#and they only moved her in like April ??? pretty sure the previous one moved in April idk but I miss him so much I want him back 💔

[yoohyeon]

Round of applause for Alex, I’m going to bed before 1am 👏👏👏👏

[wordsarelife]

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐨: 𝐬𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞

pairing: theo nott x fem!reader

summary: mistakes can happen but this one might cost them a record deal, so they definitely needs some help from you

warnings: cursing, unsafe driving, someone gets hurt, let me know if i missed any!

notes: mattheo and enzo are brothers in this story, i just decided hehe. (they both keep their respective name, they’re step brothers, since childhood so they are practically real brothers anyway lol)

let me know if you’ve enjoyed this part :))

previous part | masterlist | next part

"you're so funny, enz" april was laying belly down on your bed, while she was busy giggling into her phone. enzo had asked her if she still had the same number she had in middle school and promptly followed her confirmation with the question if she would be free to call after school.

april had agreed before she remembered that she was going to your place. but, because you were a good friend, you had told her that it was no problem.

now she was laying on your bed talking to enzo, who, you were pretty sure, was at theo's.

you now regreted telling her that it wouldn't be a problem, considering they had been talking for the last hour or so.

you sighed, deeply, before you decided that there was only one way to get your friend back. you took the blog from your desk and scribbled the words down, before you hung it in your window.

as if he had waited for you to write something, theo stood in front of the window and read your message.

do something you had written, featuring at least 7 exclamation marks.

theo looked at you as if you had gone crazy. why should i do anything to help you?

because i bet enzo is just as annoying, isn't he?

theo only spotted a face that made an answer from him unnecessary. he just nodded and walked away.

"oh, already?" you could hear april ask behind you "no, it's fine. i get it, i'll be waiting" and with that she ended the call.

"i'll be waiting?" you asked, with a quirked brow.

"that was embarrassing wasn't it? i should've just said bye like a normal person"

"well, you're not a normal person" you smiled "and i don't think that you could do anything to make him leave you alone at this point"

"you really think so?"

"of course i do, april" you sat down beside her "why did he have to leave so suddenly?" you tried to not sound suspicious, but you were really curious what theo had done to get enzo off his very important call. luckily, april hadn't even noticed what you had been doing.

"band practice" she shrugged "theo is a strict boss"

"i bet" you mumbled while your eyes were still fixated on the piece of paper in his window. why should i do anything to help you? catapulting you right back to the night a year ago. you shuddered at the thought of it and tried to ban it from your head as fast as possible. theo was a constant reminder of your mistakes and maybe it wasn't him you hated but the realization of fault that hit you anytime your eyes fell on him.

✦•〰〰〰〰〰★🎸☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★〰〰〰〰〰〰•✦

the garage was filled with thick air that had been warmed all day as the sun beamed down tremendously. theo rubbed the sweat off his forehead as he sat his bag down inside.

enzo walked to the couch to open his guitar case. he halted in his motion and the rest of his friends perked up at his lack of movement.

"no, enzo" blaise muttered "not again, come on"

"it did not do it on purpose" enzo turned around to face his friends and theo looked around his body to confirm what he basically already knew.

"where's your head at?" draco's tone matched the annoyance that was bubbling in theo's chest.

"is that a serious question?" matt laughed "it's deep under april's skirt"

"matt" enzo sighed as he rubbed his neck in embarrassment.

"april hart?" blaise asked "the one you've had a crush on since she moved here in first grade?" enzo nodded and blaise laughed "that's what i call consistancy, mate"

enzo would've probably laughed if it weren't for the bitter look the bands' leader was still spotting. "are you angry?"

theo sighed. "it's the third time you forgot it, enz"

"i know, i'm sorry, theo" enzo brushed a hand through his hair, before he turned in draco's direction “can i lend your car and get it, please? i won't take long"

"are you kidding me?" draco asked humourless "my mother is gonna kill me if something happens to that car. i'll drive"

"i'll come with ya" mattheo stood up from the couch.

"why don't we just all go?" theo asked sarcastically.

"yeah, why not?" blaise smiled, not catching that theo was just making a joke.

"no, i meant-" the group was already walking out to the car and theo just accepted his fate. "why not" he mumbled before he got in the back seat.

enzo was sitting in the middle of him and blaise, while mattheo had been able to plant his arse on the passenger seat next to draco, who was already setting the car back.

"it's so silent" mattheo mumbled "why don't we listen to some good music" he grabbed a cd from his pocket and just a second after, the loud drums and guitar of blood//water, the first song on cursed legacy's debut album floated through the car.

the boys broke into cheering. "you made a cd?" draco asked smiling, while mattheo nodded proudly.

"old school" enzo grinned, but clapped mattheo's shoulder nonetheless.

"hey" draco said harshly "you stay back there" he pushed enzo back into his seat. "i told you guys to hold him" he looked into the mirror and found theo's eyes, who looked not entirely happy, but did as he was told.

the seatbelt of the middle seat in draco's mums car had been broken for a while. she had originally forbidden them from riding in the car with five people, but draco tended to ignore her rule, even if he normally was quite fussy about anything happening to the car, banning drinks and food completely. but theo's car was still getting fixed by his uncle, so it was their only option.

"while we're on the topic of the band" blaise said "did you call that guy back? the one from the record label?" he asked theo.

theo smiled "i did, yeah. thats what i originally wanted to talk to you all about, but enzo was busy talking to the demon's bestie"

"demon is a rather harsh word" draco muttered.

"aren't you guys a bit too old to upkeep that childish feud?" mattheo asked. "you used to tell her everything and now you're not even saying a word about the record label thing"

"i really thought you guys would go back to normal after everything with leo" enzo added and all heads turned to him.

"i told you not to mention him" theo said angrily and enzo slumped down in his seat.

"it's been a year, mate" draco’s eyes found theo's in the mirror.

"it doesn't matter" theo shook his head, before he abruptly changed the topic. "he wants to see us, as the preact of some band in six weeks"

"the record guy? really?" mattheo perked up "thats like super soon"

"he seemed really excited" theo shrugged "this could be our chance guys. we get that deal and in less than a year we're off to america or tokyo and probably recording our second album, while already writing the third"

"as long as our little shakespeare keeps working that won't be a problem" blaise ruffled theo's hair, his hands letting go of enzo, while theo was busy slapping his friends hands away, hence why he also let go of the younger boy in the middle.

"hey! what did i tell you?" draco full on turned around in his seat.

the next three seconds happened all at once. mattheo was the first who screamed. it had taken draco less than a second of not looking to effectively drive off the street and in the direction of the nearest tree. draco turned around alarmed, swerving the car to the side, luckily not driving frontal into the tree. he stopped the car at the same time, what would've been fine, if blaise and theo had held on to enzo again, or if his seatbelt had simply been working.

he went flying trough the car, mattheo's arm darting to the side, to stop enzo flying through the car's windshield. sadly, his force wasn't enough and enzo still hit the dashboard quite hard, but at least he stayed inside the car.

"ow" enzo cried, holding his arm.

"shit, shit, shit" draco muttered under his breath. "is anyone hurt? are you all fine?" his voice broke.

"blaise and i are fine" theo said quickly to calm his friend "but enzo.." all eyes turned to enzo who was laying in the middle of the car, between mattheo and draco, who was staring down at him wide-eyed.

mattheo excused himself to call an ambulance.

"this is all my fault" draco brushed a few tears away from his cheeks "i should've just given him the car, or gotten the guitar on my own, i should've never-" he was interrupted by theo.

"it isn't your fault, draco" he assured "blaise and i let go of enzo in the first place, it was our job to keep him safe and we got distracted"

"i shouldn't have screamed at you like that" draco put his head on the steering wheel, trying to hide the stress on his face.

"theo is right, mate" blaise added "it's on us"

it seemed like draco wasn't even hearing him. "i will probably lose my license"

"you won't" enzo muttered through clenched teeth "we'll say there was a deer"

"i'm so sorry, enz" draco excused, it seemed like he only remembered now that enzo was still laying in the middle, holding his arm. "does it hurt badly? i actually don't care about the license, they can take it, as long as you're fine"

"i think my arm is broken" enzo held up his right arm, which was bloody and looked like it wasn't supposed to be formed the way it was right now.

"shit, enz" draco rubbed a hand through his face, before he quickly opened the door and threw up on the floor.

"the ambulence will be here in ten minutes" mattheo said, as he poked his head through the door. "what is he doing?" he wondered once his eyes fell on draco, who was still hanging half out of the car.

"puking" enzo, blaise and theo chorused.

"gross" mattheo shuddered, before he opened the backdoor of the car. "you guys should come outside, so the medical team can assist enzo better. we shouldn't move him"

"yeah" theo nodded, while he pushed blaise out of the car.

“why did i have to come with you again?” you were walking from the parking spot to the entry of the hospital.

“because someone had to drive the car” april pointed to the phone in her hand, which she had used to try and call enzo the entire way here. her hadn’t picked up so she insisted on visiting him, but not without a few different sorts of chocolate (she wasn’t sure which he liked) and flowers.

“yeah i get that, totally” you rolled your eyes, so that she wouldn’t see “but do i really have to come inside?”

“i need moral support”

“you’re not the one who broke his arm”

“enzo might be happy to see more than one friendly face”

“it’s not like he’s laying on his death bed, april” you nudged her arm “i’m sure he comes home today, we could’ve just gone to his house tomorrow”

“i want to see him”

“okay, fine” you groaned, but followed her inside, where she was already leaning half over the receptionists desk.

“how can i help you?” the lady was rather unimpressed by april’s eagerness.

“we’re here to see enzo, ehh lorenzo berkshire” she quickly corrected.

the woman raised her eyebrows, before she started tapping words into her computer.

“pixie?” a voice called and your head turned to the side. you tried many times not to react to the name, but you sometimes couldn’t help it. theo had been consistent for the last ten years so it was in your nature.

“mattheo” you greeted.

the dark haired boy was holding two cups of what looked like coffee. “they belong to me” he told the lady at the reception. “i’m lorenzo’s brother, i came with the ambulance, you remember?” he waited for some kind of confirmation, but she was already busy with something else, easily going back to ignoring you.

mattheo made a gesture for you to follow him down the hall. “pretty unfortunate, heh?” he grinned awkwardly.

“it’s horrible” april declared “i mean how is he supposed to play? he told me something about a record deal that you guys might get”

“yeah” mattheo looked to the ground, before he changed the topic. “he will be so happy to see you” he smiled at april and april mirrored his expression.

mattheo halted in front of a door. “could one of you..?” he trailed off, as he looked down at the cups in his hands.

“oh of course” april said quickly.

“i should maybe stay outside” you held the flowers and the chocolate in april’s direction, who raised her eyebrows.

“are you kidding?” mattheo laughed unimpressed “of course you’re coming inside. enzo will be ecstatic to see you both”

“her? sure, but me?” you asked unsurely “also, theo is probably in there, so i don’t-“

“he will behave himself” mattheo promised “come on, pixie”

you send him a look. mattheo knew about the nickname as long as it existed and he would only call you that sometimes. theo used it to make fun of you, but when mattheo said it, he meant it in a friendly way. you all had grown up together, naturally as you lived so close and in a small town. for mattheo, pixie was not in insult, but the last bit of proof that you had been friends once. after theo and you had fallen out, you had automatically fallen out with all the boys.

sometimes it hurt you to remember. remember how you and mattheo had spent hours listening to sherlock holmes and climbing trees. or how you had helped draco to read as he was having problems, days when you were washing gum out of blaise’s hair and taught enzo to tie his shoelaces. and theo, theo had always been where you were, he was never far. and everything had slipped away in a single night.

but it was too late to make amends. mattheo knew that as good as you. maybe you all could stop fighting, but go back to normal? probably never.

“hey” enzo raised both his arms when he noticed april and you walk in behind mattheo. “ow” he muttered.

blaise and draco were sitting on chairs on either side of enzo’s bed. theo was standing a bit away from the rest of his friends, leaning against the window.

“what is she doing here?” theo stepped forward when his eyes fell on you.

“hey, don’t talk to my guest that way” enzo pushed theo back, so he was leaning against the window again.

“april needed some help carrying all this” you opened your arms, displaying the different sorts of chocolate and flowers.

“how are you feeling?” april asked, slowly touching enzo’s cheek. “does it still hurt?”

you could practically see the flip switch in enzo’s head, as he realized how much she cared.

“a bit” he said dramatically and his voice dropped a whole octave. “but i think i’ll live”

you exchanged a look with mattheo, who raised his eyebrows at his little brothers dramatics.

“how long do you have to wear the cast?” you asked, while you put the chocolate down on the night stand. blaise immediately took one of them.

“hey that’s for me!” enzo protested.

“we need emotional leverage” blaise rolled his eyes, before he unpacked the chocolate and bit a whole piece off. he then held it in draco’s direction, who took it and started nibbling on it like a mouse.

enzo sighed before he looked back at you “between four and twelve weeks”

“shit” april deadpanned “what about the record deal?”

“okay, are you guys really getting one or are all of you in on a bit i don’t know about?” you wondered. there had been a few too many mentions of a possible record deal.

“no” mattheo shook his head smiling “there’s this guy from the label and he wanted to see us at the preact for a band who plays in the concert hall outside the town in six weeks”

“we can forget about that now” draco whined.

“that’s shit” you looked down “i’m sorry, that’s really awful”

“don’t act like you’re not making internal jumps of joy” theo spoke for the first time since you had entered. “you hated the band from the minute we..” he paused and cleared his throat, before he added “continued”

“you really think i’m that big of an asshole?”

“come on, theo” blaise added “don’t be like this now”

“it must be the first point on that little to do list of yours, huh? what do you want to hear? you were right? we’ll never get famous”

“shut up” you shook your head at him.

“stop fucking lying about the way you feel about my band”

“mate” draco tried to push theo back, who was walking closer to you.

april and enzo were exchanging worried glances as they noticed the tears building up in your eyes.

“theo” mattheo stepped next to his friend, laying a hand on his chest, to hopefully calm him down.

“why did you even come here?”

“i’m only here because of april and enzo” you said between clenched teeth “now stop acting like i’m here to laugh about your misery”

“the band could’ve made it big”

“i know” you simply said.

the others were following the discussion between you attentively, turning their heads, like a tennis match, from side to side, whenever one of you spoke.

“my band could’ve made it big”

you looked up at theo with teary eyes, before you nodded, once, finally. then you turned to look at april. “i’ll walk home” you turned to enzo “get well soon, enzo”

“thank you” enzo replied breathless.

you send one last look in theo’s direction, who gulped as he saw the tears flowing over your cheeks, before you left the room.

“what?” theo asked as he turned around and noticed the angry looks of his friends.

“was that really necessary?” mattheo sighed. “she came here because of enzo, knowing well that you would be here. she wanted to wait outside and i convinced and even told her that you would behave this time”

“you really are mentally seven aren’t you?” blaise asked and theo felt bad that he made your visit to enzo all about himself.

“you know how i feel about seeing her”

“how could we not?” draco muttered “you make it clear over and over again”

“it doesn’t matter anyway, the record deal is through and we can just stop being a band now” theo sank to his knees.

april and enzo exchanged a look, before enzo cleared his throat. “technically you just need a stand in for me”

“what?” theo looked up.

“it’s not over, theo” enzo said “you just need to find someone who can play the parts, or at least learn them in six weeks and after my arm is alright i can come back”

“he’s not wrong” blaise nodded “we just need to bag that deal and the rest is not important right now”

“okay, who?” theo deadpanned “you’re incredible on the guitar, who could we possibly find to be just as good?”

“you know that there is someone who was better” enzo looked down in his lap. the rest of the group grew silent too.

“what has that to do with anything?” theo asked defensively.

april turned her head to look at the dark haired boy. “he taught her” she said. “everything”

“what?” theo asked, not believing what he was hearing right now. “what are you saying?”

“we’re saying that you should ask y/n” draco put it simply.

“absolutely not” theo shook his head “i’m sure we can find someone else”

“you just said that there was no one good enough to stand in for me” enzo noted “she might be our best option”

“even if he taught her” theo added “that was over a year ago, who says that she even still plays anymore?”

“she does” april muttered “she’s good, really good”

theo sighed.

“just ask her, mate” mattheo, who had mostly stayed silent, clapped a hand on his best friends shoulder. “we need this record deal”

“i know” theo sighed.

“she’s a slow walker” april pointed to the door and theo raised his eyebrows.

“go!” his friends all chorused when he did not move. he left the room.

“beg her on your knees if you have to!” mattheo called behind theo, before the door fell closed.

“do you really think she’ll help us?”

“i honestly don’t know” april shrugged “but i’m sure theo has to find a way to go even lower than just his knees if he really wants to beg her”

taglist:

@7s3ven @madi-potter @shereadsandcries @getosbeloved @mischieftom @wolfstar-jpg @t00thfairy20 @chcrrysblog @aestramjackson @elina3011 @kr1nqu @hopeless-y @mitskiswift99 @fallingblackveils @ahead-fullofdreams @helendeath @schaebickel @chubbychasermattheotruther @punkprincess03 @subparslytherin @girlbooklover555 @sakanelli-afc @cobrakaisb @ellen3101

(i have problems tagging some of you, maybe check your setting and make sure you’ve allowed people to tag you!!)

leave a comment if you would like to be added/removed from the taglist!

[jj0latunji]

Dear Diary - KSI Imagine

Here's another imagine from Wattpad for y'all to read and hopefully like , send in any requests you have and I'll get to writing.

Here's JJ looking great in a suit oooooh.

January 19th 2020

9:45 p.m

London, England.

Dear Diary,

It finally happened, we finally broke up . I'm heartbroken don't get me wrong but I knew it was coming when he started getting distant.

I just walked into his apartment, ended things , wished him well and left. Funny thing is he didn't even realise it was my birthday today, imagine my boyfriend of 5 years didn't remember my birthday because he was too busy working on a YouTube video.

I do feel sad but not as sad as I should be considering I've ended this long relationship. I think it's just not set in fully yet , maybe it will when I wake up alone in bed tomorrow, when I have no one to share my breakfast with , no one to cuddle with when the apartment gets too cold . I just hope that when it sets in , it's not too bad .

I just want to forget everything about him and what we had and hopefully move on. I think I can do it but let's see.

I'll write to you again tomorrow and let you know how I'm feeling cause your the only one that I can talk to now about my feelings.

Love you Diary

Y/N signing off

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March 1st 2020

10:43 p.m

London, England

Dear Diary,

I've been such a mess. I knew people said breakups would be hard but I didn't know it would be this hard. All I do is sit around the apartment and cry. Even Talia said I've been crying too much and that's when I realised that I've been crying all the time cause Talia usually cries a lot too.

She asked me if she could move in with me for a while since there was some work to be done for her apartment but I know it's probably because she wants to make sure I don't do something drastic.

I hate being this emotional and feeling like I'm a burden to others. Imagine being the livewire of the group, the one always having fun and making jokes and now you can't seem to even crack a smile. That's how I feel.  Everything reminds me of him. I just want to be better and I'm trying and I hope with Talia here to talk and get advice from I'll be better.

I promise to be better

See you tomorrow, Talia will be here so hopefully it's a much more happy day.

Love you Diary,

Y/N signing off

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April 13th 2020

4:31 a.m

Ibiza, Spain

.

Dear Diary,

I finally feel better, feel more like myself. Who knew all it would take was Talia's cooking and care and a trip away with my girls.

Today is the last day for us at the resort and we've had an amazing day. Gee and Freya got me some stuff from when they went shopping and this one top OMG it's so pretty.

I've been lighter on the drinks today after last night's debacle. But hey atleast we got some drinks on the house today because the guy I made out with turned out to be a bartender.

I felt guilty about the kiss but the girls said I was single and had nothing to worry about , but there's still that small voice in me that says different. Anyways I just maintained some distance with him and just awkwardly smiled when he tried hitting on me again. I'm really out of touch with the flirting game :(

Anyways we're going back home tomorrow morning and I'm glad Talia talked me into coming on this trip , I needed this.

See you tomorrow Diary,

Y/N signing off

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

April 21st 2020

12:48 a.m

London , England

Dear Diary,

You won't believe this but I GOT THE PARIS JOB. OMG I'M SO HAPPY I CAN'T CONTROL MYSELF.

This has been such a dream and I'm glad they asked again after I rejected them last time. I probably should have gone the previous time itself seeing how mine and JJ's relationship turned out. I put my dreams on hold for him but he couldn't.... Anyways forget about him.

I leave for Paris in a month and have to work there for about a year and then I can return here and continue to design. Talia and the girls were overjoyed with the news but then we all started crying thinking about how we would be apart.

The girls want to organise a party before I go so I can properly say goodbye to everyone and I agreed. Nothing bad can happen at a party right.

But I'm so excited.....PARIS BABYYYYYYY.

See you tomorrow Diary,

Y/N signing off

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May 7th 2020

04:23 a.m

London , England

Dear Diary ,

I had so much fun at the farewell party that the girls organised. They invited basically every single friend I had in London and miraculously everyone showed up to bid goodbye.

I caught up with so many people and even enjoyed a free Talia Mar concert in which she performed all my favourite songs of hers , that girl is so talented I hope she gets her big break soon. Simon and Tobi stood with me the entire night asking me if I needed anything , both of them are like the brothers I never had , hell the Sidemen are the family I never had and I'm so glad these guys are part of my life. I owed a lot to them and I'm glad we stayed friends even after my breakup with JJ...

Talking of JJ, I saw him tonight for the first time since the breakup. He seemed to be taking it well , and since this is my little secret vault I can tell you that he looked good too. But I didn't have that urge to run into his arms and cling onto him forever, I think I'm finally over him and seeing him tonight assured me that there was almost no feelings at all towards him. It felt freeing almost.

After the party  , me and Talia came back home and ate leftovers before she went to sleep tired as all hell and so am I so I'm going to get some rest too and start packing from tomorrow.

See you soon Diary,

Y/N signing off

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May 28th 2020

9:36 p m

Paris , France.

Dear Diary,

I finally made it to PARIS and OMG I'm so excited I couldn't even start explaining to you of how I'm feeling.

I bid goodbye to all my friends at the airport and took the flight here and just reached the apartment the company got me a couple of hours ago. Again I'm only telling you this cause you are my secret vault, JJ wasn't at the airport to say goodbye and a part of me was hoping he would turn up like Ross in F.R.I.E.N.D.S and like we would have a fairytale moment but he didn't turn up and I boarded my flight.

I mentally kicked myself for having expectations from JJ again cause I know he'll always let me down. I NEED to get over him and the best thing is maybe to get someone new to love and cherish...... I've been here for a day and let me tell you the options are limitless.

I'm staying with another girl named Sophia, she's German and a few years younger than me. She seems really fun , like a German version of Freya almost. She made me dinner and had my room ready for me when I arrived. She's such an angel.

I need to report for the job tomorrow morning so I'm going to eat dinner and get some rest.

See you tomorrow Diary,

Y/N signing off

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

June 15th 2020

12:43 p.m

Paris , France

Dear Diary,

I've had such a fun day. Sophia took me out to one of her favourite bars and decided to get me some action if you know what I mean.

But she went away and got herself someone she liked which left me sitting with the man's friend. He was pretty though so I decided to give him a chance.

I had an amazing time with the friend though, his name's Charles and he said he was a driver or something. I wasn't concentrating on his job resume cause I was too busy lost in his green eyes which seemed he got directly from his native of Monaco.

The both of us talked until we were literally pulled apart by his friends, apparently he has an early day tomorrow and should be asleep. I quickly wrote him my number on a piece of paper and passed it to him though before he was escorted out of the bar.

I'm just waiting for him to message me now but that's unlikely given he's probably already asleep or who knows he might have even lost my number. I hope he messages me though I kinda liked him.

OMG he just messaged me and asked me out this weekend.... Looks like I have plans to make and outfits to choose.

See you tomorrow though Diary,

Y/N signing off

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June 19th 2020

3:54 a.m

Paris , France

Dear Diary,

You will not believe this. Wait let me explain it to you from the start.

Me and Charles went out for dinner at one of Paris' finest restaurants and I was having an amazing time and really having fun until we were interrupted by a bunch of teenage girls asking Charles for a photo and autograph.

Turns out he isn't some random driver, HE'S A FUCKING F1 SUPERSTAR.

He took the pictures and we quickly got out of there as our pictures were all over Twitter and people were trying to find out who I was. I'm sure they'll have figured out by the morning and that scares me... I've just got done dealing with JJ's fans and now I have another huge fandom on my ass.

I loved the date though, Charles was a gentleman and dropped me back at my place and asked me out for another date but somewhere more private and I agreed.

He's also like 4 years younger than me which made me feel old despite only being 26 , but he said that was no problem and he usually did date girls older than him.

It was also JJ's birthday today.... He's 27 and all of my friends had posted about it on their stories and on Twitter. The entire morning I debated on sending him a message but eventually decided against it , not wanting to open wounds again.

I hope he's well though....He looks well.

Anyways see you tomorrow Diary,

Y/N signing off

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July 20th 2020

10:36 p.m

Paris, France

Dear Diary,

Today was Charles last day here before he had to go back to his racing calendar. He promised to stay in touch and promised to get me to come to one of his races.

I am a little scared watching him go, long distance is never a good idea especially so early in a relationship. I didn't even know if we were in a relationship. We went on loads of dates , enjoyed ourselves and everything. His fans think we are dating, our friends think we are dating, but we still hadn't put a label on things and I was kinda glad we hadn't.

I can only hope this works out cause I've really taken a liking to Charles, something I thought I could never do again.

I'm going to drop him off at the airport tomorrow and then go to work and hopefully get that promotion I was promised. I was also free for a few days next week so I was also planning to go back home with Sophia and meet my friends again.

We'll see what happens though, for now I need to go join Sophia and help her with some work.

See you tomorrow Diary,

Y/N signing off .

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August 14th 2020

6:23 a.m

London, England

Dear Diary,

The comeback party was amazing. I introduced Sophia to all the Sidemen and the Sidegirls. She's taken a special interest in Tobi and I'm hoping they get together cause they would be an amazing couple.

I caught up with everyone including JJ. He had a new girlfriend, her name iwas Olivia. Nice girl from what I could see and everyone seemed to like her. Good for him I guess.

All the boys were also very interested in my love life seeing I was dating THE Charles Leclerc. Yeah dating , Charles asked me out a few days ago and made things official and I was happy.

Me and the group talked all night long, dancing along to some tunes as we drank the night away. I missed this and I'm glad I could have a taste of old times again.

Sober Tobi drove Talia, Sophia and me back to my old apartment and I even caught Tobi slyly passing his number to Sophia.

As soon as we got in Talia started asking me if I was okay with JJ's new relationship , cause apparently I was staring.... I didn't feel like I was staring.

Okay I was a little but not at them but at JJ , he hadn't taken down the picture of us together from the common room and I was a little confused by it. Was he holding on to the memories or does he consider it so unimportant that he just let it be.

Maybe I was thinking too much into it , it's just a damn picture.

I've moved on and so as he , I don't want to start all that again.

Anyways I'm tired as hell but I promised to write something today.

See you soon Diary,

Y/N signing off.

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September 6th 2020

11:34 p.m

Monza, Italy.

Dear Diary,

I finally came out to Italy to see one of Charles' races . Apparently it's the home race for his team Ferrari and OMG everywhere I saw only red which was the team colors.

The race didn't go well for Charles, he crashed out and didn't even finish the race and was extremely pissed off , but his best friend Pierre winning did cheer him up a little.

Today was the first time I saw how much people actually adored Charles, most of them had his mask on and I saw flags celebrating him everywhere and he couldn't walk a couple of steps before being stopped for pictures and autographs.

We had to get a hotel away from the centre of town cause we didn't want to be stampeded as soon as we left our rooms. The view from the balcony is amazing though and I took loads of pictures which again sent social media in a frenzy as all the Charles fangirls either wanted to be me or get rid of me.

Me and Charles went out for dinner and finally got to talk about how distance was affecting our relationship. It was extremely hard to find time with both our busy schedules, but we promised to try as hard as we could to manage things.

Vik was also at the race today along with Ellie who caught me up on all the gossip in the friend group. Apparently Sophia had really interested Tobi and JJ was newly single again, something about not finding love or something. Sucks to be him I guess.

Anyways I'm heading back to Paris tomorrow and Charles is going to Singapore. Back to the normal routine I guess.

