself their mother?! You wondered if Kurapika read what was in the envelope. Not too long from now you'll be giving birth to these twins...only a month away now.

-

-

(Kurapika view)

Kurapika got home late and lazily walked into his once shared bedroom, the house/apartment was so quiet and gloomy without you. He laid down on the bed with his eyes closed as a long sad sigh escaped his lips.

he opened his eyes and looked at his nightstand, his eyes soon laid on the unopened envelope it was the last thing you gave to him and yet he hasn't opened it....Kurapika slowly got up from the bed and lazily picked up the envelope, he looked at it for a bit longer.

He knows he should open it but he remembers what he lost and is afraid it just might make him feel even worse for what he had said to you, but he knew he had to open it.

((Prolonging this 🤡))

Kurapika swallowed down his guilt that was slowly building up and started to slowly opens the envelope.

Once done he took out a letter and picture that was in a small thin case, he sat down the picture wanting to read the letter first. He unfolded the letter and began to read.

As Kurapika reads the letter his eyes widen and the letter slowly falls out of his hands and onto the ground, Kurapika hesitantly turns to the small thin case before picking it up and taking out the pictures from within. His heart sank and his blood ran cold, tears began to form and his scarlet eyes glowed bright. "what...what have I..done?'' Guilt filled Kurapika as he sank down and his head hung low.

He had to find you and quick because supposedly to the letter you should be close to giving birth soon and he can't let you do this alone, he can't let you believe he hates you....but he's unsure if he'll make it on time..Kurapika grips the pictures in his fingers before glaring at the floor, he knew what he had to do.

-

-

(Y/n View)

A month went by and it was only a matter of days before you gave birth and the guilt just kept building up in you, you felt as if now you were taking Kurapika's family again and not only that you killed your children's relatives ((oop-)) and left their father.

After a couple of days went by you were hit with a wave of pain, as you felt a warm sensation come out of your lower region. they were coming.

You quickly took your pants and undergarment off and started to push, ((oop-))  you knew this was extremely risky to do all by yourself but you were determined. you continued to push through your screams.

After some time you hear soft crying from a baby but your relief was not yet, you quickly cut the umbilical cord and tied it with something temporary.

You had to act quick because you still had another baby to give birth too and you kept pushing, you started to feel a bit lightheaded but kept pushing, taking fast heavy breath in and out as as you started to feel the relief coming soon.

After both babies were out you cut the umbilical cord of the other and started to feel more and more lightheaded from the loss of blood and the pain..soon everything went black... "N-no.....I..I need...to stay..."

-

-

(Kurapika View)

Kurapika needed to find you....he needed to tell you he still "Loved You" but the only person who might know where you are is...your brother..Chrollo. As much as he didnt want help from him he had no other choice. If he really wanted to find you then he wouldn't care about what he'd have to do.

-

-

(Y/n View)

You slowly open your eyes to find yourself in bed with the covers over you, but then you remember you just gave birth. You quickly sit up but then a stinging pain in your lower region starts.

"They're alright...they're just sleeping right now" you looked to your left to see Machi. Her nen was always useful for when someone was hurt but her nen wasn't something you'd think would be good for birth but hey it worked?

You look around before raising an eyebrow, how would she be here? Did she search for you? You decided to just ask her later and focused on how you're babies are "C-can I see them....." She nods and goes to pick your baby twins as she walks over to you before placing them both in your arms. "They're both boys..."

(Sorry if you wanted something like one girl and one boy...i can change it)

you stared in awe, they were adorable.

You weakly smile before looking back up at Machi. "H-how did you find me?..." You ask quietly.

"Heard you were missing and well......the boss said he might know where you are....guess he was right, and it's a good thing we came almost on time sorta....you were bleeding...a lot.....are you stupid? you know you can't just do this on your own"

Machi says that last part with a pout as she crosses her arms, you giggle in a bit of shame nodding your head.

“yeah, sorry about that"

"Don't say sorry to me, say sorry to your babies....you almost killed them too doing this alone" Machi was right you look down at your babies sleeping soundly, hearing their soft breathing made you a bit calmer but a sting in your heart made you wince.

"i..I'm sorry, to both of you, i'm so sorry" Machi smiles softly before sighing and sitting down. You said as you started to tear up but held them back and wiped your eyes.

"where's my brother?" You ask softly

"He left earlier today, said he had to do something" <---Machi

"do what?"<---y/n

"Don't know, never told me, just to stay by your side until he returns"<---Machi

"oh....thank you” <---y/n

Machi nods before handing you some water which you gladly took because you only now realized how dry your throat was.

-

-

(Kurapika View)

Kurapika mentally prepares himself for what he is about to do but one thing is keeping him from doing what he doesn't really want to do and that is...Where is your brother?

Kurapika sighed heavily, first he didn't know where you were and you were pregnant, god knows if you gave birth yet.

Kurapika started to walk near places he had last heard that they were, walking past an alleyway a voice calls out. "If you're searching for the boss then listen up"

Kurapika stops in his tracks and looks towards the direction where the voice came, the voice chuckles before continuing.

"The boss would be at the Abandoned church in Meteor city, he's waiting there for you" ((I straight up don't know where their hideout is 🥸)) Kurapika immediately started to walk over to there, even though there was one of the phantom troupe members right there, he could have just fought them first but you matter more and he needs to find you as quick as possible.

-

-

(Y/n View)

You fed your babies once they woke up but something was on your mind, something that slowly started to make your stomach turn. You tried to deny it but that would be foolish.

Once your babies awoke you swear you saw a glimpse of red in the eyes of one of your babies but soon the other also had it......You swallowed the lump in your throat before looking down at your babies happily looking up at you, you smile softly before a sudden pain struck you and you cough out blood that drips down onto one of your son's cheek, the baby begins to cry which makes the other cry as well. Machi gets up with worry written on her face.

"Y/n.....i should have told you sooner....but my nen won't last long on you...your wounds were already taking your life when we found you.....you should have been dead by now if we hadn't found you but still...we were late.

You only have so much time before you succumb to your wounds...i'm sorry" Machi looks down apologetically.

"I see..."

you wipe the blood off your baby's face and your own as well as you then calm down your babies.

"Machi...could you bring me some pieces of paper and a pen please?"

Machi nods and runs off to get them, once she comes back she hands you the stuff and a broken down clipboard.

you take the stuff and begin to write, you knew you didn't have much time in this world so you had to write to the people you love....one last time. As you wrote your hands began to shake and your head began to spin but you had to finish the writings, you coughed more blood into a rag nearby before drinking more water, swallowing the iron taste of blood.

You looked down and decided to name one and left the other for Kurapika to name, the name you chose was ((Baby's name)) once you were done you put them all in different envelopes and the last two you finished were Kurapika's and your brother's Chrollo.

As you set the letter down on the nightstand next to your old slightly broken down bed you started to cradle your babies with a soft smile as you look out the dusted window, you mind then began to wonder how they'd look when they are older but the more you thought the more your heart sank because you knew deep down you wouldn't be there for them when they go to school when they learn go walk or when they grow up or even when they say their first words....

you wouldn't be there to experience motherhood and you didn't just feel bad for yourself but for your children who will have to grow without a mother and for Kurapika who would be alone to father them even when he's busy.....and Chrollo.....you knew he would be sad about your death but he might never really show it, saying something like death is beautiful or some shit but you knew deep down it hurt him severely.

Suddenly you were brought out of your daze to the sound of a camera taking a picture, you look to the source of the sound and find Machi chuckling.

"You looked really pretty, here let's take another this time face the camera"

Machi says, aiming the Camera at you again, you smile while holding your babies in your arms higher.

Machi takes the picture and soon it comes out of the camera, she waves it around a little before giving it to you.

You smile before taking them and placing them in one of the letters.

-

-

(Kurapika's View)

Once he got to Meteor City he was greeted with an almost destroyed city ((....yes)) he then started to look around for a building that looked like a church, as he walked more into the city he saw a big building with a caved in ceiling.

He began to walk inside through one of the broken walls stepping over anything in the way, he looked around before his eyes landed on a man with slicked back black hair and very pale skin, he was reading out of a book.

Kurapika walked up closer with a glare as he clenched his fists. He breathed in deep to calm himself down, because his scarlet eyes were showing through.

"I suppose you are here to ask about the whereabouts of my dear sister"

"Do......do you know where she is?'' <---Kurapika

Kurapika tried to keep his voice calm but it was slightly hard since he had to face the man that killed his entire clan.

"I do"

Chrollo sighs before closing his book and standing up.

"But....I don't quite like helping someone who killed my members...."

"You're one to talk"

Kurapika hissed under his breath.

"But i will take you to her.....because......we are family now"

Chrollo smirked while Kurapika clenched his jaw.

"Follow me.....before it's to late"<---Chrollo

"Late?"<---Kurapika

"Yes....you see Y/n was already well......dead when I found her but one of my members had fixed her up the best she could......"

Chrollo said as he walked down and began to walk outside, Kurapika's eyes widened, you were...dead? Kurapika soon caught up with Chrollo, they both walked in an awkward silence before reaching a worn down shack. As Kurapika got closer he began to hear soft voices but only one was clear to him and it was yours. He immediately ran to the front of the shack and stood in the doorway with his arms by his side, you turned to look at him and your eyes widened.

-

-

(Y/n's view)

How did he know you were here? You saw his eyes start to water as he shakily took a step closer.

"Y-y/n...."

Kurapika's voice broke a bit.

Machi gets up and leaves to give you some privacy.

"Kurapika?....."

the minute you say his name he runs up to you and pulls you into a tight hug crying out saying he was sorry and that he loved you, you started to tear up and began to cry because in truth you began to think he hated you and this was all you needed to hear to make you finally feel at ease, as you both cry you soon hear soft crying that soon turns into louder.

Kurapika pulls away and sees the babies crying, his eyes widened.

"T-twins?...."

Kurapika smiles before whispering.

"They look beautiful"

Kurapika looks up at you before wiping some of your tears away before sliding his hand more to move some of your hair out of your face and behind your ear, he slowly Leans in and kisses your nose then your lips.

he pulls back and asks if he could hold one of them you slowly nod, as he picks one up he starts to calm him down while you calmed down (Baby name).

You smiled as you looked at Kurapika doing surprisingly a good job at calming down the baby, you then look back at the front door to the shack and saw your brother leaning on the door frame, he had a small weak smile on before leaving...So he...brought Kurapika?.....they helped each other?

you smile at Kurapika who smiles back at you but then a strong pain struck your side and you coughed out blood again this time much more than before, Kurapika's smile faded and got replaced with a worried one, you tried to breath but it felt clogged so you swallowed down the blood but more and more just came which made you cough out more. you try to move the baby away from you so as to not get blood on him.

-

-

(Kurapika's View)

Kurapika tried to help his best even though he knew it was pointless, he still tried because he can't just stand there and watch you die right in front of him and your babies.

Tears started to fall from his eyes as you started to fall limp and your eyes began to slowly shut, your body fell back onto the bed weakly you held Kurapika's hand with a weak smile as your tears fell you whispered.

"I...love..you"

your hand then went limp and your breathing stopped.

Your body slowly became cold, Kurapika couldn't stop his tears from falling and the sound of your babies crying didn't help ease his stress and guilt of not being there for you guys.

-

-

(Chrollo's View)

Chrollo stood right outside the shack walls hearing as you died and the cries of the ones you loved.

Chrollo slowly looked up at the sunset sky with a sad smile he sighed as a single tear fell from one of his eyes, he quickly wiped it away as he began to walk away.

-

-

(Y/n's View pov)

I felt weak...did I die? No, I can still faintly hear Kurapika and our children....but it's starting to fade.....I can't die.....not yet....I feel numb and cold, is this all there is to death?

* hours later Kurapika got finished with your grave, he didn't bury you, he didn't have the guts to do it, so he surrounded you with your favorite flowers and placed one last kiss on your lips before whispering. softly

"Goodbye.."

Kurapika began to walk away with the twins in his arms asleep. Kurapika walked with his head hung low, he soon passed by Chrollo before stopping and muttering.

"Thank you....for letting me see her"

then he walked away. *

-

-

(Chrollo's View)

Chrollo watched Kurapika leave before walking back to the shack and seeing that he made a grave for you right there surrounded by flowers.

((Where did he get the flowers 😶‍🌫))

Chrollo came up to you and placed a single black rose behind your ear. Chrollo then whispered softly.

"I'll soon join you...by the hands of the man who broke your heart...."

With that he left.

-

-

Once Kurapika got back he saw Leorio but didn't bother talking because he wasn't in the mood and Leorio saw that and respected it even though he had so many questions because to Leorio it looked like Kurapika had just kidnapped two babies.

After a couple of days Leorio and Melody had came up to Kurapika's place and Kurapika had answered the door ((Surprisingly)) he looked tired and his eyes lacked something.

Kurapika had let them in and both Melody and Leorio were greeted with baby cries which Kurapika immediately ran to calm them down and see what they needed.

"Are they yours? and did you find Y/n?"

Leorio said but the minute he mentioned your name Kurapika froze.

"They are mine......."

That was all Kurapika said as he slowly turned his head and glared at both Leorio and Melody with his scarlet eyes. Leorio quickly nodded and didn't question it further.

A couple days later Kurapika had read the letter you gave him and the pictures of you holding the twins made his heart melt.

He had found out you had already named one of them and he knew which one it was because there was a birthmark in the exact same place you had one.

Your letter had also questioned if he was happy that he had two more kurta's in the world which he sadly sighed because at the moment he would have been happier if you were also still here but he was grateful for the life you had given him and vowed to protect them with his life.

-

-

(Y/n's View)

Two buttons In front of you, one reads 'yes' the other 'no' the question for the buttons...

"Would you like to live again?"

THE END

Anywho I know it took me forever

it's cuz I kinda lost motivation....

I'm back tho sorta.

I can always continue this and make it end happily, so like a part 3......

Word count: 3,439

[athenaluciscaelum]

May I please request a Dante x F!Reader fic where she’s divorced with kids from an abusive marriage and she opens up a new restaurant in town that Dante frequents which leads to them becoming close but she’s unsure about taking things further due to her trauma?

Please leave a comment, I hope I did justice to your ask. @sacredwarrior88

Pairing: DMC4 Dante x Fem!Reader

Rated: General

Words: 3692 words

Warning: abuse, patriarchy, mention of martial rape

Disclaimer:

If you can't stomach abusive husband or household, please sit this one out, be safe and take care. Is Dante little OC in this? But DMC4 Dante is such a sweetheart.