See you back in Paris Diary,

Y/N signing off.

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September 7th 2020

4:51 a.m

Paris , France

Dear Diary,

I went to see JJ perform today, yeah shock but I was basically hoodwinked into it by Sophia and Talia who told me it was someone else performing.

I was glad I went cause I saw the girls and boys again and truth be told even enjoyed the performance.....he always loved performing live and it showed.

He even came over after the performance and personally thanked me for coming and I was quite taken aback. It was something I never expected him to do , he's too stubborn to do that but he did and I was kinda happy about it.

We all then went out for dinner and I was sat at the end just checking my phone to see if Charles responded to my texts. Things were really dry between us with all the time zone differences and I knew the road down which this relationship was heading, I am just trying to delay the inevitable.

Everyone kept asking me about Charles and I just kept saying everything was good when it is not.

All of us are going to Disneyland tomorrow for a day and I can't wait for it. I've always loved Disneyland and it was one of mine and JJ's favourite vacation spots.

So I'm going to get some sleep, see you later diary,

Y/N signing off

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December 16th 2020

11:34 p.m

Paris, France

Dear Diary,

Well I'm single again..... Yeah but this time it's mutual. Things were just not working out and we decided it was better to stay friends. Charles and I were still young and had our entire lives in front of us and didn't want to hold on to something that was clearly not build for the long term. I enjoyed this relationship but alas all things come to an end.

Everyone keeps asking me if I'm okay and I say I am cause I truly am. I'm nowhere near as sad as I was last time. Last time was hell , last time was like losing the best thing in my life.

Enough of the sob story, I'm going back to London for Christmas and New Year, I was invited by JJ.... Yeah JJ. We've been talking and texting like a couple of friends since his Paris show and it's been nice.

I'm almost complete with my work for this year so I might even go to London a little earlier depending on whether my boss let's me go, but she's a sweetheart so she probably will.

The next time I write to you will probably be in London.

So see you then Diary,

Y/N signing off

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January 1st 2021

4:34 a.m

London, England

Dear Diary,

You will not believe this..... I kissed JJ. Well more like we kissed each other but we kissed as the clock struck 12 which means we didn't break the tradition.

It was nice.... I don't know how to explain it but it was nice. We've been talking a lot more and Talia thinks we're on our way to getting back together but I think it's more that we're just good friends now..

But good friends don't kiss each other on the balcony under the starry night do they... Fuck I'm going to be thinking about this a whole lot.

Do I want these doubts in my mind or do I just go on with my life as usual cause it doesn't matter.

Moving on.... I can literally hear Sophia and Tobi making out in the room next to me , very horny people I must add .

Anyways I must go sleep now. I'll see you soon Diary.

Y/N signing off.

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May 28th 2021

9:45 p.m

Paris , France

Dear Diary,

I'm done with all my packing and getting ready to go back to London. The office held a little sending away party for me and Sophia. Yeah I somehow convinced my boss to send Sophia with me to London too and she politely accepted.

I need to leave for my flight in a couple of minutes but I decided to write to you before leaving.

I laugh looking back at my year here. So much has happened. I had so much fun at my dream job , had a fling with a famous F1 driver , made a new friend for life and made up with my ex. So much good things have happened.

So thank you for all this Paris.

Tu as été très bon avec moi

Anyways see you in London Diary,

Y/N signing off.

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June 19th 2021

11:57 p m

London, England

Dear Diary,

It's JJ's birthday again and we all celebrated it together out at dinner and afterwards at his place. We all had a fun time, he's 28 now and that's CRAZY. Cause that's the age that we wanted to get married at , you know slow things down and start a family age.

He pulled me away from everyone for a chat too and asked me out for a date . I said I would think about it. I want to go , trust me I WANT TO GO but I don't know if going down that road again is for the best. All the girls think it's for the best and so do all the boys but I still have my doubts.

You know what I'll give it a try. Nothing can go wrong after a date can it.

I'll message him and tell him yes , we'll go on a date. If it's good okay and if it's not then that's okay too.

I'm hoping it goes well though eventhough to others it seems like I don't want it to go well.

I hope JJ suprises me and things work out.

See you soon Diary,

Y/N signing off.

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September 7th 2023

10:43 p.m

London, England

Dear Diary,

We finally got married. I'm finally Y/N Olatunji.

Everything went perfectly. Like not 1 problem came up , it seemed like a fairytale.

I cried a lot during the day. Cried while putting on the dress, cried while walking down the aisle with Simon , cried while JJ read out his vows. It was amazing all throughout the ceremony.

These past 3 and a half years have been such a rollercoaster. Us breaking up , me moving to Paris, both of us getting in new relationships, then getting back together, all the trips away , all the new memories made.

It's been amazing and there's no one in the world that I would want by my side than my husband JJ..... Damn my husband like he's MY HUSBAND. I've been dreaming about this for almost 7-8 years now but it still feels surreal.

Like I'm sat here in my room and looking at him and I can't believe he's mine to hold forever. I love him so much and I'm so thankful for going out on that date in 2021.

I'm thankful for everything.

I'm going now and looking at the look in JJ's eyes , I can feel I'm in for the night of my life.

See you tomorrow Diary,

Y/N Olatunji signing off.

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December 25th 2028

10:45 p.m

London, England

Dear Diary,

We've just had the best Christmas ever. Me , JJ and Skye spend the whole day together, just the 3 of us celebrating together.

JJ wanted to make this Christmas special since we felt that this would be the first Christmas Skye would properly remember, she was just 4 but God she was smart.

We started the day by opening presets and just like always JJ had gone all out. He had brought all kinds of toys for Skye and some jewellery for me.

I brought him a matching bracelet that we could wear together all the time and he loved it.

We all then prepared the Christmas meal , well I did and JJ and Skye helped as much as they could. We ate then all cuddled together on the sofa and watched all our favorite Christmas films.

It was perfect... Just like my life was perfect and I couldn't be more thankful for JJ and Skye for making my life perfect. They were the perfect husband and daughter any one could ever ask for and I am blessed to have them in my life.

We also took loads of pictures to go into the memories album and loved every minute of the day.

Skye is now asleep, she was tired from playing around all day with her dad. I said JJ would be back in a minute after writing this entry.

He thinks it's cute that I still write in here but little does he know how much you've helped me over the years.

Thank you Diary and I hope I see you again soon,

Y/N Olatunji signing off

A/N

Hope you enjoyed this .

Idk how it came out but the idea seemed good in my head.

A new smut coming soon.

Send in requests if you have any

Love you all

Elora signing off ✌🏻

[certifiedlovergirlsstuff]

scoops ahoy!

summary: a commercial is being shot for the new starcourt mall and scoops ahoy is involved.

WC: 2K

warnings: nothing!

A/N: ALL PARTS UNDER THE TAG -The Byers Harrington Story-

im a little annoyed that the specific gif im looking for is gone!!!!

series masterlist

previous chapter  next chapter

April 17, 1985

“Okay, so (Y/n), you’ll stand behind the register and say ‘Ahoy!’ Then Robin will walk in with an ice cream cone, hold it out, and also say ‘Ahoy!’ Got it?”

You vaguely nodded at the director after she gave the instructions.

She walked away to stand behind the camera and watch everything through a monitor. There were about ten people scattered in the small ice cream shop, with someone holding a boom mic standing close enough so he could pick up your voices.

You glanced over to Robin, her strawberry ice cream cone with sprinkles and a cherry was held with a napkin in her hands. You both exchanged nervous smiles, not excited to be in front of a camera, especially if it was an ad for Starcourt. It means everyone is gonna know that both of you work at the sailor-themed shop, along with the mandatory uniforms.

You tried to get Eddie a job, but the second you mentioned the outfits he automatically declined and when he actually saw you in yours, he fell to his knees and laughed for three minutes straight.

You and Robin were desperate for money and it helped when you had work experience in food service, you helped Robin out and lied saying she also worked at the pizza place with you, Eddie your ‘manager’ was put down if they wanted to call.

The both of you got the job at the same time in March, so after about a month of work, you were feeling pretty confident in your ice cream skills. That is until your manager, Jason, some twenty-something-year-old guy, told you and Robin a day beforehand that they were filming a commercial and that he signed the both of you up for Scoops.

You talked about it over the phone with Steve when you got home from work after dropping Robin off at her house. Uniform still on, back against the wall, wire twisted in your grasp with the phone held to your ear.

“Baby, I can stop by during your shift. Would that cheer you up?”

A pout formed on your lips, “a little.”

Now as you stand behind the counter waiting for the director to call action, you hope Steve arrives when the crew leaves the store.

“Okay, everyone!” The director shouted, “places!” and when her crew moved and settled, you tried to will your heart to slow down, but it wasn’t working.

“Action!”

A fake smile was pointed into the lens of the camera, fists braced at your hips, not knowing what else to do with them. You waited for a signal to speak and when a finger was pointed towards you, you looked directly down the barrel with dead eyes and fake enthusiasm, “Ahoy!” 

Robin came in a second later with the ice cream lightly melting under the bright lights, she thrusted it out, and with her jittery self, “Ahoy!” She got out without a single voice crack.

No one called cut or stop so the both of you just kept up the fake smiles until they hurt your cheeks. And what felt like an hour was probably only a minute before the director called cut. Both of you drop the happy face to resting poses, and one would say you have a resting bitch face.

“Okay, that was great girls! We’re just gonna do a few more takes so we have enough versions.” And they set everything up for a second take.

“Can I eat the ice cream?” Robin asked, a drop of strawberry making its way down the cone.

The director stared for a moment, chin resting in her hands, “sure, actually for this take, (Y/n) will come in with the ice cream. Both of you switch places.”

So the second take was with Robin at the counter and you were walking in with a cone, a different flavor, and toppings. Variety as the director said.

“Cut! Okay, let’s take a break and be back in thirty. One more shot and that’s it for the day.”

The shop was closed during the filming so you and Robin just flipped into an empty booth, her leaning her head on the top of the cushions as you just ate your cone. You wanted the day to be over already.

“Excuse me, I was wondering if you could help me pick a flavor?” A deep voice spoke, one your zoned-out brain didn’t catch.

“We’re closed at the moment.” Not even looking at the person.

“Oh, well I was told my girlfriend wanted me here. To cheer her up.”

Wild eyes and ice cream smeared over your lips and chin, you jerked your head to look at Steve, pretty Steve, your pretty Steve.

“Oh, god, if this day couldn’t get any worse,” you heard Robin mumble. You knew she was just playing.

You saw the roll of Steve’s eyes before he entered your side of the booth, arms immediately looping around your waist. He peered at you like you were his life source, the sunlight to his growing flower, the oxygen flowing through his veins. He was the sun to your moon.

“Hi pretty girl, how’s work been,” he questioned as he wiped his fingers over the ice cream stains, fingers popping in his mouth to clean them off.

A bite to your bottom kept the cheeky smile from appearing, knowing Robin would whine if she heard even a hint of flirting.

“Eh, but better know that you’re here.” You leaned closer to him.

He grinned at the statement, always happy to hear he makes your day better. You wanted to pounce on him right there but stopped yourself, for Robin’s sanity. So you settled on a simple peck to his lips, then one on his cheek, two over his freckles then a final one to his nose.

“What time you get off?” Steve chased you for a second kiss.

You granted his wish, “Uh-” you grabbed Steve’s wrist and turned his watch your way, “should be another half-hour. Think they want one more take before we’re done with filming. Then the store reopens, sadly.”

“And sticky little children are gonna come storming in, their piercing screams making me want to stab my ears.” Robin’s raspy voice piped up beside you, your giggles showing your agreement. 

The three of you got sucked into your conversations, you and Robin gossiping about something that happened in your English class earlier that day, Steve chiming in every now and then wanting to be nosey as well. Your ice cream was being shared between you both, Robin groaning and gagging at the display.

Before you know it, the film crew came back from their break. They were setting everything right for the final shot, hopefully, the final image. You and Robin slid out of the vinyl booth, throwing those annoying sailor hats back atop your crowns. Steve stood behind you, arm thrown over your shoulder, and watched as the different men and women moved around the cramped space. The director came over, presumably to give you and Robin your new directions, but she stopped short.

“Uh, who’s this?” She pointed a rolled paper towards Steve.

You pointed a thumb at him, “he’s- he’s my boyfriend, Steve,” your head turned to smile at him.

“Would you like to be in the commercial?” She blurted out.

“Uh- well…” he turned his head at you, wanting some type of confirmation from you, all you did was shrug your shoulders and throw a smile, “uh, sure. Yeah, that’s cool.”

She walked away with a smile and wandered towards your manager. They both headed to the breakroom for a few minutes then reentered the front of the store, a scoops uniform in hand.

“Oh, Stevie,” you were trying to hold the laugh in your throat.

“What- Oh god, no.” 

“Oh, oh this might be the best birthday gift ever!” Robin chuckled beside Steve, a look of horror painted on his face.

“Robin, your birthday was last month.”

She just scuffed, “So what? It was a bad birthday, anyway.”

“I took you bowling and we went out for dinner! I even bought you a new tape!” You reminded her.

The two of you bickered back and forth for a few, too distracted to notice that Steve was pulled away. And when you finally picked up on his absence the director told you he was in the bathroom getting changed into the uniform. So you hurried behind the ice cream bar and pushed the swinging back doors open, heading to stand behind the closed door.

“Steve…” your knuckles rap against the navy blue door, “Stevie, everything okay?”

There was only silence on his end and it was worrying you a bit, “Steve, can you at least unlock the door? I’m- I’m sure it’s not as bad as you’re making it.”

Once again silence, then the click of the lock turning. The door was free and with a quick turn of the knob, you slowly opened the door and peeked your head inside. It was a small bathroom so you didn’t have to search for Steve, he was standing right in your eyesight, staring himself down in the gross mirror.

The navy blue uniform seemed to fit Steve, apparently, your manager had different uniforms on hand. His outfit was a bit different from yours and Robin’s, the shorts being the same with the two white stripes lining the bottoms of the shorts' legs. But the top was different, whereas yours is a navy blue and white striped shirt accompanied by a white collar and red ascot topped with the navy vest with an ice cream cone on your right side and your name tag on the left, Steve’s was just navy blue. Okay, well they still held similar designs, he had the two white stripes on the shirt cuffs along with the cone ironed to his right bicep. There looked to be a red and white striped area to cover the rest of his chest, which you were thankful for since you didn’t want any girls peering at his chest hair. And the only other difference was the white apron around his waist.

He held the horrid sailor hat in a tight grip, probably wishing to burn it to ashes. “Steve, you look so-”

“Stupid,” he cut you off not allowing for your sentence to finish before he harshly judged himself.

You scoffed at the mean comment, “no, I was gonna say you look handsome.” Standing beside him as you wrapped your arms tight along his bicep, head resting below his shoulder.

He looked away from the mirror and cocked his head at you, “handsome?”

You turned your head up, chin digging into the muscle, “Charming? Pretty?”

“I know you’re my girlfriend-” “I’ll never get used to that sentence…but continue, sorry.”

That prompted a smile from him, causing one from you out of reflex, his free hand sliding to the side of your face, thumb resting into your plush cheek, “I know you’re my girlfriend, but you gotta be honest with me here. This outfit depleted all my Harrington charm.”

“Okay, well a few things there are wrong. One, you don’t even work at scoops so this is only for a thirty-second shot, two I didn’t know you were planning on picking up girls in this get-up,” Steve rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue, “(Y/n), you know that’s not what I mean.”

“Okay, then let me finish,” you tapped his nose, “three, I think it’s actually helping you.”

He stared at you like you were crazy, “did you hit your head?” The hand resting on your cheek moved to the back of your head to find any bumps.

You moved your hands to rest against his waist, which, “I think you actually look pretty hot, also this shirt is short enough that your stomach flashes when you raise your arms too high. So, yeah, this ridiculous sailor outfit adds even more of your Harrington charm.”

“Have I told you how lucky I am?” “A few times, but a few more wouldn't hurt.”

Your smiling faces leaned into each other, Steve’s tilting down and you pushing on your toes to reach him halfway. And you get a simple press of your lips, nothing going too far because you’re in your gross work bathroom, and also, “Hey lovebirds! We’re ready!”

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*strike through means tumblr can’t find your account. sorry*

[goodlucktai]

give me something that’ll haunt me when you’re not around

chapter two: stuck on the thought of you

rise of the tmnt pairing: leoichi (leonardo / usagi yuichi) word count: 2k title borrowed from sunroof by nicky youre and dazy post-movie

(previous) (next)

read on ao3

x

Yuichi lasts another whole day before his scraped-together willpower completely fails him. Okay, half a day. At work he approaches Sunita in that lull between the lunch and dinner rush while she’s folding linens for the tables and makes his daring move.

Her phone is propped up against the napkin holder, playing a music video by a human performer Yuichi is unfamiliar with. Sunita is bopping along to it and doesn’t notice Yuichi until he’s standing directly in front of her.

When she does, she jumps about a foot in the air, yelping loud enough that a few of their coworkers on the other side of the dining room turn and shoot them judgemental looks.

“I’m so sorry!” Yuichi fumbles. He’s constantly accidentally sneaking up on people, but just watch him try to sneak out of the house on purpose to go joy-riding with Chizu and Kitsune. He gets caught nine times out of ten, usually before he’s even halfway out his window. It’s a joke.

“Ugh, I spend all my time with ninjas these days and I still get spooked,” Sunita says, patting her chest where her heart must have leaped in surprise, but her tone is good-natured. “You’d think I’d be used to people popping up out of nowhere by now, with how often my girlfriend’s little brothers do it, but nope! Anyway, sorry, did you need something?”

“Uh, hi,” he says at length. To his alarm and dismay, he doesn’t actually know where to go from there. It’s very possible he didn’t think this through. “I mean, I just wanted to say hi.”

Sunita saves him with a smile, her visible eye crinkling with the force of it.

“Hi, Usagi,” she says brightly. “Lunch was wild, huh? Did you make good tips?”

“Yeah, actually. It almost made my ten-top worth it.”

His coworker laughs, commiserating the way only a fellow server possibly could, but her eyes drop back down to the napkins. She mentioned to him once that she has to split her focus constantly, to be sure not to leave slime residue behind on everything she touches.

Yuichi is finished with his side work for now, so he reaches for a stack of the linens and drags it across the table toward himself, settling in to help. Sunita seems happy to have his company and doesn’t mind leading the conversation, his brief, generally one-word contributions no deterrent at all. It’s always been easy to talk to her.

“Um, hey,” Yuichi says very casually when he’s bolstered enough courage. “I was wondering if you had Leonardo’s number? I don’t have it, and—it’s been awhile since I’ve seen him.”

“Oh!” To his immediate disappointment, Sunita looks apologetic. “Oh, I totally would, but it’s not really a good time? Things are kind of touchy right now.”

Yuichi focuses very hard on the napkin he’s folding because otherwise he’d probably stare at her as if he’s hanging off her every word, and that. Well that would make him seem desperate. And he’s not desperate.

“Because of the invasion?” he asks. His friend nods, her bubbly good cheer displaced.

“Yeah. It was really bad. I don’t know all the details but April and her boys were right in the thick of things. And after—well, after, Leo wasn’t doing too good. It was pretty scary. So his siblings sort of just closed ranks around him.” She slimes the napkin she’s holding and makes a face at it, balling it up in her hands. She finds another smile for Yuichi and adds, “Hey, how ‘bout this? I’ll text April and see what she thinks, okay? I’ll bet Leo would love to hear from a friend!”

Sunita is the best. He’s buying her boba tea after work tonight. And maybe, if she gets him Leo’s number, he'll buy her boba tea after work from now until the day they die.

Later that night, when he’s helping wash dinner dishes, Yuichi’s phone starts vibrating like it’s fighting for its life. When he checks it, he finds messages from Sunita rolling in. She’s a quintuple texter on a good day.

SUNA: hey ₍ᐢ.  ̫.ᐢ₎ SUNA: good news!! SUNA: april says she’ll meet up with you tomorrow SUNA: you’re off right? i said you’d come to the restaurant SUNA: she has classes in the afternoon so it’ll have to be before 11

Yuichi notes right away that there was no mention of his potentially not meeting up with April tomorrow. He gets the feeling he doesn’t have a choice.

Usagi: That’s great. I’ll ask auntie but I should be free. SUNA: okay april will see you there at 10 am sharp !! Usagi: Thanks, Sunita. I owe you one. SUNA: no prob!! ☆૮꒰ˊᗜˋ* ꒱ა

The bunny emojis would rankle if they were sent by literally anyone else, but from her they manage to be adorable. Yuichi locks his phone and sets it face-down on the counter, then clears his throat.

Auntie glances at him, rubbing a sponge around the inside of a casserole dish. Two of his cousins are parked at the counter with coding manuals and coloring pages but two is better than the full audience of five, so Yuichi just goes for it.

“Would it be okay if I skipped my morning chores tomorrow?” he asks quickly. “I know the farmbatto still needs fixed but I promise I’ll get it done!”

“You stay far, far away from my robot,” cousin Botan says loudly without even deigning to look up at him, little seal point face buried in an unethically-sourced textbook thicker than Usagi’s arm. “It’s still holding a grudge from what you did to it last time.”

“It was an accident, and it was as much Momiji’s fault as mine!” Yuichi shoots back.

Momiji sends him a look of absolute betrayal, her russet-colored fur bristling in offense. “Was not! You were the one who said we should play samurai!”

“Alright, enough,” Auntie says with a clap of her hands that causes little dishsoap suds to scatter. Botan and Momiji both settle down, but considering they’re ten and six years old respectively, it’s not much of a victory. “Yuichi, what are you up to now?”

Yuichi twists the dishtowel in his hands. “Uhhhhh, so you know—you know Leonardo?”

His cousins both snort. Yuichi whips around to pin them with a glare. “What was that? Why did you do that?”

“Do we know Leonardo?” Botan asks dryly. He’s very sarcastic for such a tiny rabbit. “Hamato Leonardo? Gee, I dunno. You only bring him up nine billion times a day.”

“I do not!”

“Ignore them, baby,” Auntie says, amused. “What’s this about Leonardo?”

“Uh, well, he hasn’t been around lately. And I work with his big sister’s girlfriend, so I asked her about him, and she told me that he was—I mean, I guess he got hurt during that invasion. She couldn’t tell me much, so I was going to meet his sister tomorrow morning.”

Auntie drops the sponge in the dishwater and braces her hands on the edge of the sink, brow furrowed. “What? That poor boy was hurt and you didn’t tell me until now?”

“I didn’t know until now,” Yuichi says. Then, a little desperately, he adds, “Please be normal about this.”

“I’m making him a care package and you’re making sure he gets it,” Auntie steamrolls over him in her most no-nonsense tone. She abandons the dishes left in the sink and starts bustling around the kitchen. “If you’re seeing his sister in the morning, I’ll need to get started on it now.”

Yuichi gazes out the window at the darkening sky, praying that his ancestors will smite him on the spot, but unfortunately he lives to see tomorrow.

Also unfortunately, April doesn’t cancel or blow him off the next morning, and is even earlier than their agreed-upon meet-up time. She’s standing outside Run of the Mill when he gets there, her arms crossed and her mouth set, and if she’s nervous about all the big yokai milling around on the street, opening their stores or heading down to the market, she doesn’t show it at all.

She picks Yuichi out of the crowd with steely brown eyes and he steps up his pace a little bit, Spot trotting faithfully at his side.

“Good morning,” he says, hoping it’s a safe enough start when she seems annoyed with him already.

“Yeah, you too,” April replies. She considers him for a minute, then uncrosses her arms and stands a little taller, squaring her shoulders and jutting out her chin. “Sunita told me you wanted Leo’s number. Look, if this is some kind of joke, I’m not laughing.”

Um. What? Dumbly, Yuichi parrots, “A joke?”

“Leo may be the absolute worst sometimes, but he’s still one of the best people I know all the time,” the human goes on hotly, as if they’re both on the same page here. Yuichi has the sinking feeling that they’re reading completely different books. “Whatever you’re trying to get back at him for, it ain’t worth it. You do anything to hurt him and his brothers would go on the warpath, and frankly so would I.”

“I’m not trying to get back at him for anything,” Yuichi blurts. Honestly the only thing he wants payback for is all the real estate in his brain that Leonardo takes up, but that’s not something he’s willing to admit, out loud, with his mouth, where someone might hear him. “Why would you think that?”

“Because you can’t stand Leo,” April says plainly. “You always look pissed off when he’s around. I know he can be annoying as hell, but if you can’t see how good he is, too, then that’s your loss.”

Something in Yuichi’s chest folds right in half. Wow, it hurts a lot.

Historically, resting bitch face runs in his family. Usagi Miyamoto was known for many things, one of which was his dark, glowering expression. He isn’t smiling in a single painting of him that exists. Yuichi is usually very proud of every single trait that he’s told he inherited from that famous samurai, but maybe he could do without this one.

Now he’s combing through every interaction he’s ever had with Leonardo, every conversation. He’s picking apart each exchange and trying to look at it from a third party’s point of view. Did it seem like he didn’t want Leonardo around? Is that what Leonardo thought?

The striped turtle had a way of plowing unceremoniously through uncomfortable silences, of carrying the conversation when Yuichi’s tongue was all tied up, and it seemed as easy for him as it always was for Sunita—her vibrant personality and Leonardo’s charming one, filling the gaps Yuichi’s social awkwardness tended to create.

But maybe it wasn’t that at all. Maybe it was easy for Leonardo to talk to Yuichi because he figured he had nothing to lose—because he thought Yuichi disliked him already.

Suddenly, the only thing Yuichi wants to do is go back home, march up the stairs to his loft, climb back into bed, and stay there for approximately a hundred years. Spot leans his head against Yuichi’s leg, sensing his downward spiral the way hounds are trained to sniff out foxes.

“That’s not true,” Yuichi says. It sounds weak to his own ears.

He doesn’t know what else to say, and Leonardo’s sister isn’t willing to fill the silence the way Yuichi’s friends are. He looks everywhere but at her, flexing his hands, then remembers what he’s holding.

“Oh. This is from my aunt,” he tells the ground, holding out the embroidered bag Auntie forced upon him before he could slip out the door. “Sorry. I told her about—and she—yeah. Please tell Leonardo it’s from anyone else. Tell him it’s from Señor Hueso.”

“He’ll know it’s not from his tío at a glance,” April says. She sounds surprised and agreeably lifts the bag out of his hands. Huffing a laugh at how heavy it is, she gazes at Yuichi thoughtfully, then takes a peek inside. 

He probably should have seen that coming. Yuichi does his best to sink into the ground and disappear as she takes in the tupperware containers and plastic-wrapped pastries.

April looks back up at him. Some of the ice in her eyes has thawed.

“I’m definitely telling him it’s from you,” she announces.

“From Auntie,” Yuichi stresses desperately.

“Right,” April says. She’s grinning outright now. She shoulders the bag like it weighs about as much as a handful of grapes, and props her free hand on her hip and says, “You got your phone with you?”

“Uh-huh,” Yuichi says, dazed. Is this what whiplash feels like? He felt sort of like this when he crashed his bike in the watermelon field last year.

“Give it.” April makes a grabby gesture, swiping his phone from him immediately when he holds it out. She taps at it for awhile, then tosses it back. Her own phone chimes from the pocket of her jacket, cluing Yuichi in to what she was doing. “There. You’ve got my number and I’ve got yours. If Leo likes his present, I’ll pass your digits along.”

Her tone has warmed considerably. She winks at him and Yuichi has to remind himself sternly that it would not be cool to bury his face in his ears and hide there until she went away.

Is Leonardo’s entire family like this? Because it feels like Yuichi has just survived a tornado or tsunami or some other terrifying force of nature, and this conversation wasn’t even ten minutes long.

April waves cheerfully and takes off at a brisk jog, weaving through the Hidden City streets like she was born and raised here. Yuichi sinks onto a bench, presses his forehead against his knees, and calls Chizu while he’s still all curled over into a yokai pretzel.

“I’m calling in a favor you owe me,” he says by way of hello the second she picks up. “Meet me at the market street.”

“I don’t owe you anything,” she replies dryly.

“It involves getting ice cream and making fun of my life choices.”

“We’ll be there in twenty.”

Yuichi ends up blowing the rest of his pocket money for the week on parfaits from their favorite street food stall, and his friends definitely don’t hold back laughing at him when he unpacks the latest installment in the befriending Leonardo saga, but it doesn’t seem as hopeless with the three of them around.