Second Chance

You were fed a dream since you were a kid of a perfect marriage, a person you fall in love with in High School and then get married to after graduation. That's how your parents were and little you believed you should have the same, or you are a failure.

You never had big dreams, you wanted a job, a man who would love you, sufficient money and some kids to dot your love on. Pretty basic, right? Only if life was so basic, you always thought, if I give all my love, heart and feeling, if I pour my all in a person - our life will be 'forever.'

There you were on the aisle only twenty marrying to your high school sweetheart, he was a cop, freshly graduate from police academy, a year older than you. He made you quit your teaching certification telling you just to follow him, he is their to take care of everything. You just have to be his sweet little wife-cook, clean, and love him, that's all. And when soon little one follows, you have to be a good mother. So he can be a good father. Now when you think of it everything was so dependent on you, the way he reacts was always dependent on you. Or that's the lie he fed you.

Like when you were 'accidentally' pregnant within the first year of your marriage, though you wanted to wait until you are twenty-five. It was because you didn't take pills because they made you moody, but rather ask him to wear protection, which has higher chances of unwanted pregnancies. It was your fault. Or when he hit you when you were twenty-four weeks pregnant with your firstborn, what if you were in pain, you could have just stayed quiet and waited, after all he came from long night shift, being a cop is stressful. It was your fault. Or when one night he forced himself on you because you said no out of exhaustion, looking after your preschooler daughter, twin toddler daughters, and a newborn son. All within 5 years of marriage. It was your fault. If only you would have give him what he wanted and understand how hectic it is to go to a 'real job' and deal with kids who are asleep. He doesn't get to sit at home leisurely like you, so what choice he is left with than to strike you? It was your fault. Or when all of this kept happening again, and again, and again. It was always your fault. The bruises you have to hide, the clothes you have to wear to cover marks on your body, the pain you have to hold in your heart - they all were your punishment, since it was always your fault.

Anyone in neighborhood saw you as perfect housewife taking care of home and kids, so efficiently and lovingly. Your kids were always well-dressed, well-behaved, and well-spoken, you were raising them well. And your husband was a star cop everyone looked up to, no one will ever agree that he was an abusive maniac who torments her wife every night. You were okay, you kept it all in. It's all for the sake of your children, you didn't want them to suffer because of you. You were unsure if you try to divorce him you will get even custody or not? Let alone child support with connections he had. Your kids were all you have, even if you got custody. How are you going to take care of them? This man won't cough up a single penny, he never let you complete your education, nor you think job market will value someone who has never worked with enough to support four kids and yourself all alone. It's been a decade since you marry this man, the love you had in your heart was long gone. Did you ever even loved him, or loved the idea of love, you never wanted another, so you settle for first you got?

You talked to your mother, your ear picked up no voice as she went on about how you should endure, or that man is dominant, and you should take care of him better. In short, if it comes down to it, she won't support you, since she doesn't entertain the idea of divorce, you are on your own.

How it matters now, you looked at your kids while you were making dinner. Your eldest daughter, ten, she was on the swing in yard; your twin daughters, eight, they are playing tag; your five-year-old son was with his coloring book in the living room. You thought at least they have roof over their head, they are well clothed, they are fed, they have resources and opportunities thanks to their father. They could be better than you. You will never let your daughter buy into idea of 'happy marriage.'

You were chopping vegetables, when you heard the footsteps, you hitched, his footsteps only ever settled fear in you. Furthermore, you hopped he was not mad, right? He came to the kitchen, you put on your trained smile, “Welcome …honey…you are early…"

He looked angry, furious, fear settling in your bones, you were trembling as he squeezed your jaw in painful grip and shoved your head against the wall making you cry, “H-h-honey! I didn't do anything” Tears well in your eyes, you weren't even sure ehat was your 'fault' this time…Your husband clenches his jaw, “Don't lie to me! Dumb whore! I saw it! You were talking to that guy! I don't satisfy you enough! Huh!?” You cried shaking your head, “What are you talking about!?” He bashed your head against the wall making you bleed and see stars, “Don't act dumb! That man you were talking to outside our kid's school, I saw it, I was out on a case!” You tried to think, your head dizzy from blood loss and pain, your lips quivered as you mumbled, “Th-Th-that….was the twins gymnastic teacher…he wanted them to …t-to…c-com-compete…" Your husband yanked your hair, “Lies! You were laughing, you never laugh with me! I'm going to put you in your place!” Your husband was dragging to your bedroom, you were too weak at this point to protest, he was built big, he stayed fit and was strong. But tonight, it was different, your eldest had enough, she ran towards her father and bit his hand which was gripping on your hair making him bleed. Your husband cursed and shoved her in the wall. Every ounce of submission he drilled into you snapped, you looked at your daughter lying on the floor dizzy holding her head. And it was decided, YOU HAD ENOUGH! He crossed one line, he should have never crossed.

You don't know how you shoved that bulky man away, but you reached for phone and called 9-1-1, one, for your daughter and second, to report your husband. Now as divorce proceedings started you were a pennyless woman with four kids. One of your friends, one your mother said was bad influence. Let you in her house. Luckily, it was summer vacation and kids were at home. Your friend supported you, she introduced you to some NGOs that would help you and let you work for them, it wasn't enough, but it was enough for food and clothing for now. The divorce was a hell. Though you got custody, you could not get a single penny in child support. In the town you got all sort of eyes and glare, 'vicious greedy woman accusing a beloved town cop, taking away his kids and now after his money'. You were deaf to these by now. The NGO you worked at were always awed by scrumptious lunch you made even with little ingredients. You got magic in your hands, they said. And that got you an idea, you started your business taking little party order working from your friends' kitchen, she was happy enough to lend all support as long as you keep the place clean. Your kids always ready to help you with promotion, it was a hit in your town's office area. But so far 'a vicious woman' can go in town where everybody hated her.

So with money you made in a year from your job and little side business you run. You had enough to qualify for a loan, you sold your last possession left to you, the ring your husband gave you. To your surprise it was worth fortune, how he never asked back for it? You did not know. So with money, four kids and determination, you shifted to Capulet City. The town was little notorious for 'supernatural activity' but it will be fine. Your kids settled in well, they liked the new school there. You got yourself a place in market with space to run café downstairs and living space upstairs, small but enough for now. Everyone you came across tried to rip you off, but you were wiser now and took no bullshit. In a month, your Café was open and ready for business. In no time, people in town were fan of your freshly baked breads, local produce, and sweet treats. Your menu was quite diverse and quality top-notch. You got your logistic sorted, it was unique. As you were about to close the café on your day one. Your eldest was wiping tables, twins restocking the ingredients, and your preschooler was eating his berries. A man barged in, you spoke softly, “Sorry, we are closed…”

A soothing yet funky voice filled your ear, “Aww… I came all the way because Patty came here with her friends and told me, you got fantastic Pizza and strawberry sundae.....” You looked at the man-white hair, broad, muscular, tall, clad in red. Was he a supermodel? You blinked and shook your head, “I'm sorry, sir, we are closed…you have to come back tomorrow.” Man pouted, “Come on, I can't wait until tomorrow, you know I ditched Freddy for you. If he got to know I'm here, he will go back to the Himalayas or something.” You could not help but let out a laugh, you put your apron back on, “Sweetie, show our guest to his table?” Your daughter nodded and showed Dante to this table, she spoke excited, “Patty and me are in same grade.” Dante smiled, ruffling her hair, “That's so cool, finding school good?” Your eldest nodded as she gave Dante menu. Dante didn't even look at it, “Strawberry Sundae and Chicken BBQ Pizza, no olive, little lady” Your eldest nodded and went back to you in the kitchen. You started preparing his food, smell of pizza and strawberry sundae wafting in the Café, you saw him through the window, he was waiting quietly looking out.When your eldest brought him his food, he had a gigantic grin on his face. You thought that smile was beautiful and genuine, how long it has been you never smiled like that? You want to smile like that. He gulped down your food in breath, you can swear. He patted his belly, you were sure there were only abs underneath. Dante spoke contend, “you got yourself regular.Miss......?” You spoke smiling, “Y/N”. He smiled, “Miss Y/N, a fitting name for a pretty lady.....and equally adorable little lady. Your sister?” You shook your head smiling, he was contagious, “Actually my daughter…” Dante smiled, “That's nice…. I hope your husband don't mind me flirting, well, I can't help it, you're pretty.” You were little sad, but also blushed, “No…no husband …only us, me and my four kids…” Your eldest muttered, “Dad's evil” You hushed your eldest, and she stuck out her tongue, you always found it adorable. Dante rubbed his neck, “Sorry, I didn't mean to… I…" You shook your head, “It's okay, all in the past, I'm strong, do come by again, bring your friends?” Dante smiled, “Sure, I will …" He paid a generous tip. You shook your head, “We exploit no worker here, we take no tips,” Dante laughed, “Well, little lady can use it.” You smiled and accepted it. Dante went out smiling, he was happy to know you were single.

Dante stood by his promise, he was regular when he was in Capulet City, but occasionally, he came after weeks, and once it was a month. Whenever he was around, he mixed up with kids so easily, he always made sure to come at closing time, so there is no distractions for you.

You stood at the door, you didn't close the shop waiting for him. Your eldest poked your cheek, “Maa…time to close the café…” You snapped out of your daydream, “Yes, it is…” Your daughter giggled, and you huffed, “What?” Your daughter teased you, “We can stay open bit late for your crush to show up…" You were red, your twin daughter just came on time…twins shouted in unison, “MOMMY HAS A CRUSH!” Your five-year-old dancing in café singing, “Mommy has a crush! Mommy has a crush!” Your face was in your hands, “Stop it, guys!” The bell chimed, you cursed yourself internally no, not him, not right now!

Dante came in and smiled, he lowered himself to level of your son…" Mommy got crush, little man?" Your son nodded, Dante booped his nose ,“Who is the lucky one?” Your son shrugged… jumping out of Dante arms and running away. Your twin daughter quickly helped Dante to a seat holding his hand, your eldest pulling your hand to make you sit against him, you were red and blinked. Dante smiled, “A beautiful date on the menu, I see.” Your eldest giggled, she gave you two menus. She spoke professional, “Ahem, evening, sir and ma'am, thank you for choosing our café for your date, will you need some time to go through the menu? I will personally suggest Pizza and Strawberry Sundae, but you see the lady here….” You gave your eldest mommy a look raising your eyebrow, “lady?” Your eldest interrupted you, “Please, ma'am let me complete, it's unprofessional of you.” You eldest cleared your throat and started again, “lady here has refined taste, she likes pan Asian, thick starchy rice noodles with chili oil and Korean BBQ chicken being favorite.” You shook your head, “No! This scene won't play, I'm sorry, Dante, I don't know where their manners are, forcing a date on you like this.” You were about to stand up trembling at very idea of love again. Dante held your hand and soothed you, he was always so calm, “Relax…relax… I don't mind. I might have asked them to get started onto something, but I never knew they will be this creative. Please stay…" You were surprised ,but you nodded and sat back, calming your breath, Dante held the glass to your lips and you took a sip. And you snapped, “But who will be cooking!?”

So that's how you ended up on a real date that night, you got ready in black dress you didn't get chance to wear in years, you fit perfectly in it, you cannot fit in it for long, but the whole ordeal of divorce took so much toll that you lost substantial weight, you shook your head, only happy thoughts. Kids stayed back, you gave them clear instructions, not to open the door, unless it's you and nobody else.

Dante brought you to a fine Pizzeria, you ordered Alfredo pasta, and he went for Margherita pizza with no olives. You sipped your wine, he held your hand on the table, but you pulled it back, any touch settling fear in you. Dante smiled, tilting his head, “is it too soon to ask you if it was a messy divorce?” You were surprised and blinked your eyes, you never gave it away, Dante clarified sipping his wine, “Your kids …they rarely fight, even twins, my brother and I are twins, we were on each other's throat all the time. They said siblings fight when they are in a secure and safe home, when they band together, it usually shows an abusive household. And those bruises on your pretty arms…" You instinctively hid them, Dante caressed your face with the back of his index finger, he spoke calm, “you are a good mother, so it only leaves your husband to be a toxic one.” You sigh, you were defensive, “Well… Mister Dante, I'm not the only one with secrets, being away for weeks, months, blood stain on your coat hasn't gone unnoticed…" Dante chuckled, “I told you babe, I do pest control…" You rolled your eyes, turning your face, “babe? What are we teenagers?” You were being offensive and rude, feigning ignorance a way you trained on yourself to defend yourself from ache. He took your chin in his fingers, he was so big yet so gentle, you swear he swayed you to melt…he looked into your eyes, “If that's what you want, we can be teenagers tonight, sneak alcohol, drink it, do dumb things…" You shook your head, your hands in your lap, “I have responsibilities.” Dante held both of your hands, “which you take care of beautifully, give yourself a chance, you deserve the world….” You wanted to melt, but you got four lives connected to you. You already made a mistake of having four beautiful children with a wrong man, now you can't risk putting them in similar situation. That's how it all starts, sweet and beautiful, until they show their true colors. Your heart can't take it anymore. You were about to say something, but waitress brought out your food, and you focused on eating. Dante gave you space you needed. He gave you a ride back home, it was thrilling to say the least. But right now, you just wanted to be with your thoughts alone. You slept with your eldest that night needing support.

Dante was alone sitting on his chair drinking his whiskey, Trish sat on the desk, she spoke with her usual edged voice, “How was the date?” Dante raised his eyebrow, “What?” Trish rolled her eyes, “Dante… I know everything…" Dante clicking his tongue, “Stalking me?” Trish shook her head, “Lady, told me she saw you at a Pizzeria with a fine-looking woman, you certainly don't deserve.” Dante scoffed, “thats our Lady. So you already know” Trish flipped through magazine, “Was it a bad date?” Dante waved his hand, “No, she got lots of pain and fear from her last marriage….” Trish looked at him, “That's stopping you?” Dante sighed, “No…I just won't be a jerk to her. I'm just afraid for her and kids. Furthermore, I like them, they are lovely like her…but what if demons go after her and kids for getting involved with me?”

Trish was thinking, Dante wasn't wrong, “You should let her decide.....if you really mean to take this forward, truth is the only way.”

For the next one month, Dante visited your café regularly, you treated him like any other customer. Dante could feel it and it hurt. It hurt you more, but you did not know what else to do. You were not ready for this, and with kids in the picture. You just can't. Dante was having none of it. You two at least needed to talk, so he stayed back one day, and you went to his table, your hand on your hips, “We are closing, sir.” Dante looked at you irritated, “Do not sir me, y/n” You picked up the plate on his table and spoke, not looking at him, “A customer shall be treated as a customer. Business is no place for friendship.” Dante rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest, “Is that all, y/n?” You nodded and as you turned to leave, he held your wrist softly rubbing circles on it with his thumb, your resilience melting. You squeezed your eyes shut as your heart rate picked up. He spoke with patience, “Trust me, it is as tough for me, as it is for you. I am rarely ever happy, and coming here makes me happy, I love it, you and kids. And I would rather not ruin it. Can we talk?”