Gen in particular, big softie that he secretly is, hoists Yuichi up to ride on his shoulders as they make their meandering way back to Usagi Farm. It’s the rarest of gestures. Not even Kitsune’s best doe-eyes gets her a shoulder ride.

His friends make Yuichi feel ten feet tall.

And the next morning, he wakes up to nine new texts from an unknown number. A lot of them are just strings of exclamation points and emojis. He knows exactly who this is.

Yuichi’s fingers tighten around his phone as his ribs seem to tighten around his heart. A grin spills across his face before he can help it, mirroring the relentless summer sunshine pouring in from the window above his bed.

[ronearoundblindly]

The Stark Legacy (28)

Tony Stark's daughter (OC) x Bucky Barnes epic slowburn

Room, part of Book III: Power (see previous or series)

Summary: Tony returns to HQ for an awkward reunion with Sam. Bucky comforts her with a distracting pastime.

Warnings for rough parenting, verbal fighting (out of love but they don't know how), and flirty bonding/cooking. Rated Teen/15+ ONLY, please. WC 3.3k

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT—April 2039

Natasha’s composure faltered during training; Sam had never seen anything like it before. The gorgeous, deadly redhead jumped straight to slapping Sam across the face instead of a momentary stance for both to prepare. Punches flew, and Sam knew the goal was to inflict maximum humiliation. Each blow accentuated Sam’s ineptitude. This continued for forty minutes until a water break. Nat wouldn’t meet her eye. They began again.

“You’re not even improving,” Nat grunted after a kick. “Do you listen to me? Are you trying at all?” Her fists sliced through the air, landing exactly where she intended every time.

Without the chance to reply, Sam fought to stay upright.

The Russian kept coming, viciously complete in shaming Sam until her hand went up.

Sam’s bright orange arm ended an inch from Natasha’s nose, a vivid white spot in the center of her palm. She was sure her opponent felt the radiating heat.

“Why is it so bad if I don’t want to hurt you?” Sam panted.

Nat stood up straight. “You’ll learn. Defense isn’t about being passive.” When the light drained out of Sam’s arm, she slapped it away with a sigh. “I need a drink.” Natasha didn’t mean water.

Encouraged by Nat’s self-medicating and her own rebellious teenage spirit, Sam stole three bottles of liquor from the wet bar usually reserved for holiday gatherings—one for each Dee, Ty, and herself. Ty made the suggestion to celebrate her new training in part because hand-to-hand combat with Romanoff went so poorly. Nat whupped her, and if she still felt that sort of thing, Sam’s backside would have stung from hitting the mat.

Now, for fun, Tandy and Tyrone sat sprawled on Sam’s beat up comforter, leaning against the wall with their own bottles of Johnnie Walker and Don Julio. Sam had chosen a lovely bourbon, a brand she’d never seen before, and enjoyed the melting of anxiety while unwinding with friends. Over years of holiday visits, she tracked the level of liquid inside, and Tony had not touched this bottle in that whole time. She couldn’t think why; it was pretty good.

Tandy had won their race with Big Sam that morning, so she chose their evening activity: face masks. Dee loves the girly things in life. Ty and Samantha found it difficult to speak with the drying mud smattered over them, thick and unyielding. They took turns looking as stupid as possible while pouring a swig into their mouths. The joke, however, soured when Tandy accidental tipped out more tequila than intended, the excess splashing up her nose. The girl’s sputtering gag was terrible; her spews of profanity in protest of her friends’ laughter were worse.

Tandy fumed, leaving to wash her creamy mask off in her own bathroom. Ty and Sam stayed where they were—him flopped on Sam’s bed, Sam spread across the floor—crumbling like statues forgotten in a tomb.

“Do you think this is how Medusa’s victims felt?” Ty’s voice pitched higher, unable to project his deep tones without moving his lips.

Sam touched her cracked cheeks. “Medusa is a mythical figure, not historical, so—”

“Don’t be such a stick in the mud,” he mocked while raising a thumbs up. No laughing with the masks.

“Mud’s a desert now, for sure.” Sam paused for his little snort of acceptance, continuing, “but if someone did have the power to turn you to stone with a look…yeah, this would be phase one.”

“I’m gonna go chisel this off,” Ty proclaimed as he got up to leave, “and check on Dee. Pray she doesn’t s-stab me.”

Sam saluted his retreat, tilting her nearly empty bottle to inspect the color in her fake window’s moon glow. Irregularities glistened in the light, but they weren’t in the liquid. The base of the glass was etched. Sam lifted the bottle higher to read.

Thank you for not fainting. 

Love, Pep. 

December 6th, 2020

Sam’s mouth went as dry as waking in the infirmary. She drank half of the present Pepper gave Tony to commemorate her own birth. Sam had unwittingly gulped down one of her father’s last remaining gifts from his late wife. She dropped her jaw in horror, the pull of dry clay holding her skin tight. Sam shifted, still staring through the bottle when—

“Sam?”

In a single heartbeat, her gut plummeted to Sub-Basement E. Tony Stark stood in her bedroom doorway, a smile quickly distorting into shock.

“Did you…” Only the helmet was retracted from the suit. He remained a massive and bulky presence, mechanically approaching closer to her bed.

“This—” Tony grabbed the bottle from her hand, sighing through a faint tremble of his lip. He shut his eyes to collect his thoughts. “Do you know what I’ve been through to get here? And you’re—” The words got stuck.

Sam knew in that instant how Medusa’s victims felt. Her insides sucked out through a hole in her soul. Disappointment, anger, resentment, recognition, exhaustion, blame, resignation, all flashed and faded into the fine lines around his dark eyes. Tony looked broken and beaten. Sam couldn’t imagine what her face betrayed.

He turned and walked out with the bottle, saying nothing more.

Worse than Sam had ever imagined, her reunion with her father after successfully turning herself into Avenger-material consisted of destroying something precious to him, underage drinking, and looking like a flippant child playing with makeup in her filthy room, alone. The embarrassment pushed its way through her empty middle, accentuating her cotton mouth, shoving all the water it could displace out of her eyes. She ran to the bathroom to drown out the sound of her wild sobs with the running tap, splashing the uncomfortable mask off her face. She scrubbed harder and harder to chip it off, convincing herself it hurt, that the mask caused the tears, though she felt nothing.

She curled up on the bathroom floor when her legs finally failed her. On the cold, hard surface, Sam’s mind taunted her with the statistical possibilities that it would be okay…or it wouldn’t.

Sam caught him at the not-so-white tables in the atrium early, too early, when the sky outside was still inky blue.

Tony sipped at a massive glass of green juice. Seeing it made her palms clammy. She was four again, unable to hold a glass without breaking it. A different kind of green monster. Overnight, he dyed his hair back to brown, a rich chestnut, wiping out his gray from the last months. No salt and…

Sam clunked two mugs of coffee down at his table harder than she intended. Her heart fluttered. No words came out of her though she tried, shaking her head before rushing back to the kitchen for cream. As she returned, burnt mahogany eyes followed her path, one brow raised.

“Hungover?” He didn’t wait for a reply. “I’m not allowed caffeine yet,” he corrected, tilting the wheatgrass sludge in her direction.

By Tony’s nonchalant, deliberate swig of his own glass, Sam’s disgust was evident. She’d had her fair share of supplemental, liquid food; never again. “Bruce told me. It’s decaf.”

“Ol’ ticker’s not the same without its car battery.” Her father smiled off at the window to a joke she did not understand. What car battery? His electromagnet was a palladium and badassium arc reactor…

The sky beyond the window broke into the yellowing haze of dawn. Since Sam had not slept the night before, this didn’t count as ‘waking’ early. Bucky would call that ‘splitting hairs.’ In fact, she lied to Tony: Bruce didn’t tell her anything. Sam hacked the feed of Tony’s exam by the doctor, read his recovery recommendations, then watched the security feed of her father returning the special bourbon to its exact spot down at the wet bar. Total, Tony had been in his room for four and a half hours, part of which was spent primping his hair, apparently. 

Sleeping: not a Stark family strength.

This time, however, watching felt far more personal. This happened in realtime, just out of reach, right there in the building, and it was Sam who’d screwed up. All the little speeches she practiced in her head vanished from memory, the newly vacated space analyzing every twitch of his eyes or pulse of his neck. Sam didn’t know how to do this, make someone forgive her, make them proud of her. She proved she could handle this life. Right?

Desparate to fill the lingering silence, she settled for the first thing that popped into her brain.

“Watch,” she asked, tipping cream into her cup. Tony turned. “That first color, when milk hits and sinks just below the surface, that’s your eye color.” The contents churned themselves to a shade lighter, hypnotizing him. She tipped another splash into the volume. “And that’s mine.” Sam paused and looked up at him with one corner of her mouth shyly cocked in a smile. “I always wanted to show you that.”

Tony lowered his shoulders slightly, a wave of emotions pushing him away again. Sam sensed his questions.

“There’re a lot of photos and videos of you online, so I’m used to your face,” she trailed off. She trembled when her hands left the cup and struggled to keep her words from offending him.

“I’m—” he cut himself off, covering his mouth with his hand. Finally he pointed towards the tree line. “That blue just above the tops, those trees by the road,” his voice caught, “that’s your mother’s eye color.”

Sam didn’t move; she blinked, the small, joking smile dying completely, leaving disappointment. “Pep—” he stopped, the name a searing brand on his tongue, “she and I…this was our coffee spot when one of us couldn’t sleep. Mostly me, and you…baby you.” Tony extended his arm, bouncing a finger up and down on the table, his thoughts at war. “We’ve done this before. One time I put my drink in a bottle so you would take yours. You fussed sometimes, as babies do.” He sniffed, watching the sun, then whispered, “what did you do, Sam?” 

Though his words came out soft, his frown spoke a sanctimonious outrage of its own. He reached forward to touch her hand.

Her body twitched in shock, a bubble of familiarity burst. For one brief moment, Sam believed she and her father wanted the same thing. 

“I can fix this,” Tony said. “It shouldn’t take long. I mean, I cured your mom of this before. Days, weeks tops.”

With every word, her disgust grew more apparent, and Sam removed her hand from beneath Tony’s. She rose from her chair. “I’m not diseased. I don’t need you to fix me,” she spat, “I formulated this. I designed it to be used.”

“Extremis is dangerous. He was using you to hurt me.” Tony jumped up, too, the chair scraping the concrete. 

The thud of a bird rang against the window near them.

“Who used me? I’m not a pawn. I’m better now than I was.” 

Weak and outraged, Tony puffed his chest out. “Doctor Dorcas, the one who poisoned you.”

“Nobody poisoned me! The only thing Lem did was hand me a vial.” Sam shoved her finger against her chest. “I researched and tested for months—I saved people—and you don’t get to undo this. I’m not yours to fix anymore. You gave me away.”

“I was protecting you—”

Another bird dove at the window, but the bang only startled Tony for a second. Sam remained unfazed.

“Protecting me from whom? You?”

“Yes,” Tony yelled. “This is a dangerous job. People try to kill me all the time.”

“What do you want then,” she spat back, “a thank you?” Sam’s face turned to stone, her indignation matching his. “Bang up job. Thank you for abandoning me, Ton—”

“Okay!” Bucky rounded the corner sharply, dressed in sweats and a tank top, pulling headphones out of his ears. ”Everybody calm down.”

Her father pivoted, too weak to jump at the intruder. “You,” Tony huffed, “is this your version of protecting her?” 

“I don’t need his protection,” Sam griped.

“You obviously do.” But Tony rounded back to Bucky. “Couldn’t wait for someone qualified to build you another arm, huh? Had to ask a child?”

Sam lunged with a glowing arm coiled behind her, but Bucky jumped between them first. “I haven’t been a child for years. You have no idea—”

Tony brandished an accusatory finger over Bucky’s shoulder. “No, you have no idea what I have done to—” 

“Stop,” Bucky cried, pushing against Sam’s momentum, facing Tony. “I did what I had to, Stark. Now back off.”

Tony sprang forward to within an inch of Bucky’s face. “Yeah? You had to? Who ordered a hit on my family this ti—” but he didn’t finish the thought.  Tony’s demeanor cooled as if ice water had been shot through his veins.

Sam stepped away from Bucky. Bucky remained solidly between them.

“I’m tired,” Tony announced, eyes dark and thoughtful. Black coffee, this time. Yet again, he walked away.

Sam’s anger drained out to reveal an emptiness she was not prepared for. After all the possibilities running like plays in her mind, she thought she would be so overwhelmed with emotions. She had gotten two things: the color of her mom’s eyes, and her father thought of her as some dumbass kid. Still, there was nothing, only emptiness. Tony wanted to undo her life’s work, to strip Sam of her uniqueness; she felt nothing. Tony thought she couldn’t handle herself, even though he left her alone in the first place; she felt nothing. Tony knew where she got the virus but wouldn’t ask how she’d manipulated and changed it; the void inside remained cold.

The window seams stretched the first shadows of the day across the concrete floor. Another shadow caught her attention. Sam Wilson, in his running gear, stood watch from outside on the field, birds at his feet. He pressed a hand against the window, brow furrowed in concern, but his focus wasn’t on her. Samantha turned back to Bucky, who waved Wilson on, flashing an exhausted thumbs up. Wilson jogged off.

Bucky wiped his face, rubbing his eyes, and mussing his grubby hair. “Ok,” he sighed, “well, good morning, I guess.”

“Is this what you consider a good morning?” Sam automatically quipped, mumbling, “I’m never waking up before noon again.”

Bucky yawned, looking back up to her returned blank stare. “Hey, come on,” he comforted, “let’s get breakfast.” He came over to wrap an arm around her shoulders, gently tugging her towards the kitchen.

She turned her head to look at the still steaming coffees on the lonely table. How could it have gone so wrong? Sam planned to wow Tony with her accomplishments, her peace offerings, her humor, but when push came to shove, she snapped right back into the bitterness of her childhood. Her cheeks were chilly; the air conditioning rolled over tears falling unnoticed.

Bucky pulled her into a hug, and Sam felt guilty that her wet face was being cleaned by his shirt. She let herself stand limp in his arms. “It’s okay,” he whispered, “he’s just…” He tucked her beneath his chin.

Sam nuzzled into his chest, irritated by everyone constantly making excuses for Tony Stark. “An asshole,” she replied, loud enough to be heard and for the vibration to be felt against his sternum. Although, I just called you an asshole two days ago…whoops, sorry, Buck.

By the shifts in his neck above her forehead, Bucky nodded, agreeing, then planted a firm, quick kiss on top of Sam’s head. “Food,” he ordered, releasing Sam and shoving her towards the next room.

He made pancakes. 

Sam, greatly impressed with this show of skill, watched in fascination as Bucky pulled his hair back before cracking a few eggs to get started. He worked in quiet mostly, whisking, holding his hand just above the skillet to feel the temperature. Sam noticed him use his right hand. Force of habit, presumably. It was the only one he could feel with for most of his life after all.

He drizzled batter from the whisk directly onto the heat. Laura uses a measuring cup, then she complains about more dishes. Sam watched him flip the first batch. Bucky methodically added one cake at a time to each plate, back and forth, all equal. He looked perfectly content.

“They weren’t going to let me handle explosive ordinance or weaponry at thirteen—” he planted a bottle of syrup between them “—so I helped in the mess mostly. Not a lot of variety to the menu, but that was ’38 for you.”

“One hundred years ago…”

“Hundred and one,” Bucky corrected, dressing his breakfast. He tested his stack, pleased. “Still damn fine flapjacks.” Sam gave him a confused look with judgmental eyebrows. “Hot cakes?” he tried.

“Pancakes?”

He shrugged. “You don’t like them?”

“It’s not that. Mama Barton would be awed. I was only good at one-to-two ingredient recipes: eggs, roast veggies, grilled cheese sandwiches. Since those are also my favorites, I saw no reason to learn more. That’s not as impressive.”

“No fancy meal you know to wow someone?”

“Am I not impressive on my own?” Sam smirked. “No, I didn’t expect company…ever.” Her face lowered, fork pushing a bite around. She had added only a tiny dollop of syrup, so the plate beneath was too dry for the fluffy texture to move. It just toppled over, mimicking the sag of Sam’s shoulders while she got lost in thought.

Bucky sighed. “I went on a date,” he confessed. 

Sam snapped up. “What? Last night?”

“Just drinks. Sharon set it up. Melanie. Archive preservation at a museum in the city.”

“Ahh, original historic document preservation or maintaining certificates of authentici—never mind.” She considered Bucky for another beat. When he didn’t offer any more, Sam probed, “so it went well?”

Bucky laughed over his syrup-soaked meal. “For a sitcom, sure. I drank her under the table by accident. The price for a super metabolism, I suppose. Had to help her home. Poor thing was blitzed in three cosmos. All with paparazzi hovering at the front entrance.”

“This big around, was she?” Sam held her pinky out, lifting another bite on her fork. She finished chewing before adding, “I take it there was no spark.”

“I think she was nervous. Guys with cameras at the door, ya know? At least the conversation was not about a massive cybernetic arm, so…I’ll take it as a win.” They ate. After Bucky swallowed his last morsel, he braved the next part. “I had no idea he was coming home. I wouldn’t have…been out if I knew.”

Sam was barely two-thirds done with her food, and she contemplated excusing herself. Fatigue oozed into every part of her, heavier than her waining adrenaline. She wanted to know one more thing. “Did they ever fight? Did they yell at each other like that, or is it just because of me?”

Bucky set his chin on his interlaced hands to think, a strand of hair knocked loose to fall in front of his eyes. “I heard of a few times. And god knows, Stark loves to pick a fight, mostly when he already knows he’ll win. From what I know, Pepper gave back as good as Tony gave.”

It was comforting to hear, but Sam feared her voice would be ignored regardless. Tony had more experience getting his way than she did. Without help, she couldn’t win. “Please don’t let him change me,” she whispered. “I don’t need to be cured.”

Bucky took his arms off of the table, contemplative, an inscrutable expression. “Did you get any sleep?”

Not an answer. Sam shook her head and took another bite. He’s like Ty’s Magic 8 Ball. Ask Again Later.

“Finish up, and I’ll tell Wilson you’re not running this morning, but I’m guessing he won’t be surprised. Go to bed. Deal?” Bucky rinsed his plate and headed out.

On her way back to her room, Sam spotted the two cold coffees at the table by the window. She left them.

[Chapter 29: Logic]

[Main Masterlist; Light Masterlist; Ko-Fi]

[seradae]

You can read the previous chapters here or on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43928488?view_full_work=true

The Spire

Chapter 7: Mission: Burrito

They strolled casually along a walkway in the Donut, on the hunt for some Mexican food to offset their day drinking. "This place really is what they said it is. Honestly, I figured they oversold it, but it is genuinely incredible," Lou said, more thinking out loud than anything else.

"Well, I hope you don't get the impression that this place is some sort of utopia. We have our fair share of problems, like any other city our size," Erica explained. "We crossed 150 thousand permanent residents last year, which is a lot of people to pack in. And our consensus process is too slow to keep up with the changes."

They walked in silence for a bit, as Lou turned that over in their head. "What is the process now? What's the bottleneck? That seems solvable."

"Every proposed change to our laws has to be agreed to by a majority of owners within a two week period. When there were few of us, that wasn't a problem; we could get in a room and figure things out in an hour or two. But now there are just too many of us, so we're butting up against the two weeks more and more."

"How many owners are there?"

"Over 25,000! I remember when it was barely two hundred," she sighed. "It makes Washington gridlock look like child's play."

Lou thought for a moment and then asked, "and there's no way around it?"

"There's also an emergency change process that can be invoked by a group we elect every six months, but that was only ever used once. If it's used, the law only takes effect for one week and the group is immediately disbanded," she explained. "That makes running around the owners virtually impossible. It's a good system to have in place in case there's a real emergency, but doesn't help us otherwise."

"What if each proposed law was put into a separate queue based on who or what it affects, and anyone could vote on it, but only those who 'subscribe' to that topic are required? I'm sure most of the owners don't care about most of the issues, right?"

"Huh, that's ... Actually a really good idea," she said, mulling it over.

They grinned, "you know, I do have those from time to time."

"Shut up," she laughed, prodding them with her elbow. "You know what I mean!"

They arrived at the restaurant and took a seat, ordering food and drinks. "Margaritas cancel out champagne, right? Pretty sure that's how it works," Erica joked.

They chatted jovially while they waited for their burritos. When they came a few minutes later, she took a bite and sighed. "Only place off-world to get a Mission-style burrito. So fucking good."

"You're not wrong -- damn," Lou said between bites. "I got so burnt out on them, haven't had one in a few years. Remember that place we hit when we met up in the bay last time?"

"Oh god, I forgot about that trip. That was when you were first interviewing with CCA; feels like an eternity ago," she reminisced. "You were so damn nervous, even though they were the ones trying to get you."

"Six years next April! Though I keep getting older, and every year the students seem even younger. I don't know how much longer I can do it, honestly," they took a long sip of their margarita. "I've been thinking about retiring. Just going back to the studio and painting for fun again. It's hard feeling so out of touch."

Erica reached across the table and took their hand, her brow furrowing. "You've mentioned retiring so many times. What's holding you back? It's not like you need the money."

Lou laughed sadly. "Where would I go? What new challenge do I have ahead of me? You know me. You know that if I don't have something to occupy my mind, I start to spiral."

"You could go anywhere! I know that's more intimidating than it is exciting, but c'mon. You could finally move to Barcelona like we always talked about." As the words left her lips, she knew she had said too much.

"That was our dream. Not my dream," they huffed. Then they quietly continued, "you're never coming back, are you?"

Erica let go of their hand and looked away, staring off into the distance for a moment, her eyes unfocused. "No. I don't think I am. This place isn't perfect, but I can't imagine being earthside for more than a few weeks at this point."

"I kinda got that feeling. Radical honesty: how much of this trip was a sales pitch to get me to move up here?" They finished their drink and caught the waiter's eye to signal for another round.

"It was ... a factor. I honestly just missed you and I wanted to see you. But I also wish you'd consider coming up here too; I wanted to show you all that this place has to offer. Show you the kind of life you could have. That we could have, together."

"This place has been your goal for a long time, but it was never mine. I don't know if I could give up Earth like that. I know that traveling back and forth is pretty painless, but right now when I'm feeling uninspired, I can hop on a train and be at the Louvre in two hours. Or I can go to New York for a gallery opening in an hour. I don't need to plan it, I just do it."

"You're right. You'd be giving that up here; that spontaneity. But imagine the things you could do here! You could finally get a studio in the industrial ring and finally build the types of kinetic sculptures you used to dream about. Inspiration? It's hard to beat the views we have, even ignoring some of the amazing galleries. Our art community is small but amazing. And ... I'm here."

"And you're here," Lou whispered, looking into their drink.

[unapologeticdiaries]

Unapologetic Diaries - Part II

Unapologetic Diaries – Two Thousand Twenty-One.

Hopefully, most of you are still sipping your coffee and enjoying this journey with me. I have been back and forth about authoring this story for so long that it has kept me up most nights. Every beginning is beautiful, but the middle sets the tone for our story. Since I am trying to put 3 years together in writing, I thought I would make it easy for those following my journey and break this part of the story down by years. I think when you break it down by the year, it is easier to follow the chain of events towards our tragic yet somehow satisfying ending. Let us jump back in time together and be nostalgic starting with 2021.

March 26, 2021. This day with be etched in my memory for the rest of my life. No matter how hard I try to forget it and no matter the hatred I have in my heart, when I think of this day, I cannot help but smile. After being single for so long (if you remember, since 2017), I really did not think this day would come for me. A day where all the love in my heart finally broke through the stone that surrounded it. I was his and he was mine. The 14-year-old girl in me surfaced and the happiness I felt was just unexplainable. I can still hear his voice telling me that he loved me. Even now.

2021 was an insane but incredible year. So much happened in what seemed like such a small amount of time. After a terrible 2020 with COVID-19, I was determined to make 2021 one of the best years! January, my divorce finally ended. After all the court setbacks with covid and the final hearing, I was so happy to have that giant weight off my shoulders. I was granted everything I wanted, and he contested nothing. My life was finally mine again. Even after being separated for 4 years, I always carried the burden of being strapped to a marriage even though he cheated yada, I was just ready to be done with it and to move on. 2021, I was making big moves that no one saw coming. Soon after R and I made things “Facebook’ official; because nothing in your life is official until it is public on social media, the relationship took off. Instead of waiting a little while to introduce him to the kids, it was almost immediately. My son instantly took to R. He was 6 years old getting ready to turn seven. His father had not been in his life much since he was 3 years old so I knew that he would love the idea of having a “father figure” around. As for my daughter, she did not take to R in the way that I had hoped. She is her mother’s daughter and does not shy away from her feelings. She was not keen on him. All. I knew that I had some work to do for sure.

At the time we started dating, R was working at TopGolf in Charlotte. He told me that because he works there, we can go any time we want and get free play time. I thought this would be the perfect icebreaker for the kids. They were so excited to go. R was the perfect man around my kids. He instructed my son (still six at the time) to swing a golf club and hit it hard. It was the perfect night, and my heart was so full. I really could not have asked for anything better. After the previous few years that my kids had to endure with their father, it was nice for them to have someone in their life to show them things and be that fatherly example. In early April, we were introduced to his family. If memory serves, I met them for the first time by myself and then brought the kids around. Of course, I was extremely nervous but when R and I changed our relationship status on social media, his family commented on it and made nice comments about how pretty I was, etc., and of course, I looked at their pages. Just genuine and nice people overall. I did not get any bad vibes from what I saw online. When I met his parents for the first time, I instantly got an eerie feeling about his mother, but I would never want to let just one bad feeling cloud my judgment of a person I have only met once. For the sake of the blog, we will call her B.

B was an interesting character for sure. I will never forget when I first walked in the house, my anxiety increased very quickly. There were just collections of stuff in every single corner of the house. I felt claustrophobic. She gave me the biggest hug and had the biggest smile on her face so that calmed my anxiety a little and we ventured into the living room. R was talking with his dad, we will call him S. The first time meeting his parents was sort, sweet, and to the point but I really did think they were the sweetest people on the planet and total opposites from my crazy family. No one was at each other’s throats and there was just a sense of calmness which was a relief. Soon after meeting the family, the kids were introduced. Before I decided to introduce the kids, R and I talked about if it were too soon and what this could mean to them. I specifically told him that I do not want to bring the kids around if this was not serious because people coming and going out of their lives were something I was not going to put them through. It was not fair to them. He reassured me that he was serious and wanted the kids to be part of the family. Once again, against my better judgement, I went along with it, and we took the kids over. B was infatuated with them from the beginning. All she could talk about was their beautiful red hair. My daughter was really interested in her as she was beginning her music career in school and B is a piano player, so she really connected with my daughter on that level. It was nice to see her take such an interest in my children. S was a little bit different. He was very reserved but curious and asked me a lot of questions about myself and about my family. I appreciated the curiosity as I did not have anything to hide. R told me that he has never been close to his father, so they had a strained relationship. Since coming from a broken home, I felt pity that he was not close to his father and wanted to do everything I could to repair their relationship. R and I continued to get to know each other but, in a way, we pushed the relationship along quickly. Coming from a place where my family is insane to this place was like a gravitational pull and I wanted more. As time went on, I could tell that R and I were on different paths in our life, but being with him just brought out the child in me and I would do whatever I could to hold onto that. No matter the cost. At the time, I did not know how much that would end up costing me.