You stood there and thought, the kids were out with your friend, their rich aunty, spoiling them. They were going to sleep over at her place, and you were also supposed to join them after closing. You sat turning on the close sign at the door. It was just dim light and you two in café. The world seemed to stop. You looked at Dante, you were nervous, your heart was pounding, you could barely look him in the eyes, those beautiful icy blue eyes, “Dante…you are good, I like you, but I have lots of emotional baggage and trust issue. I was abused for a long. I trusted this one person and I do not know if I can do that again. You deserve better….” You broke into tears and Dante stood up, he went to your side, crouching down to wipe your tears and hug you tight. He so easily scopped you in his arms, and you didn't protest . His touch didn't make you flinch, he was so warm and cozy as he carried you upstairs. You two sat on the couch. Dante held on to your hands, he needed little more privacy, “I have something to confess to you….do you believe in demons?”

You eye were wide as he told you everything about your heritage, how demons literally follows him. You frowned, you voice small and breaking, “Get out!” Dante sighed, “Y/N.” You looked at him with anger, “Those things follow you! And you still came here. I have kids! My life, I can play with it, gamble it! But not them! They are all I have!” Dante was hurt, deeply hurt, but he understood. As he saw you crying and mumbling, “I knew, I should have never trusted a man!” Dante raised his hand to comfort you, but you flinched, his eyes were wide, as he spoke in a low voice, “I would never hurt you…" You gulped, “just go…please…"

You went to your friend's house, after putting the kids to sleep. She could see you were sad, you two sat in the living room drinking fine wine your friend saved for you two. You friend smiled, “soooo.....” You raised an eyebrow, “so?” She hummed, “girlies told their aunty everything.” You sighed, “It's nothing, some dumb crush, I'm too old for….anyway I said things to hurt to make sure he never comes back, he deserves better.” Your friend sighed, “You said things that hurtful?” You nodded, wiping your tears, “Yes, he entrusted his vulnerability to me and I weaponized it. How am I any different from the man I ran from?” Your friend held you as you cried, she rubbed your back, “Hey.....just give yourself another chance.” You cried, “But kids!?” Your friend held your shoulders firm, “Y/N! Your kids want their mother happy and smiling, not withering. You are their light, your happiness directly affects them, is he good with kids?” You nodded, “Very good.” Your friend smiled, “Then….talk to him. Do not let one bad thing ruin everything.” You looked at your friend unsure, “I don't know…. I said everything wrong to him….” Your friend picked up your phone, “Got his number?” You tried to snatch your phone away, “We are not fifteen anymore, don't be dumb!” Your friend laughed, “You're dumb, bitch!” You frowned, you both looked at each other and burst into laughter. Your friend held up your phone, it was dialing Dante's number, you groaned.

Dante was in his office, drinking bottles on bottles of beer, whiskey, wine, whatever he can find. Even Freddy won't take him back now. Though, Cindy said she will talk to him. He sighed sitting on his chair thinking how right you were. He was being selfish, what he thought? Furthermore, is he strong enough to protect you and kids? He can't take care of himself! He was about to go to sandman land when heard the phone ringing, it only irritated him. His thoughts plauged by you, he wanted to feel something, feel your soft skin against his. He shook his head, as phone rang again. He sighed and picked up the phone, he snapped, “sorry! We are closed!”

Your voice was soft, “Dante?” Dante was sober in a split second and sat up straight, “Y/N.” You spoke unsure, “You know whether is predicted to be nice tomorrow, it's the weekend, will you like to join me and kids for a picnic? We have lot to discuss and I have lot to apologise for....." Dante smiled, “I can't think of anything better….”

JACKPOT!!!!

Tags: @sacredwarrior88 @marshmallows-and-champagne

[riaaanna]

Freddie Mercury’s London Residence Lists at £30 Million

Garden Lodge, the spectacular Kensington home of the rock music legend, has been in the care of his friend Mary Austin for 30 years. She’s now selling it.

Garden Lodge is listed for £30 million ($38 million). Source: Knight Frank

By Sarah Rappaport.

Mary Austin remembers the first time she saw Garden Lodge. She was accompanying her friend Freddie Mercury as he was house-hunting in London in 1980.

“It was a summer day, children were playing in the garden, and I was behind Freddie as we came in. It was so quiet and so peaceful, and that continued through the house,” Austin says, speaking exclusively to Bloomberg News from inside the Kensington property. She says he decided to buy the home that same day.

“Freddie went outside and said, ‘Tell them to take it off the market. I’ll give them the asking price now,’” she says.

The double doors lead inside to a living space that Mercury called the Japanese room. Photographer: Barney Hindle

Austin says Mercury was looking for an escape in London, a place where he could create and work on his music in peace without being hounded by the media—and Garden Lodge was it for him. “The press had been pursuing him to come out, and he wouldn’t, and why should he? And this gave him the wonderful feeling that he could create and live and be private here,” she says.

Austin inherited the property from Mercury upon his death in 1991 and has been living here ever since. She says at first she wasn’t sure if it’d be healthy for her to live in the home amid her grief from his untimely passing. But she realized that she could make a life at Garden Lodge and that she didn’t need to let go “for quite some years.”

“It was really only ever my house in name only,” says Austin, her voice full of emotion. “I had worked on the house with him and for him, and it will always be his. It was his dream, it was his vision.”

Austin, 72, has decided to list the property with Knight Frank for £30 million ($38 million). This follows a massively successful Sotheby’s auction this past September in which more than $50 million was raised selling Mercury’s belongings, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Mercury Phoenix Trust and the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

The house, when I saw it in mid-February, was mostly empty. But the design and details, such as citrus-yellow paint on the walls and spectacular art deco mirrors in the rock star’s dressing room, are the way Mercury left them. It stands as a tribute to Mercury’s own taste.

The dining room, with pink and green cornice detailing, photographed prior to the Sotheby’s sale. The French gilt-and-bronze clock from the 1870s sold for £30,480. Photographer: Barney Hindle

The plan was to do the auction and then think about selling the house, Austin says. “The auction was enormous. And I wasn’t sure how I would feel at this moment. But I realized that the time had come.” Austin says she’s alone in the house now, her kids are grown up and live elsewhere, and she feels like it’s time to start a new chapter in her life and move on. After a whirlwind year, she says this will be her last interview.

Touring the House

Garden Lodge is just past Cromwell Road in the heart of upscale Kensington, but it’s completely private, set back from the quiet residential road and protected by an 8-foot Edwardian brick security wall topped by an even higher spiked fence, with cameras around it. The wall’s famous green door, which acted as a shrine for Mercury fans who scribbled messages on it, sold in the Sotheby’s auction for £412,750. There’s another door there now protected by clear casing.

The house is set back from the road by a large garden. Photographer: Barney Hindle

Just through the door lies a Japanese-inspired garden with blooming magnolia trees, a wooden pergola and a carp pond. The whole effect once inside the gated walls feels like a country retreat, with the high walls blocking out the noise of the streets. You wouldn’t feel like you’re just a 10-minute walk from the popular Kensington High Street, in the middle of prime central London.

“Freddie had an absolute vision for the garden. Kyoto Gardens was what came to mind—he wanted to re-create that tranquil environment,” says Austin, recalling some “very special memories” of having lunch with Mercury outside on sunny days by the pond.

The property offers eight bedrooms, and Mercury’s studio-house has an impressive brick exterior. Once inside the main entrance, to the left is what the singer called the Japanese room, one of two main living spaces. It has double doors that lead out to the garden and was his personal reflection space, says Austin. “We knew not to disturb him when he was in there.”

The ground floor also has a dining room where Mercury used to throw dinner parties, with planned menus and handwritten seating plans, including a space for his cat Oscar. Mercury was incredibly involved in the design of the room; he even painted the designs on the wall himself.

A mustache-less Mercury painting the cornice. Source: Knight Frank

Mercury’s dining room designs, which you can see him painting in the photo above. Source: Knight Frank

“He couldn’t get the decorator to match the ideas that he had in his head, so he had to do it himself,” says Austin, adding that Mercury did a design with pinks, greens and yellows on the wall.

Taking up the largest amount of the ground floor is the studio drawing room, with its wooden floors, yellow walls and ornate stone fireplace. This room was home to Mercury’s Yamaha baby grand piano, on which he wrote Bohemian Rhapsody; it sold for £1.7 million at Sotheby’s. Austin remembers pushing the piano to different spots around the room with Mercury, trying to find the ideal placement upon his move-in.

Here was the main room for entertaining, and there’s a staircase at the edge of the room that leads to an upstairs bar area, where someone getting a drink could observe the party going on below. Its two-story windows fill the room with light and look onto the expansive garden and its host of topiary trees.

Austin says she didn’t go to all of his parties but remembers a hat party that was in her words “a little full-on.”

“He designed a hat for everybody and had them all made,” she says. “He’d give you a hat, or you’d have a choice of two or three depending on how he felt about you that day.”

Along with the generous entertainment spaces, the ground floor has a cloakroom and a kitchen—with modern appliances—set back from the dining room. There’s a discreet utility room to the side that has served as a delivery area, and when I saw it, a place for Austin’s cats to sleep.

Upstairs, Mercury’s four-part primary suite lies at the end of a hallway carpeted in thick cream pile. Once you enter, you’re surrounded by floor-to-ceiling mirrors in an art deco dressing room. The mirrored doors artfully hide cabinets where he stored his clothes, including his famous stage outfits. On the side of the dressing room are two full en suite bathrooms, one of which has FM engraved in the marble. Just ahead, sliding mirrored doors open to the bedroom space, with a terrace that overlooks the garden and into the tranquil spaces of Kensington beyond.

Mercury’s Martin D35 acoustic guitar, photographed in the mirrored dressing room. Photographer: Barney Hindle

There’s a strong sense of personality and sense of time throughout the house, such as the light pink marble and green tub in a guest bathroom or the theatrical flair of the drawing room. It’s not a blank canvas, and that’s part of what makes it so special.

Before Freddie

Queen’s Mercury was the most famous occupant of Garden Lodge but wasn’t the only creative person to live there. The Neo-Georgian property was built at the turn of the 20th century as a combined home and studio for painter Cecil Rea and sculptor Constance Halford.

Other owners included Peter Wilson, a former chairman of Sotheby’s auction house, and British intelligence operative-turned-art-dealer Tomás Harris. It’s easy to imagine his own parties at Garden Lodge, with artists and spies mingling around the studio drawing room and the celebrations spilling out in the garden.

When Mercury bought the home, it was owned by a member of the prestigious Hoare banking family. Before its citrus-yellow makeover, the dining room was where they kept their safe.

“Mr. Hoare was taking us around, and I was just fascinated,” Austin says. “He said, ‘Oh, this is the safe. My father always sleeps at the bank, and when he can’t sleep at the bank, he brings all the money here.’”

The dining room as Mercury might have kept it. “He loved a dinner party,” says Austin. Photographer: Barney Hindle

Now that the property has been emptied of most of Mercury’s possessions, being in the house reminds Austin of how it was in the mid-’80s when Mercury was working with architect and designer Robin Moore Ede to make the home his own.

“We’ve actually revitalized the place to almost what it was before he moved his piano and belongings here. It was finished for at least a year before he moved in,” Austin says. “I would come here to work, I would come here to supervise, I would be here most of the time. And I suddenly find myself back to 1985.”

The Future of Garden Lodge

Austin first went to Knight Frank and explored selling the house 25 years ago, though she wasn’t quite ready to part with it then and, she says, appreciated that the agent she spoke to made sure to ask her if she was sure about a sale. She is now, she says, and is coming to terms with the fact that a future buyer will likely make changes to the property.

“The last thing you want is for someone to say, ‘Yes, I’ll buy it,’ and exploit it, and demolish it,” she says. “This is unique and has its beauty, and I know it has a purpose for someone—it did for Freddie.”

Prospective buyers should contact Paddy Dring or James Pace at Knight Frank for exact details of the property. Layouts, square footage and the size of the lot were not shared by the agency and are not being made available to the public for privacy reasons, they say. The listing itself is not being put online.

Dring says the property itself is a piece of cultural history, but it would be notable even without its famous owner. It’s incredibly rare to see such a large unmodernized home in central London with a mature garden area, he says. “It’s unbelievably special and a complete one-off.”

More of Mercury’s designs for the dining room cornice. Source: Knight Frank

Kensington is sought-after, too. After Mayfair, it was the London area with the most sales priced above £10 million in 2023, according to Knight Frank. The average sale price for a Kensington detached home in the past year was about £18 million, according to Rightmove data. Comparable recent property sales near the £30 million asking price include ones with the same amount of bedrooms in nearby Holland Park—both updated recently and with swimming pools—but without any rock legend imprimatur.

As to whom Austin sees buying the house, she has a feeling that it’ll be another artist. “If it’s not another creative, it should be because it is, it has that atmosphere,” she says. “There might be a buyer with a similar modus operandi to Freddie.”

But, she continues, gesturing around the grand, now piano-less drawing room, “Once you’ve sold, you’ve sold. You can’t hold on to the past forever, I suppose. I’ll be leaving with it very warm in my heart.”

[namisweatheria]

I'm sure people have talked about this before BUT I AM thinking about an au where Rouge had a terrifying Devil Fruit power and ridiculously strong Haki (like Boa but... you know. not like that at all thank you.) and managed to have HER OWN ISLAND that The Navy refuses to touch. (Like Boa! Without the Warlord part.)

What if Ace got his good navigational instincts from her, and the island was somewhere basically impossible to get to. (Unless you're a navigational genius.) Which immediately connects it in my mind to a Bell-mere lives au.

Things I'm imagining happening:

-Rouge raising Ace herself on that island

-Garp finding her as he promised he would, and seeing a good opportunity, promptly dropping Luffy off forever

-Sabo sneaking on Garp's ship to get away from his parents, and managing to make it there as it happens to be where Garp is heading next for another quick visit to try to indoctrinate Luffy (and Ace) into The Marines

-ASL brothers again<3

-kid Ace being fucking crazy in an entirely DIFFERENT way. He didn't suffer from living under Roger's shadow (Rouge never even mentions that deadbeat) but he and his mom are very much alone on this island so he goes Insane

-Luffy and Sabo are still the best things to happen to him and slowly make him calm down a lot

-Rouge DOES want to bring more people to the island because obviously she does not want her son to be deranged but it's difficult to trust people when The World Government wants her son dead so badly. Also a nearly-impossible-to-reach incredibly dangerous jungle island is a hard sell. lol

-She is going insane in her own way but she throws herself into raising them well and training them and herself to be as strong as possible, so they can protect each other if the government comes for them

-She definitely knows about Dragon being Luffy's dad, tricking that out of Garp was Not Hard. lmao

-Sabo opens up about his backstory to her eventually too. Someone protect these kids from the damn government!!!!!!!