In May 2021, I closed my home. ME! A homeowner! I could not believe it! Something I did all on my own. Sadly, R had to work and could not come with me to see the house, but I did take some videos and send them to him, so he was part of my homebuying process. I told him that if he and the kids did not like the house, I would not put in an offer. On May 5th, I signed the papers and started moving in. It was a family affair. B and his youngest sister, we will call her F, came over and helped me clean the house before moving things in. We had Wendy’s for dinner that night. I remember it so well because I was so excited to have family to revel in this moment with. R and F stayed up late to help with painting the children’s bedrooms and while I did participate, painting is just not for this girly, so I let them have at it. R was a night owl anyway since he worked late at night, so he did not mind staying up to paint. The rooms came out so good. The kids got to pick their colors, and R made it a reality. We were so grateful to have him on this journey with us. Over that weekend, we got everything painted and moved in. It was one of the most hectic weekends, but it was so nice to be a homeowner and have something of my own. I was breaking generational curses. No one else in my family ever really owned a home and I was the first in my generation, so accomplishment was something to be proud of and I sure was. One thing about me is that I am extremely particular when it comes to how I like my home to look and run. Call it a control freak, but I really am quite simple. I do not like things to be in every corner of the house, I do not like tons of pictures taking up the entire wall and I like things to flow naturally. R had an issue with that when I did not want to paint what became “our” bedroom. I like simple colors. Colors that let in the natural light and make the room brighter. It is just how I am. After all, it is my house, right? R was staying with us, but I want to say around mid- June, he was living with us full-time. Mind you, we are almost 3 months into our relationship, and he is already moved in. Looking back on it now, we moved too fast. No way would I let someone move in with me and my kids so soon. But I did. I loved him. I wanted to make our relationship work and I wanted to build my family. I cannot do that if he is not here, right? I cannot make him part of our routine if he is not here, right? No girl! I should have not let him move in with me until we were at least a year into our relationship. Eventually, a move that I came to regret more than anything.

Summer 2021 came and went. In June, my sister-in-law invited us to join them on their family vacation to St. Simons Island in Georgia. We just made it one big family vacation. Before we went to Georgia, my family was making a trip from New York to Myrtle Beach and asked if we would want to make the trip to the beach and see them. Of course, I am not going to go on a trip to the beach. So, we made the 3-hour drive to Myrtle Beach and spent the day with my family. R was there and I was so nervous about him meeting them because if anyone is going to give you the third degree and make you feel uncomfortable at the first meeting, it is my family. They have no filters and just do not care, at all. We ended up having the best time being there and soaking up the sun. Life was perfect! Then we ventured to St. Simons and had a week with my sister-in-law, brother, my niece, and nephew and then my little family. St. Simons is beautiful. If you have never been, I recommend it. It was the best trip for us, minus me getting so sunburned I was bedridden for a day. When I say I was a lobster, I was a lobster. One specific thing that I need to call out on this trip is that when my sister-in-law invited us, I had just bought a house, so money was tight on my end as I had to buy things for the house plus all the moving expenses. She makes great money at her job so she was insistent that she would pay and there was nothing to worry about. Of course, I had some pocket money for this trip, but she did pay for all the food we cooked and the Air BNB. R did not bring any money with him. Not a single penny. I and my sister-in-law funded the Myrtle Beach trip, and I funded the St. Simons trip. This is valuable information to remember in the future. He did not pay for anything while we were down there or even pitched in for gas on the way home. I was not mad at all. I did not say anything about money while we were there because it was a family vacation, and we were there making memories and that is all that should have mattered.

Once we got back home, it was back to reality. Kids, work, and every extracurricular activity of which you could think. My son was actively involved in Taekwondo, and he absolutely loved it! He was moving up to his belt levels and he has been successful. My daughter continued dancing, and she loved it. I was so happy to be able to put them in activities they enjoyed doing as it was something I could not do as a child myself, so it really meant a lot to me. Things were still going great in the relationship, and we were really starting to settle into a routine. With R’s working hours, he was gone by the time I got home from work and came home when we were sleeping so it was still just me doing everything and that was absolutely okay because I had been doing it alone for so long that just because I had a new man in my life, didn’t mean I needed to stop or slow down being the best mom that I could. When we were both homes, we tried to make as much time as we could for family. R really loves to have game nights, and it was something we implemented as a family. We really enjoyed spending that quality time together and the best memories were made. I had not heard my children laugh or have had that much fun in a long time and it made my mama heart so happy. My life was complete. The man I love and adore and my kids who I would go to the ends of the earth for were here and happy. I really could not ask for anything more. While going through the hustle and bustle of family life, R and I still tried being available for us. He took me out to dinner for my birthday and we had so much fun. He also got me an air fryer which I was freaking out about and a slow cooker. Those that know me know how much I love to cook so these were perfect gifts. He also took me out for the first time on his motorcycle. I still have the videos, and it was the BEST day of my life. We were both nervous as I had never been on one and I was the first girl he had on his bike. Our first time doing something together in our relationship. I still get those nervous butterflies just thinking about it.

With the end of the summer bliss amongst us, the cold started to set in and so did the coldness in our hearts. In October 2021, R and I broke up. I wish I could remember what the reason was but sadly, I do not. Going through my archives, the only thing I could dig up was a fourteen second video from my home camera which him walking fast to his mother’s car yelling “fuck you” while I threw his clothes outside. Honestly, after that, we should have just stayed away from each other. The minute any man can stand outside your home and yell at you, should be the last time he does it. When he drove away, I really should have left it. Looking back on it now, I am so mad that I did not. Sometime between October 8th and early November, we end up back together. This is where the toxic cycle slowly begins. R reentered our lives, and we tried to play it off as if nothing happened instead of talking about what happened, what went wrong, and how we could fix it, we just got back into bed with each other, literally and figuratively, and continued living. I planned a trip for him and me to have a getaway to Sugar Mountain. We were still broken up by the time the trip rolled around, and I somehow convinced him to still come with me. He did and we went and spent the weekend together. After lots of sex and outings, we dove into our feelings briefly and decided that we did love each other, and we wanted to make things work. So, we made the effort to make this relationship work. I knew that I needed to remember that there are two people in a relationship and that R is my partner. It does not just have to be me anymore. We are a team. R needed to realize that it is not just him and I in this relationship and there are two others in this relationship. He also needed to realize that I am so insecure with myself just because of things that I have gone through in the past and that was going to take me some time to deal with that and find myself. If he loved me, he would work through that with me, right? Ha! So very wrong. We managed to make it through the holidays and into the new year. I just knew that 2022 had to be different. We were going to make things better.

Two Thousand Twenty-Two

2022 was a turning point for me. Not only in my relationship with R but also a turning point within myself. At the start of the new year, I was so determined to make changes in all aspects of my life. One of my biggest insecurities was my weight. When I was younger, I was as thin as a piece of paper. Extremely skinny and just overall thin. Not for any reason, which is just how I was built. As soon as I had children, all of that changed. I grew up in places I did not think I could grow and if anyone reading this is a mother, then you know that postpartum depression is extremely real. After I had my son, I really let myself go. In 2022, I was at my heaviest. I was having health problems and really was a 29-year-old woman and had the body of a 60-year-old. Everything hurt all the time. I went to my doctor, and he told me that I needed to make changes, or I was going to die. That made things all too real and I had to do something. So, I started seeing a nutritionist and exercising and losing weight. I slowly started getting my confidence back with the more weight I lost. It was such an amazing feeling to be able to put on something that once fitted me, and it is too big. I wish I could describe the feeling but there are just no words. Eventually, I started throwing clothes away because they became too big for me and were falling off me. In total, I have lost over 135 pounds, and I feel and look incredible, but it was the hardest thing I have ever done. With the weight loss, the animosity between R and I took a turn. I started to feel that in a way he began to resent me for losing weight. I do not know if he just likes bigger girls or because I was starting to feel good in my own skin and that was attracting the attention of others or what the problem was. Everything I did that made me feel beautiful, he did not like. He would always tell me that he hated when I would straighten my hair or he didn’t like it when I wore makeup because he felt like I didn’t need to wear it and he didn’t like it when I got my nails done because they were too long for his liking.  I straighten my hair because my natural curls are extra frizzy and make me have an afro. I do not particularly like it, so I straighten my hair a lot. I wear makeup because it makes me feel beautiful. I do not do anything over the top but a nice natural look with the occasional smokey eye never hurt anyone, right? I have been going to the nail salon and getting my nails done every two weeks since before my trip to Scotland in 2017. I will be damned if a man is going to tell me that I cannot get my nails done. It is the only thing I do for myself and get my “me time.”  R said they were too long, and they “hurt” so I got rid of my stiletto shaped names and went back to ballerina shaped and cut them down some. See! I can compromise. Yes, people did see me differently and I would get complimented on how great I looked and when we were out in public men would look at me, but you can ask anybody including R, I never paid any attention to it. I would thank them for the compliment if it were someone I knew and got about my day. I did not flaunt my body in any way. I always wanted my boyfriend with me. I thought he would have been proud to show me off. I was starting to come out of the insecure shell I put myself into and he did not like that at all.

Throughout this year, we did have arguments and if memory serves me, we did have a break in July and the fight was bad. He ended up leaving and moving back in with his parents for a little while. He made the accusation that all I want to do is hurt him and make him look like the bad guy. Some of the fight was that I would not have sex with him when he wanted and did not do the things he wanted me to during sex. and the other part of the fight was that we just did not spend time together. When it came to sex with R, it was always amazing. No matter how mad we were with each other, when our bodies connected, it was magic. I told R from the very beginning that was not as experienced in sex as he was because he is the second man I have ever been with so there were things that made me uncomfortable like going down on him. That is something he absolutely loves and when I say the gag reflex is real. It is very real, and this girly has the gag reflex, badly. Instead of him showing a compassion for the things I was not comfortable doing or was unbelievably bad at doing, he made it all about him and made me feel awful when he would say things like “I have needs that need to be satisfied” yada. It was just terrible that he would go beyond to make me feel this badly about it. I even went as far as telling him that he can get a side piece for sex if it would satisfy him. He did not like that because I was giving him permission to cheat on me and that did not make it fun for him anymore. He wanted to cheat on me with the thrill of doing it behind my back. I made a comment to him in one of our Facebook messages and told him that I intentionally showered with the door open and when I got out, not once did he look at me. He was too invested in playing his video games. Now, let me stop there. I do not care about the fact that he was playing video games at all. I care about the fact that I cannot even get my boyfriend to pay attention to me at all when I am standing in front of his face completely naked. It made me feel so insecure about myself. I was so proud to lose weight and feel good that he just made me feel like absolute garbage. Being naked in front of him was something I have never liked doing since day one. Even having sex, I would cover up or require it to be completely dark so he could not see me. Crazy right? I just felt bad about myself and now that I am starting to get over that, he cares more about video games. I do not know about the rest of you, but I was extremely upset about it. My gut feeling was that there had to be someone else for him not to want to look at me in a sexual way when at one point he did not want to take his hands off me. My head and my heart were telling me that something was not right, and I disregarded it as my own insecurities. After he left to go back to his parents’ house, he did come over a few days later and we talked and decided to stay together but he was not going to move back in. We still talked a lot and made plans to spend time together and for a little while, things were going well, and we were content with how things were going. Towards the end of July, he ended up moving back in with us. I had hoped and prayed that it would be the last time he was back and forth. We finished out the summer with game nights, taco nights, taekwondo, and dance events. We were gearing up for fall and if no one knew me, they knew that I was a planner and had already started planning the holidays. November 2022 has entered the chat…

This month there was a whirlwind. Between paying bills and planning holidays, there was not much happening. In early November, I decided I wanted to spend Thanksgiving in New York with my family. A little backstory on New York, I moved to South Carolina in 2005 and did not go back. New York is not my home anymore, but my family is still there. I thought it would be a terrific opportunity to not only see my family but to also show R where I was from and meet some of my family that were not at the beach. I was so excited to show him and the kids where I came from and the imprint that New York left on me and made me the person I am today. November 23rd was the day that we were going to make the 12-hour drive. I had everything planned and now all we had to do was pack and be on our way. R and I got into a fight, and he decided that he was not going to come with us. If you ask him about this part of the story, he will swear up and down that we were broken up. My side of the story is different. We were not broken up, just had a fight, and he decided that he did not want to come because he wanted to stay at my house while I was out of state and cheat on me. After begging and pleading with him to come, I decided I was not going to ruin the holiday for everyone and make the 12-hour trip alone with two kids. I was a wreck the entire time because something in my gut just told me that something was not right. R would not respond to my messages nor return my calls, and it was nerve-wracking. I tried to bury it in my mind and enjoy the holiday and we really did have a fun time spending it with my family and taking the kids around my hometown. It was so crazy how much I remembered even though I did not go back for seventeen years. Once we got back to South Carolina, he then decided he did not want to be with me, so we went our separate ways until Christmas. His family had absolutely no idea we had broken up, so we ended up spending Christmas together. It was awkward. R and I tried acting like there was anything wrong but if you can notice vibes and read a room, you would know there is absolutely something wrong. For the kids’ sake, we made the best of it. Whether we liked it or not, his family had adopted my kids, and we were their family. No way around it. They loved us, we loved them. His oldest sister, we will call her L, became such a big part of my life that even to this day, she is still a big part of my life. Christmas 2022 was a good one despite the battle that R and I were going through outside and internally. I was battling with myself because I did not want to do this back-and-forth thing anymore. I just wanted it to be me, him, and our family, or nothing at all. I could not do this anymore because it was just so mentally and emotionally draining that it was starting to take a toll on my mental health. Despite what both of us were going through, we decided to continue once more into the new year.

Check out Part II - Side B for more :)

[deanstead]

Pieces (2): Starting Fresh

Chapter 2: Starting Fresh

Chapter Summary: Barely back on her feet, Y/N meets Jay in the most unlikely of places. Later, Y/N runs into the last person she wants to run into.

Word Count: 2,564

Warnings: implied sexism, Caleb is an ass

A/N: Here's the update! I've been absolutely floored by all the positive comments so far, thank you all so much, it's been more than I expected and I'm so grateful to all of you! As usual, I am not above begging for interactions, so reblog, comment, hit up my ask! Thank you!!!

SERIES MASTERLIST || JAY HALSTEAD MASTERLIST

Previous Chapter || Next Chapter

Four months.

It wasn’t long, but it wasn’t short either. The only thing that was clear to you was that Chloe was the biggest blessing in your life. You could almost see what your life might have been like if you didn’t have her - you’d probably have given in to the huge despair that hung over you, you might have screamed or begged him not to leave you, you might have just lost the will for anything and survived on alcohol.

But you couldn’t. Not when you had a young daughter to take care of.

Chloe was quiet when you told her that you’d be moving, just the two of you. She didn’t cry, she didn’t ask why, she didn’t ask for her father. She just put her little hands around your neck and buried herself into you, sticking her little body tightly against you. “Mom, I’ll be good.” You’d smiled and kissed her, assuring her that no matter what she'd always be your sweet little girl, before you picked her up and brought her and what belongings the both of you had to your new apartment.

You had never planned on staying at the house which was no longer a home, but you still hadn’t expected Caleb to ask you to leave, telling you that you should take Chloe with you. You’d expected a fight, after all Chloe was Caleb’s little girl as much as she was yours. So you weren’t sure if you were relieved or upset that he didn’t try harder, merely sending you the divorce papers clearly stating that you had full custody and that he only wanted visitation rights.

Even so, it took you a while to get back on your feet and make a decision. No one that had known you in Chicago would have known that your medical degree was lying in a drawer at home but now that it wasn’t any of Caleb’s business what you did, or how you looked after your daughter…

You’d decided it was time. It was time to go back to what you had felt was always a big part of you. So you’d started at Med a few weeks ago, thankful that Chloe had seemed to adapt pretty well both with school and her new babysitter.

“Dr Y/L/N.” April handed you the iPad that had the test results of the patient you were seeing with Will.

“Great. Thanks April, I’ll get this to Will.” You nodded at her.

“You joining us tonight?” April asked, smiling. She’d invited you for an after-shift drink with her, Maggie and Natalie and you hadn’t found a way to decline nicely without exposing too much of your personal life.

“I’ll come back around to look for you in a bit.” You answered with a smile and April nodded.

You glanced around and spotted Will almost immediately, where you could see he was talking to someone.

“Will, results are in.” You paused as Will and the person he was speaking to looked up.

You froze in your tracks, recognizing almost immediately the green eyes that now met yours.

“You…”

He smiled, although you caught the look of surprise on his face, which probably echoed your own. “Hey…”

Will raised his eyebrows. “You guys know each other?”

He didn’t answer Will, just stretching his hand out to you. “Jay Halstead.”

You smiled, glancing at Will, not missing the last name. “Y/N. Y/N Y/L/N. Brothers?” You asked as you shook Jay’s hand.

Jay smiled. “Yeah, so if Will’s a jerk, just kick his ass. Or tell me and I’ll do it.”

Will rolled his eyes, which just made you want to laugh but you just smiled and nodded. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Will shot at his brother before he nodded at you, asking you to lead the way.

You took a last look back at Jay before you followed Will towards the treatment room.

Life really did work in a little weird way.

You were already cranky at shift today since you hadn’t had a good night’s sleep. Chloe had crawled into your bed last night which wouldn’t normally have affected your sleep except that her pre-bedtime question had been to ask you, in her own language, whether it was her fault that Daddy was no longer around.

If you could, you’d have killed Caleb for putting that thought in her head, that look in her eyes, that emotion in her little body. So you’d coaxed her to sleep with you, reassuring your daughter that her parents loved her, but you’d been kept awake, alternating between feeling like you’d failed her and feeling red hot anger at Caleb traveling through your veins, as she slept soundly next to you.

So you really had no patience with this patient today.

“Can you get me a real doctor?”

You tried to hold back your annoyance as you pulled the curtain aside, almost running into Will and Connor.

“Uh-oh.” Will muttered, as he spotted the look on your face.

Connor frowned. “Everything okay?”

You made a face at them before you handed over the iPad in your hand. “I’ve given him his options, but he wants a real doctor. One of you better come in with me, or I don’t know how long I can keep up the do no harm oath.” You growled under your breath.

Connor chuckled, as Maggie’s call of “Dr Rhodes!” rang out across the floor. Connor patted Will on the shoulder, with a "All yours", before he took off.

Will glanced at you, smiling a little. “Alright, come on. You can talk.”

You shot him a look. “Fine, but I’m telling you it’s no use.”

You opened the curtain, walking in. “Hi, Mr Turner. This is Dr Halstead. So, like I mentioned earlier…”

The patient turned straight to Will and you had to resist the urge to roll your eyes. Instead, you gave Will a look and despite the fact that you’d only been working together a few weeks, you could tell he was trying his best not to crack a smile.

Will nodded at you and you pushed ahead. “As I mentioned, your numbers are borderline. You can choose to go on a more conservative approach and manage it with medication, or there's also the option of surgery. If you think you want to consider surgery, we can have a surgeon come talk to you before you make your decision.”

“Dr Halstead?” The patient addressed him immediately, like you were invisible.

Will nodded. “The options Dr Y/L/N highlighted are my recommendations as well. We can get a surgeon to talk to you now if you like.”

As the patient agreed with almost everything Will said, he hid a smile, nodding that the both of you would get a surgeon as you led the way out and you glanced at him.

Will just smiled at you as the curtain closed behind you. “You okay?”

You glanced at him. “Of course. Annoyed? Yes. Okay? Definitely. It’s nothing I’m not used to.”

The comment was out before you could stop yourself. Will watched you, like he wanted to ask you something but he remained silent, and you were thankful that at least it hadn’t invited any probing.

“Ready to walk?” You asked your daughter who was propped up in your arms.

Chloe was usually not this clingy to you, especially when there were a million things to see along the street, but you chalked it up to everything that had changed the past few months, so you’d let her sit in your arms for a while.

Chloe smiled at you, pointing towards the display window of the bakery you were passing and you let out a small chuckle and nodded. You put her down, taking her hand but freezing when you spotted Caleb heading towards you from down the street.

Chloe turned to look up at you and you looked down at her, caught between wanting to protect her and not wanting to stand in between her and her father.

“Y/N.”

You sighed. You didn’t want to run into Caleb again, at least not for a long while, and least of all when you had Chloe here.

But it was like he barely noticed the little girl standing right next to you.

“You look good. How are you and Chloe doing?”

The question was ridiculous, you wanted to laugh. You wanted to ask him if he actually remembered he had a daughter but your hand unconsciously tightened around your daughter’s, reminding you not to go off in front of her. You caught yourself wishing you did have someone else, someone else who could distract Chloe from the fact that her father didn’t seem to have noticed her.

When you didn’t answer, Caleb seemed to finally light his eyes on his daughter. “Chloe. Hey, sweetheart, I missed you.”

Chloe glanced up at you and you nodded. Your fight was not Chloe’s.

Even so, you could see the change in the way Chloe headed to her father to give him a hug. You still remembered the way her little feet pattered across the floor, squealing as her father squatted by the door to let her run to him before he swept her up in his arms.

That felt like a lifetime ago. It was. It was a different life and you hadn’t realized how different until you watched awkwardness that shouldn’t belong to a four year old patter across the small distance to her father.

Caleb had picked up on it too. You could tell from the way he looked up at you. But you were interrupted by the clack of high heels on the concrete floor.

“Y/N, what are you doing here?” Vivian asked, as she looped her arm through Caleb’s, pulling him upwards and away from his daughter.

“Chloe, come on baby.” You held your hand out to Chloe who promptly ran back towards you and you picked her up, ignoring Vivian’s question.

Four months had seemed to erode away any sense of guilt that Vivian might have felt towards you for breaking up your family and taking your husband for herself.

“What were you doing?” Vivian pressed again and you frowned, as Caleb glanced at her.

“What was I, what?” You asked, glancing towards the bakery now wanting nothing more than to get away from these two people.

Vivian flicked her hair backwards and you remembered why you were never close to her. This would teach you to extend a helping hand to someone you barely knew. “Using your daughter to try to get your ex back, really?”

You could throttle her. You’d have this fight any day that Chloe wasn’t around, but you were still a little raw from the divorce, from all the changes in your life, and you definitely were not going to do this in front of Chloe.

But before you could say or do anything, you heard a familiar voice. “Y/N?”

You turned around, staring back at Will and Jay Halstead. “Will?” You weren’t sure if you were more embarrassed or relieved.

Jay reached you first, his eyes flicking up to the couple standing in front of you before he looked back at you, his eyes telling you that he remembered. He remembered it as well as you did, before his eyes fell on the little girl in your arms and he switched his expression to a smile.

“Hey, you okay?” Jay asked, lowering his voice.

You nodded, and Chloe looked up. “Hey, sweetheart, these are my friends, Jay and Will.” Chloe studied them for a while, as both of them smiled at her and she broke into a smile that would warm anyone’s heart.

“Mom, can I have strawberry bread?” Chloe asked, her eyebrows bunched together like she was a little annoyed that you hadn’t already entered the bakery.

“Yeah… we’ll…” You glanced back at Vivian and Caleb. There was really something you wanted to say to them before the moment passed.

“Why don’t I take her?” Will offered, smiling. “If that’s okay with you.”

You glanced at your daughter. “What do you say? Is it okay if Will takes you first?”

Chloe paused, thinking for a while, before she nodded. Chloe reacted to emotions around her so you weren’t altogether surprised that she was willing to go with Will, considering the feeling of relief you felt when you’d seen the both of them. Will took her gently from your arms when she leaned forward and you heard her already asking him about his hair the moment she perched on Will’s arm and you smiled.

You let Will enter the bakery with your daughter before you turned back towards Vivian. “Using my daughter?”

Vivian looked surprised at the change in your demeanor but promptly recovered herself, tilting her head upwards as if about to challenge you.

“We done here?” You asked, forcing your voice downwards so much you almost sounded bored.

“Wait, Y/N.” Caleb called out to you.

You turned back to look at the man you thought would be your whole life.

“What did you say to Chloe?” He asked now, his eyes narrowing as he stepped forward.

You frowned. “What do you mean?”

“What have you been saying to her about me? The change in Chloe’s behavior? That’s you, isn’t it?” He asked, his voice rising as he stepped forward.

“The change in Chloe’s behavior? That’s all on you. Four months, Caleb. She hasn’t seen you in four months. We had to leave the only home she knows. Her life was turned upside down, and Daddy doesn’t even call her. What the hell did you expect?” You could feel the anger rise but pushed it down again, almost like a habit. “If you want your daughter to treat you like her father, you have to act like one first.”

“What the hell did you say to me?” Caleb stepped forward but so did Jay.

“Far enough.” Jay’s voice was low, just like that day in the restaurant but this time he was even firmer, one hand out protectively in front of you, another on Caleb’s shoulder.

Caleb looked up at Jay. “You’re that guy from the restaurant.” He glanced back at you and a sickening smile flitted across his face.

“Guess you’re not as innocent as you made yourself out to be, huh?” Caleb directed the comment at you.

There was a flash of anger in Jay’s eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it had come the moment you touched Jay’s arm and he glanced at you. “We’re done here, come on Jay.”

Jay turned to leave with you before he paused and turned back to give Caleb one more withering look.

“You okay?” Jay asked, glancing at you as you heard the clacking of Vivian’s heels on the sidewalk get softer.

You nodded, turning to him and smiling. “Yeah, thanks. And sorry about that.”

Jay smiled. “You have nothing to be sorry for, alright? If you ever need my help, let Will know. Or you know, you can call me directly.”

You raised an eyebrow.

Jay put both his hands up and shrugged. “I swear I’m not trying to be funny. Just… if you need a friend.”

You smiled. “Thanks. Come on, before my daughter makes your brother buy the whole store.”

THANK YOU FOR READING!! PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THIS!!

If you want to support me, buy me a coffee!

[tmntxthings]

Part two: Rise!Leo falling in love for the first time

-author’s note: i don’t know where we are going but we shall keep moving forward c: hope you all enjoy <3

-warnings: angst, mentions of violence, death, guns, blood (really not too bad), cursing, slow burn, fluff, unedited

previous - next

—————————————————————————

previously. . .

“LEO?!” He was a cheeky bastard! Leaving you hanging like that, winking and making you blush furiously. At least he didn’t have the opportunity to see how red you became. He kept shocking you, of course he could actually teleport!

That night you stayed up pretty late watching Jupiter Jim episodes. You figured you’d save the movies for last. As you watched the animation your thoughts keep wandering back. Back to two hours ago, to Leo. He was a mother-flippin turtle, mutant, and ninja! And let’s not forget to tack on the super power of teleporting.

Leo was incredible, nothing like what you had imagined. But incredible nonetheless. You didn’t view him differently, in fact your crush might’ve grown a little, he did save you, and squeezed your hands making you feel all warm inside, him flirting in person all up close and personal sure was more effective than just hearing his voice!

God you were going to die of embarrassment, was it even possible?? To be embarrassed of one’s own thoughts?! Looking back at the tv, you tried to refocus on the show. Jupiter Jim. Jupiter Jim. Jupiter Jim… Leo’s smiling face crossed your mind. “Agggghhhhh” you groaned in defeat as you paused the show, there was no way you would be able to give it the attention span it needed, not when you were just so, distracted!

。・゜・( pov change: leo)・゜・。

“What’s up Leon!” April answered his call on the second ring. “You busy April? I can call bac-“

“No I’m not-“ Leo immediately pounced as soon as April said no. “Great! I’ve got a favor to ask, think you have time to spare tomorrow night?” Leo’s voice had gone all nonchalant. No need for April to know just how badly he wanted- no needed, her to come with him.

That way you and April could bond over being humans and knowing about mutants. Knowing about him specifically. Then you wouldn’t be all in your head. You would be comfortable around him again, and everything would be perfect! His plan was in motion.

“Doing what exactly?” April questioned, when it came to Leo anything was on the table. So April wasn’t exactly saying yes right off the rip. “Uh well, you know” Leo responded, very vaguely. He hadn’t really thought about actually having to come clean about what he had been doing these past couple of weeks. It made him chuckle awkwardly and April quickly deadpanned, “No, I’m not really catching your drift here Blue.”

Leo cursed inwardly, here goes nothing! “So,” his voiced turned into a whirlwind “Imetthisgirlawhileagoandwereallyhititoffbutijustshowedherwhatilookliketodayandnowshesprocessingeverythingandiwantyoutomeether!” Leo was trying to catch his breath, there he said it. “I’m gonna need a slowed down version of that” April harped, annoyed that she only caught about half of that.

“Oh come on!” Leo whined, “April I want you to meet someone who has become important to me. They just found out about me being a mutant and I thought you could help them through, you know, everything!” He huffed, not wanting to explain anymore. April’s eyes had bugged out, she couldn’t believe her ears, “You’ve got a girlfriend?!” she yelled into her phone. Leo had to pull the phone away from his ear, “They’re NOT my girlfriend” Leo exasperated and made it very clear to April to not say that ever again.

“Okay okay, calm down. I’ll go, okay?” April’s agreement had Leo sighing in relief. Plan definitely in motion! He just knew the two of you would get along great. Leo couldn’t wait to introduce you to everyone! His brothers, pops, Cass, the whole crew. Leo thought April would be the best step at bridging whatever gap that might’ve formed between the two of you.