-In this au, Bell-mere is strong enough to get Nami, Nojiko, and herself out of Coco Village when Arlong takes over, but not strong enough to defeat them and free the village

-She tries to get Navy assistance but is met with bald-faced corruption. Extreme disillusionment follows

-They travel for a few years, Bell-mere always trying to get stronger so they can return and save the village one day.

-Nami studies hard and has plenty of opportunities on the sea to polish her skills as a navigator.

-Nojiko remains deeply hurt and outraged by The Navy's betrayal. Since she was older she had been told many more stories from her mom's time with them, and thus had a much stronger attachment to the idea of them. Being left by The Marines, with her whole community, to suffer and die, shook her entire world. She seeks out people who don't look kindly on The World Government everywhere they go, collecting stories. She has hopes of joining The Revolutionary Army one day

-This is also a Sora lives au. (@ Oda Stop killing all the moms! Let them unionize!) One day on their travels they come across a sickly woman and her two kids, Reiju and Sanji, who are on the run from a mysterious (in the East Blue) Mercenary Army.

-It goes like this: the two groups are in the same diner. Soldiers of Germa 66 bust in and try to grab Sora and her kids. They scream and cry for help. Nearby Marines intervene. This obviously doesn't look good for the Germa soldiers, attempting to kidnap a sickly woman and two young kids in broad daylight. They try to pay off the highest ranking Marine there to look the other way, with an absolutely outrageous sum. It works.

-Nojiko charges. Bell-mere didn't expect her usually cool-headed daughter to do something so reckless, and doesn't realize she'd gotten up until she heard the crash of Nojiko kicking the top Marine in the head. Nami had been paying more attention, and is already primed to hit the same Marine in the back with a diner chair before he can retaliate on Nojiko.

-Despite their training, they're kids, and these are Marines. If Bell-mere wasn't there, it would've been a world of hurt. But Bell-mere of course is right there, and takes down all three Marines before they know what hit them. In the chaos, Reiju takes down both Germa Soldiers with her superior strength.

-Now they're a group, standing in a public place, with a pile of Marines (and Mercenaries) at their feet. Yikes.

-They run together.

-Reiju and Nojiko, both being oldest girls about the same age, recognize each other and bond instantly. They convince their mothers' they'll be stronger together.

-Bell-mere was easy to convince, suffering from survivor's guilt from the occupation of Coco Village, she's very quick to take on other's burdens. Sora, despite feeling an instinctual trust for and deep attraction to this tough butch who saved her life, is much more hesitant. Putting her life and resources in the hands of one very powerful person was what got her into this mess.

-But it's not easy to make Reiju happy, a girl who takes responsibility for both her mother and younger brother, who orchestrated their escape, who defends them physically, who has a childhood of training to repress herself to unlearn. Sora saw Reiju actually laugh with someone other than herself and Sanji, and she can't take this new comrade away from her. Not to mention having another protector in Bell-mere could ease Reiju's burdens. She has to say yes.

-And it's a good thing she does, because the top Marine they knocked out kicks up an absolutely ginormous fuss. Suddenly Bell-mere, Sora, and the kids are wanted criminals with posters strewn everywhere. It takes all their wits and strength combined to survive.

-They're on the run together for years before they make it to Rouge's Island.

-Nami is younger than Sanji, but at this age she's bigger than him, and he's a huge crybaby while she keeps a very brave face. She's utterly delighted to treat him like a little brother, much to his annoyance. "I'm not the youngest anymore!" "Yes you are! Stop it!" "You can't be bigger than me when you're such a baby." "I'm a baby?! I saw you get scared too!" "No you didn't! Shut up!" They get very competitive.

-Reiju and Nojiko have the kind of weird little girl best friendship that has the intensity and power to destroy worlds. They are on levels of telepathic connection previously unheard of. And they are so serious about it and so fucking goofy. The SCHEMES they get up to.... And of course constantly being made to drag their little siblings along for the ride

-Picture this. They've been docked at the same island for a couple weeks. They're having an easy time, they've just gotten comfortable with a good doctor for Sora and a nice place to stay for a bit. The kids see a Marine Ship out sailing nearby while they're playing on the beach. If they tell their moms, they're sure to pack up and leave immediately. Of course the answer is to scare off the Navy ship themselves with a fake sea monster.

-Yes it's the end of the world if this mission fails. They'll have failed their families, and the concepts of bravery and justice, and they'll all die and get killed and never join the resistance or anything ever. Yes this fake sea monster needs to have extra whiskers.

-So serious. SO GOOFY.

-Meanwhile their moms are having the most repressed intense butch-femme erotic slow-burn romance of all time in the background.

-Bell-mere, in her head: How much of this is coming from my fucked-up desire to save people? Am I fetishizing her weakness? What's wrong with me? If I have to see the glow of her soft skin, shiny with the sweat of illness, peeking out from beneath her long dress one more time I am going to faint and die.

-Sora, in her head: How much of this is coming from my fucked-up desire to be saved? Am I fetishizing her strength? Do I just want to give up responsibility so badly? Am I appreciating her as a person or do I just want what she can give me? If I hear her loud laugh of victory after buying food for what barely counts as a bargain one more time I'm simply going to explode with love and desire.

None of the kids notice this at all even a little bit.

-Of course with Nojiko's story-gathering and Nami's navigational genius, and the Marines still hot on their tail, and Sora and Bell-mere's desire to find a place to finally stop for the sake of their kids, they do eventually make their way to Rouge's island.

-Rouge, at this point deeply deranged with isolation, fear for her sons, and suspicion, does not greet them well.

-Bell-mere does not take no for an answer.

-Their fight leaves a giant crater in the side of the island. It lasts for days, and only ends because while they were distracted all their kids did an enemies-to-best friends speedrun.

-Lead of course by Luffy, who despite loyalty to Rouge and natural suspicion of her apparent enemies, has little willpower against the smell of Sanji's cooking. His completely earnest undignified begging by the campfire endears him to the others, as well as his heartfelt thanks, and their kind and patient treatment of him endears them to his older brothers.

-Also they're all lonely as hell so it truly does not take much. They're running around the jungle, being given a tour of the best spots on the island by the ASL brothers FOR LITERALLY HOURS before at the same exact moment Reiju, Nojiko, and Sabo all go Oh Shit We Should Probably Stop Our Moms From Killing Each Other.

-Lol.

-I have other ideas involving Robin, and I want to save Banchina (Usopp's mom) as well. I think what this au needs is a doctor character. Someone Rouge trusts to help her give birth, who is also an enemy of the world government, who can stay on the island with them. Who can treat Sora when they arrive. (Treat not heal, her being chronically ill and disabled is important to me.) But I can't think of anyone who isn't needed elsewhere.... I guess I have to make them up....

[magnetothemagnificent]

Greetings!

I have seen some darker interpretations on Max and Magda's marriage had magda survived, with stating Max's PTSD would have eventually turned into controlling issues. Or erik would have hated magda later since she took his kids away. Idk but Claremont didn't wrote them like that, but would love your thoughts on this

Ooooh BOY do I have thoughts.

1. I don't think Max's PTSD would turn into controlling issues. I think people who think that are forgetting that Magda was just as traumatized as Max was. Magda went through the Holocaust just as much as Max did. Her entire family was murdered just like Max's was. She was tortured and starved and beaten just like Max was. In 'Magneto: Testament' we see that she had to hide in a pile of corpses to get smuggled out of the women's camp. She had to hide amongst the Sonderkommando with Max and helped blow up the crematorium and then escaped with Max. They were both traumatized. And they were both kids. Max was a Jew and Magda was Romani- they both faced the absolute horrors and depravity of humanity. People who think Max's PTSD would have gotten in the way of their relationship I feel are minimizing Magda's trauma.

And before Anya's death, Max and Magda were happy. They were both just kids when they lost their entire world and they were young adults trying to make a life for themselves. They had a daughter, they were doing as best as they could be doing. They were healing. I think if they had stayed together after Anya's death, it definitely would have put a strain on their relationship, but I think that once Pietro and Wanda would have been born they would have tried to rebuild. Max's controlling issues really came after the additional traumas he faced after leaving Europe alone. He wouldn't have faced those if Anya hadn't been killed and Magda hadn't left. I think if he and Magda stayed together, they would have eventually immigrated to the US or Israel and raised their family together. There definitely would be hiccups, especially as Max's powers developed and once Pietro and Wanda's powers do, too, but I think Max and Magda were good for each other.

2. I don't think for a single second that Erik would ever hate Magda. He's always blamed himself for Magda leaving, for being unable to save Anya. He's never blamed her for being scared. He's been heartbroken, but he's never hated her. I think it's actually something so poignant about his character. We see him brooding about Magda, but it's always sadness about what was lost and what could have been, never hatred. Erik loved Magda. Was it unfair of Magda not to tell Erik about his kids? Yes. But. Also. This was a time before cellphones and easy communication. Max had already left Europe and taken on a new alias. And Magda wanted to protect her unborn kids from sharing Anya's fate. She saw how the people in Vinnytsia treated Max just for being different.

And then she abandoned them after they were born and never came back. Circling back to the fact that Magda was just as traumatized as Max and also had PTSD. Seeing Max be surrounded by a bloodthirsty mob and seeing Anya burn to death triggered her PTSD as much as it did Max's. Erik has never hated her and I don't think he ever would. If anyone would understand Magda's pain and confusion, it would be Max.

TLDR: No I don't think either of those scenarios are likely and I think they're a misunderstanding of their characters and their marriage.

[hey-hamlet]

BNHA AU: Villain's Quarter

Some areas of Japan are known officially as 'dead zones' or 'ghost towns'. Some were destroyed in the early quirk riots, some victim to a villain attack that resisted clean up, some the site of an attack so brutal the vast majority of the people living there left. They have no police, no heroes, but not no people. They are well populated, by those unwelcome anywhere else - the poor, the mutants and, most of all, the villains. Southwest Mutsutafu is one of them - the locals call it the Villain's Quarter.

Midoriya Izuku's mother dies a few days after he turns 13. Her funeral comes and goes, leaving Izuku all alone.

After Inko dies, Bakugo is nicer. Not nice, exactly, but on one memorable occasion he asks if Izuku's foster family is ok. Izuku cries, because Bakugo is the only person who would care to ask, and he cries because there is no foster family. He thanks him and tells him they are nice enough.

Here, the quirkless are considered legal adults at 12, he's already aged out of the foster system/any legal protections for children.

He has no money other than what was in the house - he knew his mother had a will, but he got nothing. She left him something - she told him, but apparently whoever was in charge of her will didn't see fit to give him anything. He was hungry. He was tired. He was so lonely.

Bakugo may have gotten nicer, but the other students had only become more cruel. He'd arrived to school only to see Bakugo throwing flowers out the window - the 'go join your mother' notes still inked directly onto the wooden top of his desk. A girl bumps into him, tells him she thought he was a ghost with a nasty laugh. A group of boys tell him to jump off a roof. A particularly nasty teacher asks him why he's still even here.

One month since his mother died, Izuku is done. He ran out of food 3 days ago, and he ran out of hope not long after. Entering the Villain's Quarter is said to be tantamount to suicide - so thats just what he does.

Shigaraki often wandered the streets of the villain quarter at night - Sensei ran the show, and everyone knew who he was. Those who didn't and tried to pick a fight - well.

He's not expecting to run into a kid - skinny and short, still dressed in his well worn gakuran. His eyes are empty.

Faced with what feels like an echo from his past (a little older, but he'd been just as crushed an alone and hopeless, without a hero in sight) he invites the kid back to the bar. He cringes a little, because hes some guy in the villain quarter inviting a cute little kid back to his place, that looks so fucked on so many levels - the kids gonna book it - But. The boy just nods. They get back to the bar in minutes, Tomura makes him a cup of tea (he can feel sensei's heartbreak at whatever way he must be ruining the leaves but thats sensei's problem).

He didn't really think he had much of a heart, but it sure fucking breaks when the kid asks him why he hasn't killed him yet.

(More under cut)

So! This AU features a much nicer AFO (he's trying to raise tomura well! hes. not great at it, but he is legit trying) who has morals of a sort. The morals include - touch children and die by my sword, quirk discrimination bad, and 'i will give u the chance to leave before i kill you, because im nice like that'.

He doesn't see the problem with experimenting on dead bodies - but hes not ok with experimenting on living people. Nomu are, as far as he knows, only made of dead people.

He, admittedly, just kinda likes being a villain. Crimes are fun, only some murder is bad, I like beating people up and stealing their quirks. The tale of him being a massive evil is. Kinda not true - he's just a theatre kid. But only OfA could beat him at this point so. Fair. He's not mad ab All Might beating in his face he's like "good fight. good fight - its nice to be on the ropes for a change!" All Might is not aware of this.

Tomura is also nicer! His aim isn't murder All Might, but defeat him so badly it destroys the stupid hero system. He doesn't hate All Might - well, he does, but he's aware that what he really hates is the system and All Might is just tragically easy to dislike if you are Tomura - but there are some people he's of the opinion that them dying is just an all round positive. He wants to murder them.

So when a very depressed baby Izuku shows up, they try to find out what hes doing so they can return him to the correct authorities and hopefully get him some therapy. Then they find out there are no authorities and they suddenly want to murder the whole government. All for One didn't want to rule Japan (too much effort) but at this point it seems like he straight up could not do a worse job than the actual government.

So, they keep him! Izuku helps Kurogiri around the bar and, eventually, starts cooking. Its the only restaurant in the villain quarter and its very popular - you can pay in anything with value (money, gold, information, a lot of drugs, weapons, one time just a whole puppy that Izuku instantly adopted). Izuku is actually kinda happy, for once. He doesn't agree with Tomura or Sensei, but he doesn't disagree - he helps with planning, and he and Sensei have a dedicated time each week were they play with some of his quirks.

Basically Izuku gets adopted by every villain in the prefecture. It is very stressful when you are Eraserhead, chasing up on a lead about a quirk analyst in the villain's quarter and you see a whole child wandering around some stalls selling very illegal goods in broad daylight like hes at a farmer's market.