The call ended after the details of when and where were exchanged. Leo was entering the sewer lair feeling pretty mighty. “Leo my man, you do come up with the most brilliant plans” he complimented himself.

“I think I’d switch out the adjective Nardo,” Donnie quipped as he passed Leo to go to the kitchen. “Donnieee whatcha been up to” Leo ignored the jab and followed after his brother. “Just your normal genius routine, though I am trying to see if we have any pizza left.” Donnie responded as he swung open the fridge. His eyes slanting in anger as he felt the weight of an empty pizza box in their fridge. “Who just leaves a empty box IN THE FRIDGE???” His voiced raised in annoyance.

“Chill Dee we can order some more” Thankfully Leo knew this time that it hadn’t been him, he had been out of the lair and skating around the sewers while he debated on how to get April on board with his masterful plan. “If I had to take a stab at it I’d guess-“

“Mikey” they both said in unison. Donnie grumbled as he tossed the box in the trash. “So what’s this plan you were boasting about?” Of course Donnie would ask about that. Tell the truth or lie? Would it matter if he’d have to come clean sooner rather than later since April already knew? Leo’s mind was turning and Donnie could tell as his question went unanswered for a couple of minutes.

But he was also scrounging around for something to snack on before they all decided to order some pizza. “If I tell you, you have to promise to keep it a secret from everyone else until I say so,” Leo crossed his arms as he watched his brother’s shell flit around the kitchen. “I solemnly swear” Donnie said sarcastically, prompting for Leo to spill. “Alright, well, about a couple weeks ago-“

“Wait wait,” Donnie interrupted turning on his twin. “Let me guess” he cupped his chin in thought for a couple of seconds before he said, “you met a human and they saw you!” Donatello pointed at Leo with one finger daring him to say otherwise.

The blue turtle was completely flabbergasted, “how’d you?” Leo started to say but Donnie had anticipated that question, “I know you better than you think” Donnie said tapping the side of his head, “and I’m just good like that.” He smirked, making Leo roll his eyes. “Let me find out you’ve been listening in somehow on the tracing device and I swear” the threats were stopped as Mikey came into the kitchen.

The younger brother eyed Leo and Donnie. “You wanted that pizza box chilled for some reason Michael?” Donnie quickly remembered his earlier aggravation with whoever (it was probably Mikey) ate the last slice and didn’t have the courtesy to throw the box away. “Heh, about that… When we ordering? Cause I’m starving” Mikey asked sheepishly, there was no denying the accusations. He was definitely guilty, but it was an honest mistake! He just forgot all about the box when he held up the last slice of cheesy goodness up to his mouth.

Donnie sighed, “Alright I want pepperoni,” Leo quipped in, “and a supreme!” Mikey had his phone out the pizza place number was on speed dial. “Coming right up!” Mikey gave them a thumbs up and took a seat at the table. “Hey what about my order?!” Raph burst into the kitchen just as the other line picked up. “Cheese!” Raph said before Mikey could ask.

。・゜・( t i m e j u m p )・゜・。

Leo woke up around 8:30, he groaned and stretched out in his bed then jumped up. Tonight was the night. His amazing plan would take way and then he would get to introduce you to everyone else. April would be here in thirty minutes and then they’d portal out to your place.

Leo was excited, slightly nervous, but mostly pumped. This was gonna be great! He quickly got ready, putting on his gear, one can never be too careful… plus it made him look that much cooler. He posed in a length size mirror, he was ready!

“So how much do they know exactly?” April asked as they portaled out onto the rooftops of New York City. The night air sure was getting colder, October finally bringing in fall. “Just about everything” Leo said as he portaled again this time directly on your rooftop. Looked like they were early, you weren’t in your usual spot. “Anything I should know??” April continued to question feeling like she was going into this pretty much blind. “Just befriend them, I’ll head out after the introductions and pick you up later,” Leo explained the rest of his plan.

。・゜・( pov change: y/n )・゜・。

You opened the door that led out to the rooftop. Immediately noticing Leo and someone else sitting in chairs. The girl had her back turned towards you so she didn’t notice your entry but Leo’s eyes saw the door movement instantly.

“Y/n!” He smiled and you gave him a smile back, it hadn’t been a dream. “I want to introduce you to my friend, April O’Neil!” Leo said as April turned to meet you face to face. She was pretty was your first thought. Then the name clicked from what Leo had told you last night, she knew everything, the one chased by aliens and other mutants. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you, I’m (your full name).” April reached out and shook your hand, “Likewise! It’s about time another girl came into the group,”

You continued to smile, until Leo cleared his throat and said, “Alright well I’ve got some uh, errands to run, I’ll be back later!” Before you could speak up he slashed one of his swords, gave you a tiny wave, and portaled away. You sputtered, did he really just leave you with his friend?? All alone? You guessed you’d have to push away your anxiety for now. “Sooo” April said, eyeing you up and down, then circled you.

“I can’t believe he just left!” You said flustered, “All part of his ‘master plan’” April put air quotes around the master plan part. You wondered what exactly this ‘master plan’ was all about but even though you weren’t in the loop you trusted Leo. “Wanna go walk to Central Park?” April suggested.

You chewed on your lip, it wasn’t exactly late. But you wondered if your parents would let, they were super overprotective. New York City at night could be a dangerous place. “Yeah sure!” You just wouldn’t ask, they’d assume you were in your room for the night since you had snuck out here in the first place. Usually by the time you and Leo’s late night talks were done it would be around 1 am. They were never up that late so the coast was clear to sneak back in on most nights.

You led April back inside the complex and towards the elevators. She told you how she first met the brothers, it had been all four of them. How they became fast friends. As the both of you walked down the sidewalk you started asking questions. About Leo and his brothers, how they became mutants, about the aliens Leo told you about. In the end the conversation flowed smoothly and April was super funny. “They’re great guys Y/n” April said, with a genuine smile on her face.

“I can’t wait to meet everyone!” It was the truth, April made you feel like this was just a new normal. That mutants and aliens weren’t a big deal in the grand scheme of things, in fact April had said that the brothers were more human than those who claimed to be. “I hope you don’t mind I kinda led us away from the park, I got hungry!” April said sheepishly as she put a hand on her stomach. A soft growl came from April’s direction.

“Oh yeah no worries, what did you have in mind?” You didn’t want to laugh and call out April’s stomach growls. So you focused on the billboards, the sidewalk cracks, the strangers passing by. Anything to not laugh! “I was thinking this noodle pla-“ April had been in the middle of her sentence when someone pushed past her, bumping into her shoulder.

“Excuse you!” She called after the rude pedestrian. “Are you okay?” You asked, looking back to the person who kept walking and April. “Yeah I’m fine, but someone else needs to be taught some manners!” April sure was angry! Maybe hangry?

“Don’t let that jerk get you down April, let’s go get the noodles you were talking about!” You tried to steer April’s thoughts back to food.

“Jerk?? Maybe if you two pigs weren’t hogging up the whole pavement!” The guy had stopped in his tracks, he was still a couple of feet away but you had a bad feeling now that he was talking back. “PIGS???” April was fuming as she turned to face, well actually she had to tilt her face up because this guy was huge. He was also covered head to toe in a dark robe that made it impossible to see his face.

You leaned back, grabbing at April’s arm, “April… noodles” you whispered sharply. You were not confrontational at all. “Y/n this guy called us pigs, when he ain’t even showing his ugly face!” No sooner had April pointed that out the guy started marching forward. “Alright time to run!” You said quickly as you started pulling April away, she hesitated only a second before running too.

���Yeah that’s right! Run!” He hollered as the two of you kept going. By the time you reached the noodle place you were huffing and puffing as you slid into a booth seat. “Ughh that sucked!” April heaved as she slid into the seat across from you. “Sorry April, I don’t know if I could’ve taken on that guy” you felt bad for not standing up for yourself or April. “It’s okay, he was pretty scary,” she laughed remembering how swiftly he started approaching.

The two of you ordered noodles and the conversation was stunted by the good food. “Wow I think these are the best noodles I’ve ever had!” April nodded in agreement still chowing down. It was then that the door opened, a bell signaling another customer. Except it wasn’t just one, a group of people in dark drab robes entered the restaurant.

“Aw hell,” April started choking on her food as she scrambled to get her phone. The men were looking around and you noticed a particularly large figure at the head of the group. He turned and even though you couldn’t see his eyes you could tell he had made contact. “April I think we should go..” you’d never been in any type of situation like this. The only thing you could think to do was run, even though you had just ran here!

“Donnie” April coughed and cleared her throat as she brought her phone up to her ear. “Can you get to my location asap? I’m in a bit of a pickle”

“There they are,” a gruff voice called out and the group shifted to the corner where your table was. You squeaked, it had to at least be 14 guys. “Oh my god what are we gonna do?!” You looked over to April, trying not to freak out. “Don’t worry I’m on the phone with one of Leo’s brothers-“

“Yes Donnie like right now I swear they have a group of weirdly dressed men about to come over here and-“

“Talking about us?” The leader sneered, the both of you couldn’t possibly escape now.

“Is everything okay out there?” The cook who had served the food called out from the kitchen. To which one of the henchmen immediately went in and screaming proceeded. You were cringing down in your seat, fearing for the worst. “Hear that? That’s about to be the two of you.” The leader said as he slid into April’s side of the booth.

April’s hand curled around her phone, you could see her fingers trembling. “Leave us alone!” You said leveling your stare and trying to mean business. “Or else I’ll call the police.” Your phone was in your back pocket of the jeans you wore. The leader chuckled, and put his hands up mocking you. “Oh no! Not the police,” he turned and looked at his henchmen who all started joining in laughter.

You took him looking away as the chance to start dialing 911. But April kicked you firmly underneath the table. You looked back up at her in confusion as she mouthed the word “guns.” You felt all the blood drain from your face as you heard a loud bang from the kitchen.

“Damnit!” The leader shot up from his seat and the crowd parted to let him go check what had happened in the kitchen. One of his goons was dragged out sporting a bloody nose and some gruesome gashes, he was bleeding badly. “Fucking cook tried chopping me up Boss, I didn’t know what else to do!” He was groaning and grunting from his injuries but the leader batted him upside the head.

“You do what I tell you to do, now we’ve got a dead guy in the kitchen! I wanted a free meal!” He hollered. “Gimme your gun,” the guy did begrudgingly and then another shot rang out. Your eyes had been wide with fear earlier but now you were pretty sure you were going to die.

“Don please tell me you’re almost here,” April whispered, you hadn’t realized she was still on call, and you couldn’t hear him reply.

“Sorry about that piggies, now where were we?” The leader started approaching, blood splattered his robes from the shot he fired just seconds earlier. He sounded so casual. He was definitely a murdering psychopath. And you were going to die in a noodle shop. Somehow you hadn’t passed out yet, maybe holding onto the sliver of hope that was April calling for the turtles.

Ding! The doorbell rang out clear and everyone’s head turned, you hoped whoever it was turned and ran for help. “Anyone call for a- BUTT WHOPPING?!” A flash of orange whirled into the room, nunchucks spinning and flying out knocking two henchmen out cold. Before anyone could move blue light shined in the middle of the room. You knew it was them. They had come, your heart swelled with hope. Leo had come to save you!

[push-baby-push]

Test Day

Full credit goes to @ubernesss

By Ubernesss

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

As April, 21 years old at 4 1/2ft, D cup, long brown hair, blue eyes, and white skin, woke up next to her boyfriend, August, after a hard night of partying. They were both hungover from the previous night, with splitting headaches, no memory of the party itself, and neither of them were wearing any clothes. "What the hell happened last night?" April asked while sitting up in bed with one arm and holding her head in the other to ease the pain.

"You're asking me?" August replied, as he put his hands over his face in pain, "But what ever happened, it had to be pretty insane, we're both naked."

As April sat up right, she felt something wet around her pussy. Not knowing what it was, she took two of her fingers and dipped them in the liquid and then brought it up to her nose to smell. It only took one sniff to realize what had soaked her pussy, cum. To be sure, she held her fingers to August, now sitting up, and asked him to smell it, "What does this smell like to you?" she asked.

He took a whiff and said, "That's cum alright."

"Does that mean we fucked last night?" April asked.

August closed his eyes and leaned his head back trying to remember, "Uhhhh... Let's see, you and Kim came over to my house in Kim's car, and she said that since she doesn't drink she would be our designated driver and we could carpool with her to the party. Once we got to the party I remember having a few drinks, and then that's where it starts to go fuzzy for me."

As August strains to remember what happened last night, trying to ignore the pain from straining his brain too much, he manages to remember a few fuzzy memories, "So... then... I think I'm remembering a bit more from last night, and I think we did fuck, but it's very fuzzy and I'm not very sure. Try calling Kim and ask her, “I'm going to take a shower."

August turned to get off the bed, and as he slid his feet into his slippers he winced in disgust. He removed a slipper and said, "Well I just found out two things. First one being that there was guacamole at the party, and the second is that I now need new slippers."

As August hobbled off to the bathroom, trying not to drop any "guacamole" on the carpet, April picked up her phone and called Kim. After a few rings Kim picked up, "Hey there, I thought I would receive a call from you. How do you feel?"

"Awful. What happened last night?"

"Well to begin, you two got more hammered than a construction worker's toolbox at a M.C. Hammer performance."

"Thanks, but we found that out when we woke up. What I want to know is..." April stopped feeling a little embarrassed to ask.

"Yes...?" Kim led on, "Come on, we've been friends since kindergarten, you know you can ask me anything, so what is it?"

"I know I can ask you anything, and you can ask me anything, it's just that..." April said sheepishly, "I'm afraid and embarrassed about what you're going to say, that's all."

"Hey, I'm not going to force it out of you, but I'm just going to say that it would probably be better if you heard it from me first, than someone else" Kim said reassuring her.

"You're right." April agreed, "So did August and I have sex last night?"

"There we go!" Kim stammered, "After you both got hammered, you went up stairs and started to hammer each other, and with as much as you two were moving the bed, it sounded like you were using hammers!"

"Oh no!" April said in shock and disbelief.

"Wait! There's more!" Kim added.

"I don't want to hear it." April complained.

"Well you already opened the can of worms, and it's because of what happened next that you two owe me big time!" Kim said with a little anger in her voice.

"What?"

"Well, since you were making so much noise, they sent someone up to get you two to quiet down, and because I was the one who brought you to the party they made me do it!" Kim angrily said.

April agonizingly said, "I'm so sorry you had to deal with that."

Kim continued, "Well after a little while with no success, I just decided to pull the plug, and take you guys back to August's house. It was tough getting you both in my car, but with a little help from Jake and a plastic seat covering, I managed to get you both back to August's place."

"Thanks."

"No problem. Jake went with me to help me get you two into the house. Though on the way there my car looked like it had hydraulics, with how you two were going at it in the back seat. I guess there's a plus, because who needs hydraulics when you have a horny BFF and her boyfriend in your back seat, right?" Kim finished jokingly.

"Enough of the jokes, please."

"Ok, sorry. Do you know if he used protection?" Kim asked worriedly.

"I don't think he did, because when I woke up I had cum in my vagina."

"Have you been taking birth control then?"

"Nope! I'm sure I'll be fine though."

"Have you told August yet?"

"No, not yet. He's in the shower right now, I'll tell him when he gets out. So Jake helped you, you said. I know you've had the biggest crush on him for the longest time, did you talk to him? Was he single?" April said, trying to change the topic.

"Yeah I did! And yes he is!" Kim said excitedly, "He even said that he would come over to my place and help me clean the back of my car from the mess you two made!"

"Sorry, wait! I thought you used a plastic seat cover?" April questioned.

"I did, and it helped with most of the mess, but there's still the floor and roof to deal with."

"ROOF! Really? Wow, I guess we do owe you big time!" April said shockingly, "Though I think giving you an opportunity to hook up with Jake as payment enough though, right?"

"No it doesn't. You owe him as much as me, so it doesn't count!"

"Ok, ok, you got me there."

The two girls continued talking like that until August stepped out of the bathroom.

"Oh, August just got out of the shower. Talk to you later, bye." April said.

"Ok, be sure to tell him everything ok? See you at the college on Monday then, bye." Kim said as a beep signaled the end of the conversation.

"What?" August responded to hearing his name.

"Oh..." April staggered.

""Oh" what?" August asked.

"It's just that..." April said prolonging the truth.

""It's just that" what? Just say it." August said impatiently.

"Well I called Kim, and she said that we did fuck."

"So, what's the big deal?"

"It's just that I don't think you used protection, I haven't been taking birth control, and we owe Kim and Jake big time!" April said quickly.

"Wait, what was that!?" August questioned, not fully sure he heard what she said right.

"We owe Kim and Jake big time!" April said avoiding the topic.

"No, not that. The first two things you said." August pushed.

"I don't think you used protection and I haven't been taking my birth control." April said quickly.

"Are you on or had your period this month?" August asked looking for a possibility for it to not mean what he thinks it means.

August hunched over and April told him the answer he didn't want to hear, "No."

"So you think you might become pregnant then?" August asked in disbelief.

"I don't think I'm pregnant yet, because it only happened last night, but I do think I will become pregnant." April said.

"Ok. How about you go freshen up, while I think about this, ok?" August said worriedly, "And once you get out, hopefully I've thought of a few things to do."

"I'll do that then." April said.

As April took her shower and freshened up she, too, was thinking about what she was going to do, if was indeed pregnant. As she thought, she at least came to the conclusion that she wanted to have the baby, no matter what. So she finished her shower, wrapped a towel around herself, and walked out to talk with August.

"So?" she asked, wondering what August had thought up.

"Well..." August said seriously, "There's always the first option, since it's likely that you just got pregnant, and that's abortion."

"NO!" April quickly interrupted.

"What?" August asked.

"While I was in the shower I came to the conclusion that at least want to have the baby. So, no to abortion." April explained.

"Ok then, that's fine. If you want to have the baby, go ahead. Then there's two other options, you can raise the baby or give it up for adoption." August said shifting unsettlingly as he finished.

"I don't know what I want to do past have the baby. I could give the baby up for adoption or raise it myself. Though I don't know if I could raise a child by myself." April replied starting to tear up.

August then said, "If you want to raise the child, then you won't have to do it by yourself."

"What do you mean?" April asked as tears ran down her face.

"I mean, if you want to raise the child, then I'll do it with you!" August stated as he got up to comfort April.

"Really? You mean it?" April asked wanting reassurance.

"Yes, I do. You could have one, twins, or even triplets and I would still help, because I love you!" August said reassuringly.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you too!" April said as she hugged August harder than she has ever done before, filled with relief.

As they both calmed down from the roller coaster of emotions both of them just went though, April asked, "So now what?"

August replied, "Tomorrow, I'll go to the store and get you a pregnancy test, to make sure that you really are pregnant."

"Make sure you get multiple of them, like 4, to prevent a false positive." April added.

"Ok, I'll do that then. I'll be sure to go before the stores close, since most stores close early on Sunday. But as of right now, nursing this hangover." August said as he fell onto the bed.

"Thank you so much." April said as she fell onto the bed with him still in her arms, and kissing him before she fell asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day August went out and bought 4 pregnancy tests like he said he would. Much to April's demise, said that the test would only be accurate at least 3 days past her missed period. So she looked at August and said, "It's going to be about another two weeks or so, before we know if all this fuss is for not or is the real deal, since it's the start of a new month."

"Well, what do you think we should do in the meantime?" August asked.

April replied, "If we're going to raise a child, then I think it would be a good idea if we lived together. What do you think?"

"You're right. Do you want me to move in with you or do you want to move in with me?" asked August.

"I currently live in an apartment that I KNOW won't be able to hold 3 people. So since you're renting a house, I think it would be better if I moved in with you." said April.

"Ok, if you think it would be better if you moved in with me, I'll go with you to your apartment and help you pack." August said somewhat distractedly.

"Woh, not yet. We don't even know if I'm actually pregnant yet. So just wait for now, and once I know, you'll know. Ok?" April said.

"Sorry, this whole thing put me on a bit of an edge." August said, getting refocused.

"It's fine, I'll go home and get a few boxes out on standby, so if I am pregnant, I can start packing as soon as I find out. Besides, I need to go home and get ready for school tomorrow any way." April said.

With that April gathered her stuff, and went home to get ready for the school day tomorrow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day April woke up, did her morning bathroom duties, grabbed her back pack, got in her car, and drove to school. When she got to the college, she found a good parking spot, grabbed her back pack, and immediately headed out for her first class of the day. After class April went to the campus cafe and student lounge to join her friends. As she approached the spot in the lounge where her friends usually sit, April heard her name being called by a voice she recognized as Kim's voice, and a hand raised and waving to her only confirmed it to be Kim. April then grabbed a chair and sat next to Kim. "So do you know yet?" Kim asked indirectly.

"No, not yet. I have to wait until after I have a missed period to find out." April replied.

"So not for another 2 weeks or so?" responded Kim.

"Yep, looks like it." April said.

"Ok, but just remember that you can tell me anything, alright?" Kim said reassuringly.

"I know, thanks." April said before pausing, wanting to change the topic before someone overheard, "Where's Jake? I thought you two were dating now?"

Catching April's intent for the topic change, Kim said, "He's in class right now, but I don't know if you could call us dating, since we technically haven't had a date yet. I mean, we only hit it off on friday, so it's been only two days."

"You know what I mean!" April snapped.

"Yeah, yeah." Kim said passingly, "But my point still stands."

"Fine then! Do you have a date set up then?" April asked defeated.

Smirking having been victorious, Kim said, "Yes, we're going out on our first date Thursday, because neither of us have class on that day. I'm so excited!"

"I'm excited for you too!" April added.

"Oh, speaking of squeezes, where's yours?" Kim asked.

"Didn't I tell you? He transferred to a better college at the end of last year." April said.

"No you didn't, or I don't don't remember. Either way, ok, good for him." stammered Kim.

April and Kim talked for a while, until Julie and her boyfriend, June, showed up. The four of them then started playing king's corners until April looked at the clock. "Oops, I better get something to eat before my next class!" April said.

"Where are you going?" Julie asked.

"What do you mean "where am I going"? I'm going to the cafe. Where else?" stated April.

"Well since yea can drive, why don't yea head to another place to get some food?" Julie said.

"Well by the time I get to the other place, get my food, eat it, and get back it would be just about time for my next class. And I would prefer to stay here with my friends, than at a fast food place. Besides it saves money on gas, have you seen how high gas prices are recently?" April said.

"She does have a point there." June added, "Trust me Jul, since I drive you here, I know what she means about the gas prices."

"Ok, I guess I see what you mean. I was just curious, that's all." Julie agreed.

April went to the cafe, got some food, ate it, and then went to her second class of the day. Once her second class ended, she gathered her stuff into her backpack, and once she got out of the building her class was in she started running to her third and final class of the day, since it's on the other end of the campus from where her second class is and she only has 15 minutes to make it on time, not to mention it's a class that she need to get in order to get the degree she wants. While April's third class was rounding down for the day, the teacher, Mrs. Octo (short for Octavio), made an announcement, "Good news class! I found out when your final is going to be! It's going to be in about 9 months, it might seem like it's a ways away, but it's closer than you might think! So study hard, because since this is such an essential class to become... to become..." Mrs. Octo paused putting her arm around her mouth, "Ahh CHOO! Excuse me. Where was I? Oh, yeah! Since this class is so essential, that the test will count for half your grade! They also told me that the scheduling this year is tight, so you'll only get one chance to take the test. Meaning that if you fail or miss the test you will fail the class, and it would set you back a full year, so make sure you start studying now, and be sure to show up so your studying isn't wasted! Class dismissed."

As April was heading back to her car all she could think about was what her teacher said about the final in her last class, "It counts for half of my grade! That's insane! If I want to make it though, I better start studying like Mrs. Octo said! I also can't let anything stop me from being able to take the test either!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two weeks later. Much to April's demise, her period seemed to be late. So she took the pregnancy tests August bought, and used them. April's fear only solidified when they all read positive, confirming that she was indeed pregnant. She then called August to tell him the news, "Hello, August. My period was late so I took the pregnancy tests."

"So what were the results?" August asked, knowing the answer in the back of his mind.

"All four were positive. I'm pregnant." April said softly.

"So should I start making room for you to move in with me then?" August asked with a sigh.

"Yeah, me and a baby. And I'll start packing, so I can move in with you." April said, trying to make light of a situation that was still heavy for both of them.

With that, April started packing to move in with August, while August was making room for both April and a new baby. They managed to get everything done for the move at a rather fast pace, and April was moved into August's house in a couple of months.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Being to preoccupied with the moving and getting ready for a baby, it wasn't until April was about 20 weeks along, but looking like she was 30 weeks, with the baby looking like it's already on it's way out with how low she was carrying, a navel that had already popped out several weeks before, and a stomach that somehow didn't have any stretch marks, that she was able to get to a doctor to get a sonogram. So that Sunday, August took April to the doctor's office so she could get a sonogram and see how their baby is developing. So once they got to the hospital, they went inside, checked in, and took a seat in the waiting room. "I really hope the baby's doing ok, with as big as I've gotten." April said somewhat worried.

"I'm sure the baby's fine, you're just short so the baby looks bigger on you. But you might want to ask about how you're carrying so low." August added.

After giving August a dirty look for mentioning her height (or lack thereof), a nurse called April's name. So, with some help from August getting up, they followed the nurse into one of the rooms. After the nurse got done doing the basic check up routine, the doctor walked in. "Hello, I'm Dr. Octavio. I'll be your doctor today, nice to meet you." the doctor said as he walked in.

"Hi, nice to meet you too." August said shaking Dr. Octavio's hand.

Now shaking April's hand, April said, "Hello, nice to meet you too. I actually have a teacher named Mrs. Octavio, but everyone calls her Mrs. Octo, do you know her by chance?"

"Up at the local college?"

"Yep!"

"Yeah I know her. She's my wife in fact." stated the doctor.

"Ok, cool. But can you please not tell her that I had an appointment with you please? It's not you, it's just that I think it would be a little awkward is all." April said.

"I don't really see why it would be awkward, but if you don't want me to tell her, I give you my doctor's oath!" Dr. Octavio said putting his right hand over his heart and raising his left.

"Thank you." April said relieved.

"Don't mention it. So you're here to get a sonogram, is that right?" Dr. Octavio asked moving the appointment along.

"Yes."

"Alright then, I'm going to need you to lift up your shirt and come lay down over here." said Dr. Octavio patting a nearby bed.

"Alright, I think I can do that. It's easy for me to get off this, since all I have to do is just slide off." April said sliding herself off the check up chair she was sitting on.

As April got off Dr. Octavio noticed how low she was carrying. "Wow! You're really carrying low aren't you?" the doctor asked.

"Oh yeah! I wanted to know if that meant anything?" August chimed in.

"No, not much any way. All it means is that if you go into labor, you're going to give birth rather fast that's all." the doctor said, answering August's question.

By then April managed to waddle her way to the bed, lift up her shirt, exposing her rather round stomach, and get herself positioned on the bed. Dr. Octavio went over to April to first examine her stomach. "How far along are you?" he asked.

"I'm about 20 to 21 weeks just about." April responded.

"I'm not seeing any stretch marks, which is amazing! Most women would already have stretch marks by now or at least have a few starting to form, but having no stretch marks, though rare, is not impossible." explained the doctor.

"That's good to hear!" said August.

"Ok, so I'm going to a little gel on your stomach, so the sonogram can be taken, and it might fell a little cold at first." Dr. Octavio said as he pulled out a bottle of gel from a cabinet, and started to put a little bit on April's stomach.

"Oh! That does feel cold!" April said jumping a little as the gel was put on her stomach.

Dr. Octavio turned on a nearby machine, and grabbed a small device that was connected to it, then a moment later he put the device to April's stomach and started moving it around. Before long a picture appeared on the machine's monitor, "Let's see here." stated Dr. Octavio as he examined the picture on the screen.

"Well, there's definitely a baby in there!" the doctor said jokingly, "But now let's get a different angle."

Dr. Octavio moved the small device to the other side of April's stomach. "Oh! It looks like I have some good news for you two!" Dr. Octavio said.

"What?" April and August asked together.

"Well it looks like you're expecting twins! Congrats!" said Dr. Octavio congratulating them.

"Twins! We're having twins! August can you believe it!? Twins!" April said excitedly.

"Twins. Wow! I hardly believe it, but I do!" August said in shock.

Dr. Octavio then moved the small device under April's stomach. "oh, sorry. Looks like I was wrong." said the doctor looking somewhat surprised.

"What? Are we only having one?" April asked somewhat worried and relieved, as August grabbed her hand.

"No. You're having triplets!" Dr. Octavio said in complete amazement.

"Really!? Triplets?!" April said even more shocked than before.

"Triplets, oh man! Are you sure there isn't a fourth one in there?" August said almost speechless by the news.

"Let me check." Dr. Octavio said as he started moving the small device all around April's stomach, "No, it doesn't look like it's going to be quads, just the three. So triplets is my final answer! You are for sure having triplets!" he said confidently.

"So triplets it is. Wow! Just wow!" August said.

"So I'm carrying triplets!" April said looking down at her stomach excitedly, "August, I'm so happy, but I'm also a little scared. Do you think we'll be able to do it? Raise three kids?" April asked still very excited but with a little worry.

"Don't worry. I'm sure we'll be fine. Like I said, I'll help you raise them so we're in this together. To be honest I'm a little scared myself, but I know I got you by my side, so I know it's all going to be ok." August said comforting April.

So they finished up the appointment, and April and August headed home. On their way home August asked, "So are you going to take maternity leave from school?"

"As much as I should, I can't. Or I can't if I don't want to be set back a year." April replied.

"Well you could always do the year over. You know that right?" August argued.

"I know. It's just that I'm not sure if I would be able to do the year over once the babies are born." April argued back, "And if I'm able to complete the my classes this year it will open a lot of doors for me, that not only would bring in more income to raise them, but are much more flexible than anything I would be able to get if I were to miss out. So it's only beneficial that I finish my classes, and you're not going to convince me otherwise!" April said definitively.

"Ok, ok. I know there wouldn't be any point to argue about this with you any more, but I still don't like it." August said sternly.

April feeling a little bad about the argument said, "Ok. How about this, I'll take it easy until the babies are born, but I'll still go to school to finish up the year?"

"I still don't like it, but I guess it's a bit better. You're not going to drive yourself to school though! I'll hide your keys if I have to! I might have lost the war, but I swear that I'll win the battle!" August said valiantly.

"Ok, how about on Mondays and Fridays you'll drive me to school, and on Wednesday I'll take the bus to school since on those days you have to go to school early. How does that sound?, April asked.

"I suppose that'll work." August said, happy with the driving agreement.

Feeling like it was a decent compromise, April agreed. The next day April stepped out of the bathroom, after her morning shower, in nothing but a light pink pair of panties and matching bra. She went over to her closet and saw that she didn't have very many clothes left. "Looks like I'll need to do some laundry soon, I'm almost out of clothes." April said as she wondered what she was going to wear.

"Are you almost ready? It's about time to go!" August yelled from the living room.

Hearing that, April quickly picks out a peach colored dress that used to go to her knees. "This dress used to go to my knees, so it should be able to cover me pretty well." April said putting on the dress that now barely reaches her lower hip.

"Fuck! I've gotten too big! Oh well, I think it covers me well enough. I should be fine." April said choosing not to put on any pants, to speed up her morning routine.

April finished getting ready, August drove her to school, and she went to her first class of the day. Once her first class was dismissed, April managed to wiggle, scoot, and strong arm herself out of her desk, and she then bent down to pick up her back pack, with one hand holding her stomach and the other one on the desk for support. Once she got her back pack and stood back up, she could hear some of her other classmates whispering to each other behind her, so she looked back at them and they immediately got quiet and looked away. April didn't think anything of it, and went on her way to meet up with her friends. When April entered the student lounge she saw Kim sitting at a table next to Jake, so she waddled over and grabbed a seat. "Hello there!" April said to them.

"Heeey!" Kim said cheerfully.

"Hello. Oh! Here have my seat!" Jake said offering April his seat.

"No thank you. I would rather sit here, it's easier for me to sit here. But thanks anyway." April said taking a seat on the other side of Kim.

"Wow, it hasn't dawned on me until now as to how big you've gotten!" Kim said putting a hand on April's stomach.

"I know, I've gotten big haven't I? So much so that the babies have pushed out my belly button to make room." April replied poking her belly button, which was sticking out through her dress.

"Yeah, they have... wait! Babies, like in plural?!" Kim asked curiously.

"Yep! I'm carrying..." just then April felt one of her babies kick.

"Oof!" April said putting a hand on her stomach rubbing where the baby kicked.

"You ok?" asked Jake.

"I'm fine. One of the babies kicked that's all." April said as she continued to rub her stomach.

"Oh! Is the baby still kicking? I want to feel!" Kim said excitedly, putting a hand where April was rubbing hoping to feel a kick.

"A little. Can you feel it?" April said.

"Yeah I can! That's so cool!" Kim said ecstatically, "Oh yeah! Didn't you say you were carrying multiples or something?"

"That's right! August and I went to the doctor's yesterday, and he said that I was carrying triplets!" April said.

"Triplets! Really!?" Kim said in disbelief.

"Yeah, really! I have three little ones in here." April said putting her hands on the bottom of her stomach, showing how big she's gotten.

"You're really carrying low too." added Jake.

"Yeah. The doctor said that means that I will give birth faster when I enter labor." April responded, "Also why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be in class?"

"My class was canceled today, that's why I'm here," said Jake.

"Oh, speaking of class, are you going to go on maternity leave?" Kim asked.

"Don't get me started on that subject. I've already gone over it with August, and no I'm not." April said slightly mad.

Sensing the anger, Kim didn't push the subject. "I think I'll get something to eat. Do you want anything April? My treat, since you are eating for four, and that way you won't have to get up." Kim said standing up.

"If you don't mind, please. I would appreciate it, thank you." April said.

"I don't mind. What do you want?" Kim asked.

"Get me two cheeseburgers with everything on it, except onions..." April continued.

"I can't stand onions." April and Kim said in unison.

"Hahaha. Sure that's fine." Kim said.

So Kim and Jake went to the campus cafe, and Kim got April two cheeseburgers with everything on them, except onions, because April can't stand onions. They then sat down, ate, and talked until April had to go to her next class. Jake helped April up, Kim handed her her bag, and waved goodbye as April waddled off to class. As she was going to her next class April noticed that the wind had picked up a bit, and that people passing her were looking away for some reason. April couldn't think about it too much, because she had to focus on keeping up her pace so she could get to class. After her second class was done, when she bent down to get her backpack, she heard people talking behind her again, but she couldn't think too much about it if she wanted to make it to her third class on time. Once April was outside the building she started running as best as she could, for someone pregnant with triplets could. The wind was still blowing, and April didn't notice, but as she was running to her next class the people she passed had an odd expression on their face. When April got to her third class she took her seat towards the back of the room, like she normally does. Once class was done, Mrs. Octo called April over.

"April, I don't know what about, but the dean wants to talk to you about something. I don't know what, but he asked me to send you his way after class, so he could talk to you." Mrs. Octo informed April.

"Ok, I'll do that then. I hope I'm not in trouble." April said somewhat worriedly.

So April went over to the dean's office and knocked on the door. "Hello! Come in." a voice said from behind the door.

April opened the door and cautiously said, "Hello. My name is April. You wanted to see me?"

"Oh, yes! April, come in! Please, have a seat." said a man sitting behind a desk, "My name is Kyle Smith. Nice to meet you." he said holding out his hand to shake.

Shaking the man's hand April said, "Nice to meet you too. Kim I ask what's this about?"

"Yeah, so I understand your condition..." Mr. Smith said looking at April's stomach, "And it's your choice to go on maternity leave, but I got numerous reports today that the shirt you're wearing might be a bit short."

"What do you mean exactly?" asked April.

"Well I mean that I got several reports that people could easily see your underwear while you did various activities without much effort." Mr. Smith stated.

Turning redder than a tomato, April embarrassingly said, "Oh my gosh! I am so sorry. I'm so embarrassed."

"Don't worry. You're fine right now. I'm just going to give you a warning this time, but if it happens again I will have to suspend you. Just make sure you wear pants from now on, ok?" said Mr. Smith.

"Ok, I will. Thank you." April said still very embarrassed.

The dean, Mr. Smith, then let April go. By this point August was already there, April got in his car, and he drove back home. On the way home August had noticed that April was rather red, and asked her if she was Ok. She then told him about what had happened, he chuckled a bit, and continued driving.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

April woke up, now at 40 weeks pregnant with triplets, a stomach that looks like the babies dropped weeks ago, a navel that looks like it was turned inside out to make room for the three babies, now an E cup, and miraculously no stretch marks, feeling a little pressure on her cervix and a slight tightness in her stomach. She rubbed her stomach a bit, and that seemed to make her feel a bit better. August wasn't there since it was a Wednesday, and he was already at school, so that meant that April would have to catch the bus. Once April was done with her shower, she went over to her drawers and pulled out a pair of pink and orange gym short shorts, and being as big as she is, it was a challenge for April to get them on. She leaned back on the bed to get them over her feet, then she stood up so she could pull them up higher on her legs, but to get them on properly April started to jump in order to get them on right, and just as she managed to get the shorts in the right place, her stomach tightened immensely and a pain shot through her body. "Ohhhh! Ow, ow, ow, ow!" April winced as she grabbed her stomach and sat back down on the bed.

After a few minutes of rocking on the bed and rubbing her stomach, the pain went away and her stomach loosened up a bit. "What was that? Was that a contraction?" April asked herself.

She then took a look at her phone and saw that it was the big test day. "If it was a contraction, it's going to have to wait, because it's finals day and I can't miss it. I'll have August drive me to the hospital after school to give birth, but until then, you guys are just going to have to wait." April said looking down and rubbing her stomach.

April then put on a blue dress, that just barely goes down to the bottom of her stomach with as big as she is, heads down to the bus stop, and gets on the bus. Luckily it's still early so there's plenty of room, so she grabs a seat, and the bus heads off. April hadn't noticed until now that the roads the bus takes aren't very smooth, because with every bump the bus has, the greater the pressure she feels in her cervix becomes and the tighter her stomach gets. So for the entire bus ride to school, April was rubbing her stomach trying to keep her three children calm, so she can last the day. When the bus arrived at the school, April went to her first class rubbing her stomach all the way there.

Luckily for April, only her third class is the only class she has that has a final. Though getting through her first class wasn't easy, she could barely pay attention to what the teacher was saying, because she was still dealing with the pressure and tightness caused by the bus ride. So she just sat in her seat, pretending to be paying attention without it being too obvious that she's feeling discomfort, and continued to rub her tightening stomach for the duration of the class. April was glad to hear that since it was the last day, they could leave class early. So April gathered her things, and as she stood up she felt an increase in pressure in her cervix. As to not let on that anything is wrong, April just grabbed her stomach with one hand, and let out a soft, "Oof."

When April got to the student lounge she didn't see Kim, and figured that she was still in class. So April took a seat where she usually does, took out a textbook and notes, and started studying the best she could, trying to ignore the pain she was feeling. It wasn't long until Kim showed up. "Hey there. You're still here? I thought you would have at least asked to take your final early." Kim said.

"Yeah I'm still here, and I wish I could have taken the final early, but the teacher said that time alterations can't be made for the final of that class." April said breathing as heavily as she was pregnant.

"You Ok?" Kim concernedly asked.

"I'm fine. The babies are just moving around a lot, that's all. Nothing to worry about." April said, trying to ignore the pressure and tightness again.

"If you say so. Here let me get you a burger, my treat. Then I'll leave you alone so you can study. Ok?" Kim said not completely convinced.

"Thank you." April said.

Kim went and got April a burger, the way she liked it, and then let her be to study. As April was eating the burger, it seemed to calm her children down a bit, or at least made it easier to ignore the pain. Though, it wasn't long after she had finished the burger that April felt her belly tighten harder and a sharper pain go through her body than what she felt that morning. "Oooooh!" April sighed out as she grabbed her stomach with both hands and leaned forward.

"Hey, are you ok?" Kim asked, seeing April hunch over.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just braxton hicks. Don't worry, it's not the real thing." April said, trying to shrug it off.

"Ok, I'll believe you, but just tell me if you need any help." said Kim knowing how stubborn April can be.

"Ok, I will." April said, panting heavily and leaning back.

As April was leaning back she was rubbing her stomach, and concentrating on making the contraction end. After a short time it does, so April tries to go back to studying, just to be interrupted again by another contraction. This one lasts a bit longer than the last one, and once it ends, April decides that it's going to be impossible to study any further and puts her stuff back into her backpack. After getting her stuff into her backpack, a third contraction hits April, she grabs her stomach and starts rocking back and forth while rubbing her belly to try and make the pain go away. After a while it does, and by this point it's time for April to get to her second class. When she stands up she feels the pressure in her cervix increase once again, and is starting to become very uncomfortable for her. "Oh boy!" April says to herself grabbing hold of her stomach.

As April waddles to her second class, every step she takes only increases the pressure she's feeling even more. By the time she gets to her class it feels like there's a wrecking ball sitting on her cervix. Much like her first class April couldn't concentrate on what the teacher was saying, she tried her best to act like she was paying attention, but it was much harder for her this time, because of the immense pressure she was feeling. So she just sat at her desk, and rubbed her stomach, which felt as hard a wrecking ball with as tight as it was, until class was done. Once the class was over, April got up out of her seat, and felt the pressure in her cervix become completely unbearable now. All April did was grab her stomach with one hand and let out a soft sigh of pain.

As she waddled out of the building, each step she took sent a shock wave of pain through her cervix and up her body. Once April got outside, she knew that she was going to have to run to her next class if she didn't want to be late, so April started running to her next class. As she ran, each step kept increasing the pressure April felt in her cervix to an excruciating amount, with each step testing the strength of her cervix to see if can hold her three children who were ready to come out. Until April was about half way to her next class when the pain got too much for her and she had to stop to catch her breath. After a few moments of trying to catch her breath, and calm down her babies, without much success. "Oh, oh, oh! Ow, ow, ow, ow! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" April said grabbing her stomach with both hands and rubbing it as hard as she could, trying to relieve some of the pressure she was feeling as she bent over.

With the pain and pressure not going away, and strapped for time, April started running again, but didn't get very far when she heard a pop and felt a liquid running down her legs. "Oh Fuck!" April shouted, but there wasn't anyone around her at the time.

April wiped a bit of the liquid off of her leg, and examined it. "Oh shit! My water broke!" April said in shock.

April then got a glimpse of a nearby clock post, and realized that water, broken or not, she still needs to make it to her next class. So she starts running again, she managed to get to her last class on time, but she could feel that the first baby slid down her birth canal slightly from the running she did. Using her back pack to cover up her legs the best she could she went to her seat and sat down. Luckily for her that her seat is next to a wall so there was no one behind her who could see that her water had broken as she moved to her seat in the back of the classroom. Though maybe, not so luckily for her, the desks in her third class don't pull out, so she has to sit sideways in her seat. No sooner than April sat down, that the teacher started talking. "Ok class. For your final you're going to have 3 hours to complete it. There will be no talking once I pass out the first test, and all cell phones should be turned off. I'll even turn mine off, to prevent any unnecessary distractions. You should all have a pencil that you can use, as well as scratch paper and the necessary tools needed for the test. With that, let's begin." said Mrs. Octo.

As Mrs. Octo was passing out the tests, April felt another contraction, this one was stronger than any of the ones she had felt before, and could feel the first baby slide a little farther down her birth canal. April gritted her teeth and immediately grabbed her stomach and started rubbing it, the rubbing seemed to calm the baby down and slow its descent down her birth canal. April made a mental note of this, because she knew that since she was carrying so low that the baby didn't have to go far before it would be out of her birth canal. Once Mrs. Octo started going down the last row of desks, April stopped rubbing her belly, and acted like nothing was wrong, as not to arouse any concern. While Mrs. Octo was going down the column of desks, since April wasn't rubbing her stomach to calm the babies down, she could feel the first baby slide down her birth canal faster than she would have liked. When Mrs. Octo got to April to hand her the test, luckily April's belly was still very big so the teacher couldn't see her soaked pants. As soon as the teacher turned away April started rubbing her stomach again, but she could feel that the baby had already made it about two-thirds down her birth canal.

As April did her test, rubbing her belly, and pausing during a few bad contractions she could feel the baby slowly get lower and lower, until she felt the first baby's head was about to leave her vagina. When April felt the baby's head reach her vagina, she stopped rubbing her stomach, reached under her belly, and felt around her, still soaking, pants to see if she could feel the baby's head yet. "Shit! This isn't good! I still have an hour left on the clock and I'm almost done with the test. I can't give birth now! Not yet, anyway. I have to try and hurry up and finish." April thought to herself.

April picked up the pace to try and finish the rest of the test as fast as she could. About fifteen minutes pass, when April feels a rather strong contraction. "Oh no! Not now! Not now! The pressure is too much! I need to push, just a little!" April thinks to herself as she grits her teeth so no one hears her.

April pushes as much as she can, and feels the first baby's head start to come out a bit. She reaches down under her belly and feels a noticeable bulge in her pants, which she knows is the baby's head. "Oh fuck! The baby's starting to come out, but I'm not done with the test yet! I also need to figure out what to do about my pants! Shit!" April panicking thinks to herself.

She continues with her test, while fighting contractions and baby bulging in her pants. April manages to get to the last question, with twisty minutes left to go, when all of a sudden she feels another strong contraction hit her. "Oh no, not again! The pressure! So much pressure! I have to push again! I can't help it!" April thinks to herself, gritting her teeth and panting slightly.

April pushes again, and feels the baby's head start to crown. She reaches under her stomach again to feel the baby, and this time she feels that the bulge in her pants has gotten much larger now. "Shit! The first baby's head is almost all the way out, and it feels like it's going to rip my fucking pussy in half! Fuuuck, the pain! I only have one question to go though, and then I can turn it in and get help! I just need to answer this last question!" April thought to herself, knowing that she doesn't have much longer on the test.

April quickly answers the last question, with five minutes to spare, and is about to raise her hand to turn it in the test, when she feels another strong contraction overwhelm her. "No! Not another one! Oh shit! I need to push again!" April thinks to herself, gritting her teeth and panting heavily.

As April pushes she can feel her pants slowing the baby's progress out. "Shit! My pants are slowing down the baby's progress! The pressure's unbearable! It hurts! I need to push harder! OW ow ow ow! Fuuuck!" April thinks to herself. So as April pushes harder, she can feel the first baby's head completely leave her birth canal, which pulls her pants down slightly. She then reaches down to feel her pants, and feels that the bulge is very massive now.

"Ok class! Time's up! Time to turn in your test!" Mrs. Octo announces to the class.

As Mrs. Octo goes around the classroom gathering the remaining student's tests, April's contractions get worse. April grabs her stomach in pain. "Ohhhhh shit! The pain! It hurts so much! I just want to get these babies out! No ow ow ow ow!" April thinks to herself, moaning softly.

When Mrs. Octo came over to get April's test, she noticed that April was breathing heavily, a little pale, and holding her stomach. "Are you ok dear?" asked Mrs. Octo worriedly.

"Nooooooo! Owwwwwwww!" April responded, holding her stomach tightly.

"What's wrong?!" Mrs. Octo asked concernedly, not being able to see the bulge in April's pants due to her large stomach; before looking down at the floor and seeing that it was wet, "Did your water break?! Is that it?!"

"Noooooo, ow, ow! That already, ow, happened!" April said, "The babies, ow, ow, ow! The babies are, UUUUUHHHHHHH!"

April leaned back in her seat from all the pain, allowing the teacher to get a good look at April's bulging pants, "The, ow, babies are, uhhh, coming! The babies are coming! Ohhhh, ow ow ow! Fuuuuck!"

"Oh my!" Mrs. Octo said in shock.

After seeing what was happening some out of the students that were still there, some decided to get their stuff and get out, but then there were a few that chose to stay and help. Mrs. Octo lifted up April, and then commanded the students who stayed to quickly make some room on the floor. The students did as they were told, and Mrs. Octo gently laid April on the ground. She then removed April's pants and panties, revealing the first baby's head. "It looks like the baby's head is already out! That means the hard part is already over! I have got hold of the baby's head, so just push. Ok?" Mrs. Octo instructed April.

"Ok! Oooowwww!" April said as she started to push.

As April pushed she could feel the rest of the baby's body leave her birth canal. "The baby's out! The baby's out! I got the baby! I got the baby! It's a girl!" Mrs. Octo said ecstatically, "Now that that's done, can someone hand me my phone? I need to call my husband, he's a doctor, and he knows how to handle this sorta stuff."

"We're not done yet!" April said in pain, as another contraction hit her, and the second baby descended.

"What do you mean?" asked Mrs. Octo nervously.

"I'm having tri-UHHHH!" April started to say before being stopped by another contraction and the urge to push, "Triplets! I'm having triplets! OHHHH! Here comes the second one!"

"Three! Oh boy! Can someone hurry up with my phone?!, shouted Mrs. Octo.

"Here's your phone Mrs. Octo." said one of the students handing the teacher her phone.

"Thanks." said Mrs. Octo as she hit the power button on her phone, "Damn! I forgot it wasn't on!"

"OHHH! The second one's... almost... out! UHHH! I can... feel it! OW OW OW OW OW!" April shouted, panting to catch her breath.

With her attention now directed back at April Mrs. Octo started to assist her with the second baby, "Ok dear. Wait, you need to catch your breath. Just breathe with me." Mrs. Octo instructed, "In, out, in, out, in, out."

April did as she was told and breathed in time with Mrs. Octo.

"Very good! Keep it up." instructed Mrs. Octo, now trying to refocus on what to do, "Does anyone have their phone on? Please tell me ONE of you disobeyed my instructions!"

To the teacher's demise, all of the students that were still there had followed her instructions. "Then is my phone on yet?" Mrs. Octo asked as she refocused on April.

"Ok, do you think you can push or do you need to rest for a bit longer?" Mrs. Octo asked April.

"I think I need- OHHHH! Rest!" April said as she clenched her stomach in pain.

"All right, then just continue breathing like I told you to." Mrs. Octo instructed April.

"Mrs. Octo, your phone is on." a student said handing the teacher her phone again.

"Oh thank you!" Mrs. Octo said relieved that her phone is finally on.

Mrs. Octo then quickly went to her contacts and dialed her husband, "Please pick up. Please pick up." she said as the phone rang.

"Hello? Honey, what's up?, asked Dr. Octavio over the phone, curious as to why his wife was calling at a weird time.

"Hello. Sweetie I need you to come over to the school. One of my students went into labor." Mrs. Octo said hurriedly.

"What!? Really?!" said Dr. Octavio disbelievingly.

"OHHHH! The pressure! UHHHH! I feel that I -UHHHH- need to push now!, April said holding her stomach and arching her back. Feeling a tremendous pressure on her cervix.

"Uh oh! Sorry, but I need to go! Just get here please! FAST!" Mrs. Octo said hanging up the phone, "Ok, if you feel the need to push, then push. Ok?" she said now instructing April.

"Ok. UHHHH!" April said as she began to push.

As April pushed, she could feel the second baby's head start to leave her birth canal, and spread apart her pussy to make room. As April continued to push, the baby spread her pussy apart even more, sending a wave of pain through April's body. "OOOOWWWW, OW OW OW! It hurts to much! I can't do it!" April screamed.

"Ok, then continue breathing. You'll be fine dear." Mrs. Octo said trying to comfort April.

Just then Kim and August came through the door. "April!" they both shouted as they came through.

"August. Kim. UUHHH! What are you, UGH, doing here!" April asked in pain and breathing heavily.

"Well I heard that a pregnant student went into labor, and I knew it had to be you. On my way here I saw August pulling in, and I told him what I heard, and joined me on my way here." explained Kim.

"Don't worry April, I'm here!" August said as he rushed over to April's side, grabbing her hand.

"Me too." added Kim, as she sat behind April so April could prop her head up on her lap.

"Thank you- UUUUGGGHHHH!" April said as she was cut off by a strong contraction, "I need, OHHH, to push, OW, again!

"If you need to push, then push dear." said Mrs. Octo.

"Don't worry, we're here for you." reassured August.

As the pressure on her cervix grew, April started to push again. As the baby's head started to go through her birth canal, it sent waves of pain through April's body. "OOOOWWWWW! IT HURTS SO MUCH! GET IT OUT!" April screamed as the baby started to crown.

"The baby's starting to crown! You're doing great dear! Keep it up!" Mrs. Octo said, trying to cheer April on.

"It's ok, I'm here for you, and so is Kim!" August said trying to support April.

April continued to push through the pain. As she did, she could feel the second baby's head crowning. When the baby's head was fully crowned, the pain April felt was excruciating, but she had to stop because she was out of breath. "It hurts so fucking, OOOWWW OW OW, much! I need to rest, OOOHHH, a bit!" April screamed.

"The baby's crowning! You're doing great!" Mrs. Octo informed April.

"Breath April, breath." August said trying to help April.

"I can't! OOOWWWW! FUCK! It hurts too much!" screamed April.

"Here, do it with me." Kim said helping April, "In, out, in, out."

"Yes, breathe with her April." instructed Mrs. Octo.

After resting a bit, with help from Kim, August, and Mrs. Octo April felt another strong contraction come over her and she felt the urge to push again. "UUUUUUGGGGHHHH! I need, UUUHHH, to push!" April moaned.

As April pushed she could feel the second baby's head leave her birth canal. "It's head is out! The second baby's head is out!" screamed Mrs. Octo.

Just then Dr. Octavio entered the room. "Hello. I'm here to help!" he said as he entered the room holding a rather large medical bag.

"Oh, honey I'm glad you're here. This is..." Mrs. Octo started to say.

"April. I know. We've met before. Now if you excuse me sweetie, I need to be where you are, so if you could please move." said Dr. Octavio as his wife moved and he sat down with his medical bag next to him.

Dr. Octavio then reached into his bag, pulled out a pair of medical gloves, and quickly put them on. "Ok, it looks like the first baby has been born, and the second baby's head is already out," said Dr. Octavio making a quick assessment.

"You don't have much to go until the second baby's out. Do you think you can push?" asked the doctor.

"I can, HHUUNNNGGGHHH, try." April moaned.

"Ok. I have the baby's head, push!" instructed Dr. Octavio.

As April pushed she could feel the second baby's body leave her birth canal, and the pain momentarily leave as her pussy was not being stretched drastically at the moment.

"The second baby's out! Congratulations, it's a boy!" Dr. Octavio said cheerfully.

Dr. Octavio then grabbed a pair of scissors from an outside pocket on his bag, and cut the umbilical cords of the first and second baby. "Ok, rest for a bit, while the third baby descends." the doctor instructed April.

April obeyed, and started breathing, with some help from August and Kim. While Dr. Octavio explained some things to his wife. It wasn't long until April felt the last baby ready itself to come out, signaled by a strong contraction and the urge to push. "HHHUUHHGGGHH! The pressure! There's too much pressure! UUUHHH! I need to push!" April huffed.

"Ok! I'm ready when you are!" said Dr. Octavio.

As April pushed she could feel the third baby's head starting to push open her pussy as it slide down her birth canal. "UUUGGGGHHHH!" April screamed as she pushed.

"You're doing good, keep it up! I can see the top of the baby's head!" said Dr. Octavio.

April stopped, so she could catch her breath so she could get the third baby out as fast as possible. "If you need to rest, do so. The last baby is going to be the toughest, because it also has to get past the two other umbilical cords." Dr. Octavio informed.

April didn't like the sound of that. But she knew that she was going to have to do it, because she could feel the pressure in her cervix growing as another contraction hit her forcing her to start pushing again. "OOOOOWWWWW!" April yelled as she began to push.

As she pushed she could feel the third baby's head starting to leave her birth canal spreading her pussy open once again. Before she stopped, because it felt like there was something stopping the baby's head. "OOOOOOWWWWW! The baby won't fit! HHUUUNNNGGGHHH! It hurts so much!" April screamed.

"You're doing great! The baby's made progress, but you're going to have to push really hard now, because you're going to have to push the baby past the other umbilical cords." said Dr. Octavio, "Rest for a bit. You'll need your energy."

April rested knowing that she was going to have to push the last baby past two umbilical cords as well as the lips of her pussy. While she was resting contractions kept hitting her, and she could feel pressure in her cervix building. Finally the pressure building was to much for her to bear, and she started to push. "HHHUUUUNNNGGGHHH! Pressure! I need, UUUUHHHH, OOOOOWWWWW, to push!" April screamed.

As she pushed, she couldn't feel the baby move, so she started to push harder. When she did, she felt the baby move down, and its head start to leave her birth canal. "The baby's head is coming out! Keep it up April!" instructed Dr. Octavio.

April had to pause for a moment to catch her breath before she started pushing again, because her pussy was stretched farther than it had been for the first two children, and the pain and pressure was overwhelming. Before to long the baby started crowning, and the pain reached a new level. "HHHHUUUUUNNNNGGGGHHHH! OOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWW! IT HURTS! GET IT OUT OF ME NOW!" April screamed as she was overwhelmed with pain.

"I'm here April! You can do it, you're almost there!" August said reassuring April.

After resting for a moment, trying her best to concentrate and ignore the pain, April started pushing again. This time she could feel the third baby's head completely leave her birth canal. "The head's out! You can rest for a bit, if you need to now. When you're ready, I'll help get the body out, but the hardest part is over. So you can rest now." Dr. Octavio informed April.

April rested a bit, before making the final push. As she pushed she could feel the last baby leave her birth canal, while Dr. Octavio moved the two umbilical cords around so the baby's body could leave her canal easier. "There, that should be the last baby, and it's a girl! You have another girl! Two girls and a boy! Congratulations to the both of you!" Dr. Octavio said as he cut the umbilical cord of the last baby.

"You did it April! You brought three new lives into the world! You did it!" August cheerfully said to April.

"We did it." April said out of breath and very tired from just giving birth, "Thank you, everyone. You were all a great help."

Not long after that paramedics arrive, and take August, April, and the three newborn babies to the hospital. All three babies were healthy and strong, and besides being very tired from giving birth to triplets, April was also healthy and ok. August suffered a broken hand, from April squeezing so hard, but swears that he didn't feel anything during the birth (probably due to adrenaline). Since it was a triplet birth, the hospital had them stay for a few days, but they were all soon allowed to go home; April, August, and their three newborn triplets.

[beautiful-songbird]

A Karaoke Kiss

Pairing: Idol!Jimin x Teacher!OC

Genre: fluff

Word Count: 1.5k

Warnings: mention of arranged marriages

Summary: Jimin invites Nubia out for a day on the town, but the last thing Nubia expected was to realize she was in love with him.

Nubia glanced around the building cautiously. She didn’t need to be caught in the Hybe building after the whole paparazzi thing that had blown up in April the previous year. But Jimin had wanted to take her out, and how was she supposed to say no to that? Someone tapped her on the shoulder, breaking her out of her thoughts and causing her to spin around. She cringed when Zelda waved at her.

“What are you doing here?”

“Um…Jimin asked me to meet him here. He didn’t really say where, though.”

Zelda laughed. “Of course, he didn’t. Come with me. He’s in dance practice right now.”

Nubia followed Zelda to the elevator silently. “Why are you here?” she asked suddenly once they were on the elevator.

“Me? Oh, Rosa has the day off and Esme wanted to have lunch one last time before the baby is born.”

“I see,” Nubia nodded.

“So, you and Jimin have a date, then?”

“I wouldn’t call it a date….”

“Jimin doesn’t just hang out with girls. It’s a pretty risky move on his part to be going out with you, so it sure sounds like a date to me.”

“Oh.”

The elevator was silent for a few moments.

“What’s it like…being with someone so famous?” Nubia asked.

“Uh. No different than being with a guy that worked at a coffee shop.” Zelda shrugged. “He’s got some crazy fans who still can’t come to terms with the fact that he’s married, but that’s about it. I’ve had cameras on me since I was nineteen, though, so it wasn’t much of a change for me.”

“You have?” Nubia asked, surprised.

Zelda smiled. “I made my modeling debut when I was nineteen.”

“…I never knew you modeled.”

“Well, it’s not like I wear a sign on my shirt that says, ‘I model for a living.’”

Nubia giggled and the elevator opened. It wasn’t a few seconds before they were standing in the practice room. Nubia’s brain stopped working when she saw Jimin. He was soaked in sweat and panting as he chugged a bottle of water. She averted her gaze, eyes wide, just in time to see Tae wander up to Zelda and loop his arm around her shoulder.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, grinning.

“Ew, get off me and go shower.” Zelda cringed as she peeled Tae’s arm off her shoulder. “I’m picking up Rosa for lunch and Nubia needed help finding Jimin.”

“Hey, you’re early!” Jimin exclaimed.

Nubia looked up at him. He was a lot taller when she wasn’t wearing heels.

“Yeah. I was worried I’d get lost in the building,” she giggled, embarrassed.

He smiled. “I’ll have to give you a tour of it one of these days. Can we meet downstairs in twenty minutes?”

◇◆◇◆◇

Half an hour, Nubia found herself in Jimin’s car with no clue where they were headed.

“Are the girls treating you well? Jasmine mentioned you’ve been getting lunch with them sometimes.”

“They’re very nice.”

“That’s good.”

An awkward silence settled into the atmosphere.

“What’s your family like?” Nubia asked.

“My family? They’re awesome.” He chuckled. “I miss them, actually. I was supposed to get to see them in December, but with Tae’s wedding, I didn’t have time to make the trip.”

“Oh. I’m sorry about that. Will you have another chance to see them soon?”

Jimin glanced over at her and smiled. “Hopefully. What about you? You miss your family?”

“Um…I miss my brothers. That’s about it. They’re all married except the youngest one, anyways.”

“You don’t miss your parents?”

“How could I? I’m not their kid.”

“You’re not?” Jimin asked, confused.

“Not emotionally, that’s for sure. If I were really their kid, they wouldn’t have sent me to England when I wasn’t even seventeen yet.”

“…what? They did that?”

“Yeah. They were going to do it on my thirteenth birthday, but my aunt told them she wouldn’t be able to move me in with her until 2020.”

“Why did they want to get rid of you so badly?”

“Oh, you know, their only daughter was ugly and not worthy of being married off.” She finally looked over at him, smiling faintly as her eyes filled with tears.

Jimin pulled into a parking space and put the car in park. Then he turned to her.

“Are they blind? You’re gorgeous!”

“Well, no one else thinks so. I’m an eyesore, honestly. Since my aunt wouldn’t take me, they tried to engage me to someone when I was sixteen. The guy told me I was too ugly to be his wife.”

“Sixteen?” Jimin looked horrified.

“We wouldn’t have married until I was eighteen.” She shrugged. “And he was only twenty at the time.” She tapped her fingers against the window. “What did you want to do today?”

◇◆◇◆◇

“Are you sure this is a good idea? We could get caught again by the paparazzi,” Nubia murmured as she followed Jimin through the town square.

“Well, seeing as they already think we’re dating, I don’t really see what more damage could be done.”

Nubia tugged her hood down over her head. “I don’t know…”

“Come on. Can we just have some fun?”

She looked up at him. She couldn’t say no to that face. “Ok.”

She didn’t expect that one word to hand over five hours of her day, though.

Jimin wanted her to try many foods, so she spent the next hour and a half taste-testing food that he brought to her from the food carts.

“How have I never had this before?” Nubia asked as she took a bite of a food that resembled the corndogs Eva had fed her a few times. “It’s so good!”

Jimin laughed. “Have you been out here?”

“A few times. Brooke and Iseul have brought me out here. Their favorite karaoke bar is close to here.”

“Really? Do you like the karaoke bar?”

“Yeah. It’s fun. It’s nice to have the girls, too. They’re both from America, so it’s way easier to talk to them than the other teachers who mostly only speak Korean.”

Jimin nodded. “Should we go to a karaoke bar this afternoon?”

“Do you want to?” Nubia asked.

“Sure!”

Nubia grinned.

◇◆◇◆◇

The last thing Nubia had ever imagined was singing in front of someone. Even less had she imagined to be singing in front of one of the most famous singers in the world, but surprisingly, she wasn’t even nervous to be singing in front of Jimin. She’d avoided singing with Brooke and Iseul, but something about Jimin just made her feel all the more relaxed. In his presence, her voice wasn’t like listening to a piece of metal be dragged across a cheese grater.

“Would you like some soju?” he asked.

“I’m not a huge fan of alcohol,” she admitted.

“It’s just fruit soju. Why don’t you give it a try?”

“Hmm. Well, I do like fruit. Might as well try it just to say I have,” she giggled.

He poured a bit of it for her, and she drank it.

“Oh! That tastes good?”

Jimin laughed. “You like it?”

“I do!” she set the glass down. “I haven’t heard you sing yet. Get up there!”

He smiled nervously and stood up, picking up the microphone. “Any song requests?”

“You choose.”

Jimin chose a song, and Nubia swayed from side to side as the music began. Most of the song was in Korean, so she couldn’t pick out most of what he said, but there were a few phrases that she recognized to be in English.

“And I want you to know that all I think of is you.”

Nubia flushed, smiling. If only Jimin thought that of her. She froze. What was she thinking? She didn’t like Jimin like that…so why did she care? But then she realized, maybe she did like him. Why wouldn’t she? He was sweet and caring, and there was no reason for her to be running from him anymore. The public still hadn’t let the dating rumors go, so maybe taking a chance wasn’t as big of a chance as it looked like.

Jimin sat back down a moment later. He bent down to look Nubia in the eye.

“Did you like the song?”

In that moment, Nubia wasn’t sure what had gotten into her. But she leaned forward and kissed him. Time came to a stop for a few moments as the two of them sat there, frozen. Nubia, afraid of rejection, and Jimin, in shock. And then, he kissed her back.

After a few moments of breathlessness, Jimin pulled away. Nubia’s eyes were wide in her head.

“I’m sorry! I don’t know why I did that!”

He shook his head and smiled. “It’s ok. I’ve been waiting to kiss you for a while now.” Then he bent and kissed her again.

This is part of the Dad!BTS series that can be found here

A/N: Happy late birthday to Jimin because I'm a squarehead and forgot that his birthday was last week until the literal day before and panicked and realized I didn't have time to write anything. Yay! Also I think that internally I am obsessed with this couple because I always make their stories 5x longer than they were meant to be.

It would be greatly appreciated if you reblogged the story if you liked it!

Taglist: @jiminie-and-his-pinky-finger @taehoneycheeks @jinnie-forthe-winnie

[well-its-not-human-anymore]

So this is a personal one for me to ask and if you're not comfortable with it don't mind it; how would the tmnt boys (seperate) react when the reader confesses that they're autistic after the boys got curious when she had some peculiar, behavior or stims. The reader would be stressed, because she has a crush on the tmnt boy in question and she didn't want them to find her weird or just stop interacting with her. When she's met with confusion instead, because the boys never heard of it, cue this weird conversation where reader tells them to the best of her ability what it is and the boys just keep asking questions. Also some general headcannons with it maybe?

Okay so I'm actually really happy that you asked me this because I feel like ASD isn't portrayed a lot in any type of media. My ADD and ASD have a lot of overlap so I hope I can capture what you're asking of me!

Now let's get into it!

TMNT Headcanons

The boys reacting to an autistic reader

Leonardo

he wasn't really sure what was happening the first time you reacted

one minute you were standing next to him doing dishes and the next you were attempting to claw your skin off like an angry cat

Leo tried not to look annoyed as he watched you rub your hands against your shirt until your flesh started to turn red

you looked like you were crying but he knew you weren't

but your face was starting to turn purple and your cheeks were puffy from the effort of holding your breath

"Y/N? You need to breathe."

You shot a glare at him, scathing eyes meeting his now very concerned expression

your own softened and you clutched your arms to your chest, heaving oxygen into your lungs until your face became a normal shade again

"Are you okay?"

The words were stuck in your throat and you weren't sure if you should nod or shake your head

so you gave him a half-hearted shrug

he frowned back at you but turned to finish the dishes on his own

when he questioned you about it later he couldn't help but be curious

"Well actually it's uh- it's kinda a sensory type of thing? There are certain textures that I can't stand touching do I avoid them but if I come into contact by accident my brain just kinda explodes and I shut down."

"How exactly does that work though?"

"I don't really understand it much but like- you know that feeling you get when you think there's a bug on you and there's not but it really really feels like it?"

He nodded

"Yeah, it feels like that. And anytime I touch something that triggers that reaction it takes FOREVER to get the feeling off my skin. That's why I usually wear gloves when I do dishes. Guess I just forgot to grab 'em today."

He was sympathetic

and god, you were so embarrassed

lucky for you, Leo's not an asshole

"Well thank you for explaining it to me, you really freaked me out earlier. I'll talk to April and see if we can keep a pair or two at the lair just in case you forget again."

Consider your heart melted

you couldn't even find the words to thank him and holy shit was your face red

"Hey y/n?"

"Yeah Leo?"

"Why didn't you ever tell me- us that you were autistic?"

Did you rip the band aid off now or make something up? Which would ,technically speaking, be less catastrophic in the long run?

"I uh- I really like you and I really didn't want you or the other's to look at me differently..."

wow, you liked him? miss ma'am you have saved this boy a world of anxiety and damn does he thank you for it

"Thanks for telling me... and y/n? I really like you to."

Awh fuck yeah, best possible execution of band aid-ripping-off ever

Donatello

Donnie wished he could act surprised when you finally told him

he really wanted to, it would've made you feel better for sure

but he sucked at lying and he didn't want to make you feel like he thought you were an idiot

because that was so far from the truth

after going through extensive research on Mikey's behalf when he suspected he had ADHD Donnie had stumbled across many different websites that discussed the symptoms and overlaps between both disorders

to make a long story short, Donnie knew that you had ASD and he was waiting for you to tell him

it would probably come off as rude if he brought it up in conversation right?

he didn't want to risk it

but that didn't stop him from keeping an eye on you and your behaviors

he was a man of science, of course he was going to analyze you

not in a weird way or anything, just as a curious sort of precaution

but the longer you were involved in the turtle's lives the more noticeable your stims and meltdowns got, Donnie did his best to cover for you without making you suspicious of him

eventually he'd come up with something that he hoped would come across as a friendly gesture and wouldn't set you off or scare you away

it was game night at the lair and you, as always, were perched on the arm of the sofa, a large grin plastered on your face

inside your head was exploding but you were masking it pretty well if you do say so yourself

but Donnie was, well... donnie was donnie

so when he noticed you starting to rock a little more visibly he removed his attention from commentating the game and grabbed a pair of headphones from the side table

you were beyond confused when he passed them to you but your face revealed everything

"They're noise cancelling, try them on."

holy shit it was like putting your head underwater, everything was muffled

not in the way normal headphones did, you quite literally couldn't hear anything at all, just a calm amount of nothing

you nearly started crying when you realized that Donnie had figured you out on his own

but you'd never been more relieved about anything in your life

Raphael

he wouldn't admit that he was mesmerized by your presence

you practically radiated calm

his complete opposite

it was his favorite thing about you, because despite your quiet disposition and calming aura you weren't afraid to call him out or rebut any of his insults

this was not something you expected him to appreciate nor was it something you thought would make you catch feelings

but damn if you didn't

he'd been sitting in on yours and Donnie's little experiment for an hour or so now, watching you both exchange quiet whispers and inside jokes that you always seemed to lag on

then you slipped up

not bad, nothing detrimental to the project, just the same mistake that you'd already made ten times over

you might as well have exploded

"Y'N, you just have to move thi-"

"I KNOW DONATELLO. I FUCKING KNOW AND I JUST CAN'T DO THIS BULLSHIT!"

you set everything down gently enough to avoid breaking it before turning and storming out of the lab, waving your hands like they were on fire

Raph and Donnie exchanged a look that sent the larger red turtle following after you

when you calmed yourself down enough to talk you kept your gaze locked on the wall, explaining that you couldn't make eye contact when you were upset

he might not be the smartest brother, but Raph's no dummy, he put those pieces together pretty quickly after you told him that one small detail

he wasn't upset that you didn't tell him and you'd personally never been more relieved

your heart nearly splattered into the stratosphere when you finally gace him your own explanation

"yeah, I like ya too."

you grinned so wide you were sure your face would split open and your entire body rocked side to side with excitement

he thought that was pretty adorable too

And he did stick around to offer a bit of support when you apologized to Donnie for screaming at him

Michaelangelo

to be frank it probably shouldn't have taken so long for Mikey to realize that you were autistic

the similarities between your own personality and his ADHD were so in sight it was near painful

it was his turn to make dinner that night and you'd made sure that you came over early to help him set up, you knew how side-tracked he'd get and you were the poster child for solid routine

what more perfect matchup existed?

trick question, there isn't one

you were on one side of the counter cutting vegetables and he was on the other throwing said vegetables into the mixing pot

the music was at an ungodly level of loud so your only means of communication were screaming over it

"MIKEY."

"WHA?"

"YOU GOT THE-"

"YEAH."

"AND THE-"

"UH HUH."

"COOL, HAVE YOU SEEN THE-"

"TONGS? NO, THE SKEWERS. YEAH, THEY'RE IN THE OTHER DRAWER."

"THANKS."

the two of you went about your previous tasks, thinking nothing of the conversation that had just taken place

at least until you'd begun washing your knife and cutting board

that's when Casey walked in, looking both perturbed and annoyed at the same time

"Alright, which one of you knows telepathy?"

Mikey exchanged a glance with you and you returned it with a raised eyebrow

"The hell you mean brah?"

he looked at the both of you like you were the ones that had grown four extra heads before speaking again

"You literally just had a conversation with like five words and somehow just knew what the other meant? What's up with that?"

you glanced at Mikey again

"Holy shit, did we?"

"I mean, not really. You used your hands."

now all three of you were confused but it quickly became two when Casey shook his head in defeat and left the room

"You know I think he's right."

he blinked first and your staring contest ended

"But you used your hands-"

"I got autism Mikey, one does not simply not use their hands as forms of speech."

"You're-"

"Yep."

was the silence laughing at you? could it do that? it was kinda rude

"Huh, that actually makes sense, that's not mean is it?"

you shook your head no

"You're just me but fast."

Mikey agreed with that, pestered you with a few more questions, and went back about working, as did you, you saw no reason to address it further

but your cheeks burned red

"Yo- Y/N that actually explains why everyone else thinks we're a thing."

you didn't know if you could choke on air or not but you did it anyways

"Are we?"

he gave you his signature grin

"If we are then Raph owes April a hundred bucks."

you returned his smile

"Oh this oughta be good."

I'd like to preface this by apologizing for my near three week absence. Life got crazy and my writer's block hopped on a train, went through a school zone, killed seven pedestrians, and committed tax fraud before tumbling off a cliff never to be seen again.

But on the bright side- I got my SAT scores back and started some scholarship applications. Super happy with that. School's out in a few weeks so I'll be able to write more (hopefully).

Anyways, I hope I got this one down okay. I may have hyper analyzed the request so I might be a little off. But I really enjoyed doing this one and I hope you like it!

-Mars 🌠

[keanureevesisbae]

sugar sugar - april.

Summary: Henry is a man of many talents and Becky finds out another: book editor

Sugar Daddy!Henry Cavill x Becky Kim (asian OFC)

Warnings: There is a brief mention of daddy and anal (but not in the way you think, i promse 😂) and some period things.

Wordcount: 6k

A/N: I managed to edit this chapter, so here it is! I hope you enjoy. Also, @thelastsock​ thank you for helping me out! My non native English ass is very grateful for your input 😘

Masterlist // Sugar Sugar Masterlist // Previous chapter // Next chapter

April 4th 4 p.m.

The End.

As soon as I have written down those words, that means it’s done.

I finished my book.

I have yet to title it, but there are more than 80.000 words in this document, all containing the mysteries of the story I have been envisioning for so long. I wrote—if I may say so myself—quite the compelling YA mystery novel that has been living its own life in my mind for years.

I press save and lean back in my chair when I closed my laptop.

Of course I absorbed myself with the best tips on how to write a novel, but I broke a prominent one. One that I found on almost every single author platform: don’t edit while writing.

Thankfully, my rebel move allowed me to actually be satisfied with what I wrote on the first go. Because I kept perfecting each chapter after I wrote it, I continued to be in the right mindset for that chapter. That way, I wrote out what I initially wanted in the first try and I got it right when I went through it once or twice.

While my first initial next step is to send it off to a publisher straight away, I manage to restrain myself. I should show it to someone else first, get their input on it.

Genevieve hates these types of books, Viola is working on her thesis and probably doesn’t have time for this either, meaning that there is only one person left who I trust with my written words.

Henry.

After what happened to us last month, I’m sort of over my hurt and disappointment and thankfully we are back into our normal routines.

Do I still think about his gracious dick? Yes, absolutely. Do I dream about him completely ravishing me at night? All the damn time. Did Genevieve pull me into a sex shop so I had to point out the dildo that resembles Henry the most? Yep, that sure happened.

But I decided to be the bigger person here, the wise one and instead of sulking about the fact that Henry and I will probably never do this again ever, I should appreciate the fact that he felt safe enough for him to be honest with me.

However, there is still one thing that continues to run through my mind.

How long has it been for him since any of this happened? He told me on my birthday it was fifteen years ago since he last had a date. But did he ever date before that? And maybe this is shallow of me to think, but doesn’t he have needs?

Did he—for example—pay women to have sex with him? I feel like many women would do it for free honestly.

I know I would.

I push those thoughts aside and I grab my laptop as I walk towards the elevators. I barely had anything to do at the archives today and I work on my book a lot during those empty moments.

I know Henry doesn’t have any appointments right now (I have his schedule synchronized with mine, so I know when I can bother him with my presence), therefore walking up to his office, shouldn’t be a problem now.

I scan my pass and when I walk into the office after the elevator doors slid open, I see he is busy at work at his desk. Maybe he doesn’t have meetings, but he still is a business man, who has plenty to do. ‘I can come back later,’ I say, already stepping back in the elevator.

‘Nonsense, baby,’ Henry says. He looks up and smiles. ‘Come in.’

Of course I thought about calling him ‘daddy’, to see what his reaction would be. Sometimes there is a moment where I feel like that would be such a perfect moment to do so, but I simply can’t, especially because I know that it’s a pretty risky move to do without telling him.

Besides, what if he doesn’t want me to do that anymore?

I feel like our arrangement would be out of the window in no time.

I walk over to him and sit on his desk when he cleared the spot for me. ‘I finished my book,’ I say, placing my laptop on the wooden top. ‘And I kinda want you to read it.’

Henry’s eyes light up. ‘Congratulations,’ he says with a smile, ‘and about time that you are allowing me to read it.’

I roll my eyes. ‘I can still take it back, of course.’

‘No, no, no,’ he says with a chuckle. ‘I’d love to read it. I’d be honored even.’

I nod, as I look at my hands. ‘It’s just that I never had someone read anything of mine. Actually, this is the first time that I put anything on paper. Maybe I suck as a writer and then—’

‘No, don’t go there,’ he says, with a determination I can’t compete with. ‘I’ll be kind and provide you with constructive feedback. Do you want to print it out?’

‘It’s a lot of paper, Henry.’ Do I even hear myself? I let out a chuckle. ‘Like it matters. I’m sorry, that was pre arrangement Becky speaking.’

He smiles. ‘You can print it out here. There is enough ink in it.’

Henry helps me find the right printer and while the machine is working on the entire manuscript, he leans back in his office chair. ‘You have plans for tonight?’

‘I’m hanging out with Genevieve and Viola,’ I answer. ‘I think we’re going for a late night picnic.’

‘Nice. You want the driver?’

Yes, please. ‘Maybe.’

‘Is something on your mind, sweetheart?’ he asks. ‘You look a bit worried.’

‘It’s just that I’m getting in my head. Worrying about how you will hate my book and that you will regret that you ever gave me the laptop and… I don’t know.’

He gets up and stands in between my legs, placing his hands next to my thighs. It’s the first time he stands in front of me like that. I want to hook my ankles behind him, do all sorts of nasty things, but I manage to pull myself together. ‘It can be scary to let someone in on your creative work,’ he says. ‘I remember when I first showed my grandmother my design for a different type of computer. I knew she would love what I designed, but… Her opinion mattered so much to me. She paid for the supplies I needed, she always supported me, what if I sucked at it?’

It’s the first time he tells me a story like that, without me having to ask for it. I place my hands on his shoulders and ask: ‘What did she think of it?’

‘She loved it,’ he says, a smile of reminiscent on his lips. ‘She thought I was talented and actually gave me the right feedback to improve.’

‘Meaning you’ll do the same?’

He nods. ‘Exactly.’

‘Henry,’ I start, as I play with his collar. I love you a lot and I want us to put this whole sugar daddy/baby thing aside and actually get into a real relationship with each other. While I am not sure if you are up for it, I do think that you are actually considering it. There are things you do and say that make me doubt everything and it’s driving me nuts. I love you and only you. ‘Thank you for being so supportive and understanding.’

‘Of course, baby.’ He wraps his arms around me, places his chin on top of my head and lets out a content sigh. ‘Always.’

✤ ✤ ✤

‘He still hasn’t confessed his undying love for you?’ Genevieve takes a sip of her beer, shakes her head and adds: ‘That’s so fucking weird. I was and still am convinced he is into you.’

‘You and me both,’ Viola says.

I groan. ‘It’s just that he is so irresistible now. I was aware he was handsome and kind, but now… He turns hotter with the second and is even more desirable. Even when it’s obvious that he doesn’t want me.’

‘It’s weird,’ Viola says, ‘but I kinda understand.’

‘Uh, ouch?’

She rolls her eyes. ‘No, not like that. You are absolutely gorgeous and I don’t think he doesn’t want you. What I think is that his youth, his family situation and the way he grew up, is part of his uncertainty about all of this. You told us he barely dated and that his last date was fifteen years ago. This man isn’t used to having someone around him. Besides, he wanted a sugar baby, not someone he would develop a close friendship slash relationship with like he has with you. I think this entire situation is scaring him.’

‘But he specifically told me that we’re never doing that again.’

Genevieve nods. ‘Well, he will come around eventually.’

‘But what if eventually is too late then?’ I ask them.

She shrugs. ‘I don’t know,’ Genevieve says. ‘But, at least you can say that you sucked a multi millionaire’s dick on an airplane.’

I groan. Leave it to her to say something in that direction. ‘Why are you saying it like that?’ I ask her.

‘Because that is really awesome,’ Viola butts in. ‘I mean, imagine if you weren’t interrupted. Then you could say you had sex in a jacuzzi with a multi millionaire.’

‘Can we just skip this subject?’ I ask. ‘Pretty please?’

‘Sure,’ they say, but at that exact moment my phone beeps and I see Henry send me a reminder that we’re going shopping on the sixth. ‘Look at that smile. I swear, Beck, if you just confess to the man that you are in love with him, maybe he would realize that you two are perfect for each other, that you two should get married and have tons of kids.’

‘Oh,’ Viola interrupts Genevieve, ‘can you imagine how cute their babies would look like?’

‘Guys, guys, guys,’ I say, ‘stop right there.’

What made me think they would even listen to me? ‘How many kids did you want again, Becky?’ Genevieve asks. ‘I thought it was at least four.’

While they are talking about Henry and I literally doing it like bunnies in order to get pregnant, baby names and whether or not they should become godmothers, I look over my shoulder to a couple nearby. It’s obvious they are in love, in that disgusting honeymoon phase and it makes me slightly jealous.

Of course do I think about the future and in the last few months, my visions of that would include Henry. A lot of Henry even. It’s the way he looks at me, he touches me and talks to me that makes my mind go in overdrive.

I can imagine him being extremely protective over his pregnant wife, even more so than he  already was before. Him starting to work more from home, simply to be with her and the kids. Him being the supportive husband that would join her to those birthing classes. Him talking to the baby bump. Him spoiling their children rotten.

While I first was part of those dreams, the woman next to him now turns faceless. It’s not me anymore.

Oh gosh, this is depressing.

I take a sip of my beer and sigh deeply, trying not to drown in self pity. I look at my screen and decide to type back a message.

Becky: What are we buying?

Henry: I was thinking a new television for you

Becky: Why?

Henry: Just because 😉

I can’t help but smile. Maybe I should just let this be our agreement. Maybe I shouldn’t dream about Henry in my future, but just enjoy what we have now.

‘Okay bitches,’ I say to my friends. ‘Another subject, please.’

‘I agree,’ Viola says.

Genevieve nods. ‘What do you guys think about anal sex?’

‘Gen!’

April 6th 2 p.m.

Henry and I walk passed the different types of televisions in the store. To me they all seem the exact same, but Henry is really going for it, checking the description of each and every single one of them, apparently comparing them to each other.

I don’t get it. I can’t even see the difference. I’m nearly giving up on this entire shopping trip. I honestly don’t even care for a new television, but it’s a promise he made me when I moved into the apartment. I got an old one of his company and while that one works fine to me, he isn’t satisfied with it.

I am willing to just leave the store empty handed, but then my eye falls on a smaller one. It still looks like a cinema screen to me, but compared to the rest, it’s on the smaller side. I stare at the pink edges and even the remote is blush pink!

I walk over to that specific television and crouch down in front of it.

This is my dream, packed up in a television. Sure, I still think I don’t need a new television, that it’s a waste of money anyways, but seeing this one, I realize I cannot possibly leave the store without this one.

‘I should’ve known,’ Henry chuckles, when he stands behind me. ‘You like this one, sweetheart?’

‘I do,’ I say, looking up. ‘You want to buy this one for me?’

He tilts his head, not so sure really. ‘It’s not the best quality, though.’

‘I don’t care,’ I say, standing up again. ‘It’s pink, that’s all I need. If you don’t buy it for me, I’ll do it myself.’

‘No, no, no, you’re not doing that,’ he quickly says. ‘I’ll get it for you, baby.’ He signals to one of the employees that he wants this one, before placing his hand on my back. ‘This fits your apartment perfectly.’

‘Right?’ I chuckle. ‘Thank you for buying it for me.’

‘Of course. That’s what I do.’

And that’s solely what you do.

Henry takes the box from the employee, flashing him a friendly smile, before the two of us walk towards the register. The television is around six hundred bucks, but I’m getting used to the rich life style. I know that this is nothing for Henry and with what I have on my bank account, it’s nothing for me either.

Who could’ve know that this would happen to me.

I wrap my fingers around his sleeve, since I notice it’s a bit crowded outside. He looks back and smiles, grabbing my hand, in order to keep me close. When we’re back in the car, Henry tells me he’ll help me install it.

‘What are you gonna do with the other one?’

He shrugs. ‘Thought I might take it to a secondhand shop or something,’ he says.

‘Can I give it to Viola?’ I ask him. ‘Viola and her boyfriend don’t have tv anymore. since theirs broke.’

‘You don’t need to ask that,’ he says in a soft tone. ‘Of course you can give it to them.’

I lean back in the chair and wonder what goes on in his mind. He seems tired and that makes him appear older. Maybe he is coming around about us (not me hoping for that). ‘Are you okay?’ I ask him.

‘Yes, sweetheart, just a bit tired.’

We drive back to our apartment building and when we’re at my place, he starts to unplug my old television, while I sit on the couch and I stare at him. He takes off his jacket and now he is only wearing a t-shirt with short sleeves, one that totally and completely accentuates his arms.

He must do this on purpose.

‘Do you need help?’

‘No,’ he says. ‘Okay wait, I do need your help.’

I push myself up from the couch and when I’m next to him, he tells me to plug in a few cables. He looks over the screen and guides me as I plug hem in. ‘Here?’ I ask him.

‘Yes there,’ he says. ‘You’re doing great.’

Once I’m done, he pulls me up and together we check if I did it right. Henry has his hand on my shoulder and I lean against his strong body. ‘It’s cute,’ he says, as he is flipping through the channels. ‘Tiny though. You still sure you want this one?’

‘I’m one hundred percent sure,’ I say with a chuckle. ‘I think I have the box somewhere, so we can pack the other.’

I grab the right box from underneath my bed and Henry places the television in it. With the other television packed, he says: ‘I’ll be right back, okay?’

‘Okay,’ I say, with a slight frown. I walk towards my window, stare outside and wait for him to arrive. Wonder what he is doing now. Another gift?

‘I read your entire manuscript,’ Henry says, walking back in.

My heart stops beating for a few seconds, before it starts to painfully pound inside my chest. Okay, he must’ve despised it, I think to myself. He is wondering why on earth I even have ambitions to become an other. ‘Oh.’

He sits down at my dining table and ushers me over. ‘Come here,’ he says and when I’m near him, he pulls me on his lap. ‘I absolutely loved it, baby,’ he says. ‘You’re so talented.’

What? I’m talented? ‘Really?’

‘Yes, sweetheart, it was amazing. Now of course, I’m not an editor, however I am an avid reader and I enjoyed it. It was fast paced, funny and thrilling. There were a few things I think require some editing, but other than that… I absolutely loved it.’

This shouldn’t make me teary eyed. This absolutely shouldn’t.

However it does. My emotions have been all over the place the last few weeks (it has to do with the person whose lap I’m sitting on).

‘No, no, no,’ Henry quickly says, ‘don’t cry, baby.’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘Come here, come here,’ he says, pulling me in a tight hug. I bury my face in his neck, as I wrap my arms around his shoulders. ‘It’s scary,’ he whispers, ‘showing people your creative outlet.’

I simply nod.

‘It’s okay,’ he tries to sooth me.

I let out a slightly nervous chuckle as I pull back. ‘I’m sorry, this is totally too much of a reaction.’

‘No, I understand.’ He lets out a soft sigh and then says: ‘Showing something this personal can be scary, but I’m so glad you trusted me.’

I smile. ‘Of course.’

‘You know,’ he then says, ‘I know a guy in publishing. Maybe, after you read through it a couple more times, I can give him a call. See what he can do.’

I’m absolutely speechless. He wants to do what for me now? ‘What?’

‘I can give him a call, eventually. But maybe you and I should make ourselves a cup of coffee and talk about the feedback I wrote down.’

I nod. ‘I’ll think about it, thank you,’ I say. ‘I’ll make some coffee.’ I jump off his lap and walk towards the kitchen. I bite my lip and realize that I might become a published author. I mean, Henry loved it and he would actually tell me if it sucked or not. I am sure about that.

I look over my shoulder and see that Henry is already looking at me. He smiles and reassuringly says: ‘Don’t you worry, sweetheart, I loved it.’

April 11th 8 a.m.

‘Good morning Henry, I brought coffee,’ I say, as I walk into Henry’s penthouse. ‘I know you said you wanted hazelnut flavor, but I wanted caramel and I accidentally was selfish and only ordered two caramel.’ When I enter the living room area, I see him pacing back and forth. ‘What’s wrong?’ I ask.

‘Nothing, sweetheart,’ he says, as he stops walking. ‘Nothing for you to worry about.’

The fact that he tells me not to worry about it, causes me instantly to be concerned. ‘You seem nervous. Sure there’s nothing wrong?’ I ask, placing the coffee cups on the coffee table.

He lets out a sigh. ‘I have an interview.’

‘Oh sweet,’ I say. ‘Or isn’t it?’

‘It’s my first interview in three years.’

I pull him with me on the couch. ‘I bet you’ll do great.’

Henry rubs his face. ‘But what if someone asks me about you?’ he asks. ‘I know not much is known about my private life, but I’m scared they’ll somehow figured out about you and ask about it. I don’t want to put you in the spotlight like that.’

‘I appreciate that,’ I say and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. He is concerned about me, meaning he cares. ‘If someone miraculously knows about me, say I’m a well loved employee of yours.’ I place my hand on his cheek and add: ‘Don’t worry too much.’

‘Come here,’ he says, wrapping his thick arm around my waist, pulling me closer to his body. I can’t help but enjoy being engulfed in his embrace. As I place my head against his chest, I feel his fingers running through my hair. ‘I shouldn’t worry,’ he says, ‘I know that.’

‘No, no, none of that,’ I tell him. ‘You should tell me how you feel.’ I close my eyes, as I play with his tie. ‘Can’t you just cancel?’

‘I have been thinking about that, it’s just that… I should’ve done that earlier.’

‘Why are you even doing an interview anyways?’

‘Freddy,’—his assistant—‘insisted on that.’ He lets out a soft laugh. ‘Can’t believe I got that punk talk me into this.’

I pull back and smile. ‘You don’t think he is a punk. You think he is sweet.’

Henry smiles back, before pulling me on his lap and I can’t hide my blush. He grabs our coffees from the smaller table and takes a sip. ‘Shame it’s caramel.’

‘Shut up,’ I chuckle. ‘By the way, Henry, remember: you don’t have to answer. No matter what they ask, you can plead the fifth.’

‘Yeah.’

‘Stop getting in your head,’ I say, holding his chin. ‘Promise me.’

He chuckles. ‘I promise.’

After I drank my coffee, I tell Henry I have to go, because I have a nail appointment (yes, I’m living that kind of bouche lifestyle now) and he walks me all the way to the ground floor, though I tell him that’s not even necessary. He even suggests that I can take the car and driver, but I simply shake my head and tell him that it’s literally a ten minute walk.

‘So, break a leg,’ I say to Henry. ‘And don’t worry too much. You are intelligent, you are kind and if someone mentions me, I’m a well loved employee and don’t mention me having access to your office.’

He nods. ‘Will do. And you be careful, okay?’

‘I always do.’ I flash him one more smile, before I walk out of the place. I turn around, wave at him and chuckle.

See, I can do this. I can be helpful to him, without us having to develop feelings for one another. This is what friends do. Friends are kind to each other, supportive and give each other words of encouragement.

And that’s what we can be, what we can become.

✤ ✤ ✤

Henry: It went well

Becky: See, I told you it would go well!

Henry: Yeah, you were right

Becky: Like I usually am 💁🏻‍♀️

Henry: Check your bank account, baby

Becky: Henry…

Henry: You’ll like it, I promise

H. Cavill transferred $650 to your bank account.

Description: You’re the kindest, sweetheart.

Becky: 😒 😒 😒

Henry: One usually says thank you

Becky: I have something for you

Becky: 🖕🏼

Henry: 😮

Becky: 😘

Henry: 😘

April 16th 10 a.m.

Period cramps when you’re already on your period just hit different. I’ve had my fair share of cramps, but these are on another level. For a few long moments I think I am actually in labor, but then I realize I didn’t have sex nine months ago. I actually think I didn’t have sex for two years, so pregnancy is off the table and it’s just severe period pain.

I’m curled up on the couch, while I watch movies and cry whenever something is even remotely emotional. It has been quite a while since I felt like this and I can conclude I haven’t missed this at all.

I hear three knocks on the door and with a groan I get up from the couch, I stumble towards the door and when I open it, I’m met with a confused looking Henry. ‘What’s wrong, sweetheart?’

‘I’m on my period,’ I mumble.

‘Oh,’ he says with a frown, ‘that’s too bad. You have a hot water bottle?’

I shrug. ‘Well, I do have one, but I’m too scared to make those. I’m afraid I’ll burn myself., because that seems like something I would do.’

He nods. ‘You go sit on the couch. I’ll make one for you.’ He walks in and I curl myself back up on the couch. I hear him boiling water in the kitchen and it doesn’t take long before he gets back. ‘I didn’t know if you were in the mood for something salty or sweet, so I brought both,’ he says, placing a bowl with chips and a chocolate bar on the coffee table. He places the hot water bottle on my stomach and asks if I want tea or coffee.

‘I want hugs,’ I mumble.

He smiles. ‘Can be arranged.’

I sit up and he gets on the couch. He leans against the armrest with his back and I position myself between his legs, placing my head on his chest. ‘Thank you.’

‘Of course.’

‘I hate that I’m being punished for not being pregnant.’

He chuckles. ‘That’s quite unfair indeed.’ He places the blanket a bit better over me and pulls me closer to him, his hand pushed underneath my shirt as he places it in the dip of my waist. ‘Want something?’

‘Chocolate.’

He leans over and grabs the chocolate bar. He already breaks it into pieces and brings one to my lips.

We watch the movie and it all goes well, until it feels like my uterus is actively trying to exit my body. I groan, as I squirm in his arms. And not the good type squirm.

Boy, do I wish it was the good type of squirm.

‘Did you take a painkiller yet?’ Henry asks.

‘Yes,’ I growl, ‘I just have to wait another three hours or so before I can take the next one.’ I sit up straight and take a deep breath, but the pain isn’t subduing at all.

Henry places his thumbs on my lower back and gently massages exactly where I need it the most. ‘Is this okay?’

I nod. ‘Yes.’ I wipe my tears away and whisper: ‘Thank you.’

‘Of course.’

The pain finally starts to drift away and I grab his wrists, before leaning back against his chest and wrapping his arms around me. ‘I take that it’s better now.’

‘It is,’ I say. ‘How do you know exactly what I need?’

He doesn’t answer, but he simply places his hand on top of mine, our fingers intertwining. ‘Instinct, I guess,’ he then whispers. ‘You go sleep, sweetheart, I’ll be right here.’

✤ ✤ ✤

When I wake up, it’s five hours later since I last checked the clock and I’m not on the couch anymore, but in my bed. I look around me and see there is no sight of Henry. On my nightstand, I see a glass of water, some painkillers and a note.

He is so damn thoughtful. I see he left a note for me and after I took the painkillers, I grab the note.

Becky: You are amazing

Becky: Thank you for everything

I wonder if he even has time for me and if he is gonna respo—

Henry: Not a single problem, baby 😘

April 25th 11 a.m.

‘I’m taking you driving today,’ Henry tells me when I open the door the next morning. Thankfully I’m already dressed and ready for the day we were going to spend together. I just figured we’d go for lunch or shopping.

Not driving?

I frown. ‘What? No, what if anyone sees?’

He smiles. ‘No no, I thought of that. I made sure I found a place no one can see you.’

‘Henry,’ I say, already putting on my jacket and grabbing my purse, ‘you drive manual. I’ve heard that shit is hard.’

He nods. ‘I know, but if you learn driving in a manual, that’ll only be beneficial for you later on. I guarantee.’

‘You sure?’ I ask him. ‘I don’t want to wreck your car.’

‘You’re not gonna wreck my car, Becky,’ he says, holding out his hand for me to take, after I closed the door behind me. ‘Besides, I truly think you should learn how to drive.’

‘I don’t want weekly lessons. Not from you, not from anyone.’

‘I’m not going to force you, but it’s nice to at least get a bit familiar in the car.’ He smiles as he squeezes my hand. ‘I promise you, it’ll go fine.’

The two of us get in his Range Rover and he starts the car.‘Place your hand on the stick,’ he says.

‘Why?’

‘So we can practice with shifting gears. No worries, I’ll help you.’

I carefully place my hand on the stick and Henry places his on top of mine. ‘Since I just started driving,’ he says, ‘I’m at one. I’m going to push in one of the pedals here, before I move up to the two, okay?’

‘Okay,’ I say.

Judging from the flexing of his thigh, he pushes in the pedal and together we shift from the one to the two. ‘Very good,’ he says.

‘Henry, I barely did anything,’ I chuckle.

‘Allow me to give you compliments, Becky,’ he says with a smile.

Henry drives to a secluded place, where we have space enough to drive around a bit, without people watching. He continues to hold my hand and every now and then, we shift together.

He pushes his chair back, pats his lap and says: ‘Come here.’

My eyes enlarge. ‘What?’ I ask him. ‘Why?’

‘So you can have a feeling of driving,’ he says, ‘without actually driving.’

I unbuckle my seatbelt and sit on his lap. He lowers the seat a bit and places one hand on my thigh, while the other rests on the stick. I remember when I was younger, I would sit in the back of the car, while my sister Celine could drive with dad, sitting on his lap and driving just like this.

I sure missed out on a lot.

‘Okay, don’t you worry,’ Henry says, placing his chin on my shoulder. ‘You only worry about steering and then we’ll shift gears together.’

I can barely function like this, however as Henry starts up the car and together we shift, the car goes forward and I hold the wheel, trying to keep the car straight.

‘Turn right,’ Henry says, after we drove straight forward for a while.

‘Now?’

‘Yes now.’

I turn too sharply, because the two of us nearly tumble over.

‘Careful, careful,’ Henry says, placing his hand on the wheel, to help me not to steer too sharp and uncoordinated. ‘There you go,’ he says with a chuckle. ‘You’re doing okay.’

‘Okay is not good,’ I say. ‘I’m still very glad we’re secluded. I’d die of embarrassment if someone saw this.’

Henry starts to laugh. ‘You are doing great.’

We continue to drive like this and at one point, I don’t need Henry’s hand anymore to shift gears and minus the pedal thing (I can’t reach), I’m doing it all by myself.

Not gonna lie, I quite enjoy this.

‘You are doing great,’ he says, squeezing my side. ‘I’m proud of you.’

‘Thanks daddy,’ I say, only quickly realizing what I did. What have I done? Not me totally and severely panicking right now. I’m sitting on his lap for crying out loud. ‘Oh shit, pretend I didn’t say that. Forget it right now!’

Our eyes meet as I look over my shoulder. ‘Did you just call me daddy?’ he asks.

When he says it like that, it’s even worse. I get off his lap and while I sit on the passengers seat, I say: ‘Don’t repeat it, please. This is absolutely mortifying. I really shouldn’t have called you that.’

He cocks an eyebrow. ‘Why not?’

‘Henry!’ I exclaim. ‘This is no where near bedroom setting and I can’t call you that outside of those types of activities. Besides, we don’t even engage in those types of activities. I’m just glad that we are getting back to normal again and look at this: I’m calling you daddy. This is so embarrassing. I wanna die. I’m just getting out and stand over there, so you can hit me with your car.’

He chuckles. ‘Okay, take it easy, drama queen. It’s not that I mind. Took you long enough to say it.’

I let out a laugh, but I don’t know if that is just simply to mask my embarrassment. ‘Of course you would say it like that,’ I say. ‘I don’t even know where this came from. I’m so sorry.’

‘Don’t,’ he says. ‘It’s quite funny and once again: I didn’t mind.’

‘Can we forget it and go home?’

He nods. ‘You want to drive?’

I glare at him. ‘Not funny.’

He chuckles. ‘I’ll drive us home, baby.’

✤ ✤ ✤

When we walk back in our apartment building, the receptionist hands me a large box. ‘For you, miss Kim.’

‘Oh thanks,’ I say with a smile. I look up to Henry and say: ‘I ordered some clothes. You want to see?’

He nods. ‘Of course, baby,’ he says with a smile. He pulls the box out of my hands, so he can hold it and he wraps his arm around my shoulders.

After the daddy incident, we haven’t spoken about it (thankfully) and we simply decided to move passed the unfortunate event.

I’m so not gonna tell Viola and Genevieve about this embarrassing slip up.

We walk into my apartment and though I shouldn’t feel self conscious about the way I look (he saw me partially naked), I still hide in my bedroom when I’m changing outfits. I show him the dress I bought, a pair of jeans and a white crop top and he approves every single one of those clothing pieces.

But the last entire outfit is my favorite.

My skirt and matching crop top are both in a blush pink color and I even ordered some white boots to match with it. ‘And?’ I ask Henry, as I twirl around.

‘I love it, you look absolutely beautiful,’ he says, as he stands up with a smile. ‘This is my favorite look.’

‘Yeah?’ I ask him. Desperate for some more validation from him, I add: ‘It is?’

‘It is,’ he confirms. He walks towards me, takes my hands in his and whispers: ‘I have to apologize.’

‘Why?’

‘I’m trying, Becky,’ he says in a soft tone, ‘but I’m not trying hard enough.’

I tilt my head, as I still don’t understand what he is on about. ‘Henry, I don’t get it.’

‘I don’t want to hurt you, but I am.’

Oh… ‘It’s okay.’

He shakes his head. ‘It’s not okay. I’m so sorry.’

I pull my hands from his and wrap my arms around him. ‘Don’t work yourself up,’ I say. I can’t take this anymore. ‘It’s all okay. I’m just glad that you told me about your feelings and how you are looking at the matter. Just…’ Let me know when that changes, so we can have more sexual rendezvous. ‘Don’t forget I am always here for you.’

[potter-imagines]

Meadow (George Weasley x Reader)

Prompt: Hi, maybe fred or george (you can choose) and the reader are spending the afternoon in a flower meadow together? (sorry for my english, it's not my first language)🙈😊

Notes: okay I'm sure spring break isn't a thing at hogwarts but for this write, it is . hope you enjoy !!

Warnings: none, just a lot of fluff cause everyone loves george

Word Count: 3.5k

Spring break was winding down to a close as early April broke through. New life was brought to fruition as the snow from the harsh winter evaporated into the ground. Outside the grounds of the Weasley’s home were fields and fields of open land. Flowers sprouted in every step creating a kaleidoscope of colors. Those tumbling plains seemed to extend for miles beyond the horizon. Just beyond those grassy hills and slopes was a large, secluded meadow.

It was the early hours of a Saturday morning when a pair invaded the area far before the sun began to rise. The meadow Y/n and George had been occupying seemed to be the perfect location to view the birth of the new season. The perfect spot to enjoy each other’s company. Soon they would be ushered back to Kings Cross and board the Hogwarts Express- George for his last time and Y/n, well it certainly wouldn’t be her last time, no matter how hard she dreamed it was. The topic of George leaving Hogwarts was one the couple tip-toed around. Break was only two weeks but that meant two extra weeks for the pair to be together. With the school year tumbling to an end, George would be leaving school soon with his brother to start his dream and Y/n would be stuck needing to finish her last year at Hogwarts alone. The girl was a year below her boyfriend and although it never caused any friction for the pair, the gap was finally giving them issues.

In George’s mind, arriving to his last school year was both an accomplishment, and a burden. As excited as he was to finally leave those stone walls that held him back, the last thing he wanted was to leave her behind. It didn’t make any of the pain easier knowing that he’d be leaving alongside Fred earlier than the rest of their classmates. Y/n had been the only other living soul Fred and George had filled in on their grand exit plan. They needed someone to keep guard and be a lookout so who better than the one person they trusted not to run their mouth.

There was a heavy smell of earth in the air, mixed with the faint odor of new growth. The vivid green leaves and the cheerful colors of the blossoms are a feast. Flowers popped up from the soiled ground and the fruit hanging from the trees were starting to come to life.

The couple had spent a good portion of their break at the secluded meadow. In a way, it became their little secret spot. Not that it was a secret location by any means. Fred and George had discovered the meadow a few years back when they had ventured miles away from the burrow. The boys were always adventurous, especially when Molly and Arthur finally allowed them free range outside the family home when they were eleven. There were miles and miles of tall grass and woodland that made it easy to get lost. Of course with Fred and George, losing their way was never a worry. When the boys stumbled upon the breathtaking meadow, George seemed to be the only one interested in their find. Fred had wandered off into the section of forest they entered through, his attention captured by a group of baby deer camouflage in the woods. For years George would wander back to the meadow on his own when he needed a break from the loudness of his siblings or grew tired of Ron trailing on his coattails every turn. He promised himself he would keep the spot to himself, let it be his own private sanctuary. This plan ran smooth for a few years before George made the exception to break the rule for one person only.

But for now, the two could only take advantage of the time they had together and they didn’t intend to spend a second apart. It looked as if Y/n and George had stepped straight into a storybook. The grass was Eden-green and thigh-high to a thrush. A neon-blue ribbon of river ran through the ground in a squiggle line. A party of bright yellow ducklings scattered in the calm water, small quacks filling the air. Chirping and sweet songs from the birds made that feeling of Spring become a reality. Buzzing bumble bees and wildflowers sprung along the land. The sounds of nature engulfed the girl whole as she melted into the soft grass.

“I could stay here for the rest of my life- away from people, away from the world. It’s peaceful.” Y/n hummed softly. Her large doe eyes observed the clouds that formed a perfect line-up in the baby blue sky, as if they were boats safely moored in celestial harbour. Peeks of sunlight seeped in through the cracks in the fluffy clouds casting a shimmering light as they danced slowly by in the sky. Just a moment before she was listing off all the animals and objects she saw in the sky. Now she was considering the thought of staring at them forever.

George stole a quick glance down where she laid in his lap. Strands of her h/c hair flowing across his legs and hands. It tickled against his skin as a light breeze swept past. Her abrupt words had caught him off guard. He had missed the sound of her voice for the last hour, although adored the trance-like state of happiness that she was in so he was constantly biting his tongue to keep his thoughts from pouring out. Now that she was somewhat back to earth, he was eager to chat. Tilting his head in her direction George raised his eyebrows.

“Yeah?” He questioned.

A smile graced her lips as she nodded in confirmation. The land was beautiful, unlike anything she had seen. There certainly weren’t any meadows with such serenity as this in the city of London. For once in her life she could hear the sound of her heart beating in the quietness of the open land and she loved it. No cars honking, no crabby cityfolk shoving their way through crowds, no taxi drivers screaming at pedestrians to move, no bright lights, just nature and all of its creations.

Extending her arm, Y/n pointed out to the land. George followed her direction to see she was gesturing to a small section of the meadow that was surrounded by an eyecatching army of poppies and bellflowers. A large willow tree stood towering over the side. In the middle was a bare section- large enough for a home to fit. Y/n grinned in excitement as she suddenly sat up straight.

“Yeah. Build a little cottage, start a garden, maybe even a family… I think it would be lovely.” She said dreamily. Her eyes looked up to George in wonder, silently asking him to share his opinion. Mirroring her previous actions, George scanned the meadow. He placed his hand against his chin, pretending to think long and hard about her idea. Y/n giggled besides him and shoved him lightly on the shoulder. He chuckled in response and leaned back into the log supporting him. George nodded in agreement to the pondering dream.

There was a casual grace to the meadow, as if it has a peripheral awareness of its own beauty yet would rather be at peace in this warm sun. It was quaint and humble yet glowing in - like a glorious mansion hidden away in a forest. A hidden gem that was to be kept away from the rest of society. Their own little happy place that opened and bloomed just for them. There was something so magical about the meadow that George couldn’t pass it up. It felt like fate leading him there- leading them.

“Think we could make that work. The family part is a definante- it’s just building a home that’ll take a bit of time. We could get started on making a family of our own right now-” George was cut off when a hand clamped over his mouth. Although he was only joking, he wouldn’t be opposed to the idea.

“George-” She warned playfully.

“Or in a few years. But living out here would be nice. ‘S not like I got to worry about commuting for work. It’d be a nice escape from the shop once we get business running, and once you graduate. Not to mention moving out here would mean I’d get to see more of you in that pretty dress. Flowers in your hair... you look so enchanting, darling.” A bashfulness struck Y/n to her core at his words. Her eyes instinctively shot down to the grass as a paint of red rose to her face. George’s heart quite literally stuttered at her reaction. Making her blush, seeing her smile because of something he said never failed to bring a sense of happiness to George. That damn smile, he thought to himself. He was sure she could convince him of anything when that innocent look took over. It was natural for her. Y/n was simply ethereal in every way.

His hand brushed as gently as a feather across the skin of her cheek. Pushing the daisy back in place behind her ear, George drew his hand down from her ear to her neck. Gripping her softly George pulled her towards his body, lessening the space between the pair. Dipping his head he leaned in towards the girl until their lips were only inches apart. He smirked teasingly, ready to make a remark when Y/n took matters into her own hands.

Linking her hand around his chin she pulled his face in hers with a deep kiss. Although she initiated the gesture, it was George’s response that made her lose all sense of control. His large hands moved from her face to her waist in an instant. Much to Y/n’s surprise he lifted her without warning, still holding her lips in his, and placed her in his lap so she was facing him. Her hands instinctively switched to wrap around his neck for stability. Fingers gripped at his short ginger locks as she adjusted her hips into his.

Y/n’s heart pounded in her chest as her entire body got weaker. She could only focus on how soft he felt against her mouth, how addictively he invaded all her senses. Everytime their lips met a rush of adrenaline and love ran through her veins. The muscles in her body went limp at his touch, jelly like. George held a tight lock around her waist keeping her steady against him. He slipped his tongue against her mouth, visibly shuddering when she slid her tongue against his in return. Tension was pooling by the second as the kiss intensified. Y/n’s strawberry dress cascaded down the side of legs as she repositioned in his lap earning a groan from George. Hot breath fanned against her face briefly at her movements. His hand darted from the small of her back to the exposed skin on her upper thigh, pushing her further into his body. The vibration of his voice against her lips and the tight grip of his hands on her thighs sent shivers down her spine. His kiss was sweet, like a long awaited embrace. Stars blurred her vision as George gripped her against his chest. The moment was quickly turning into a not so innocent kiss causing Y/n to slowly detach her lips from his. As she pulled away she remained sat in his lap, fingers brushing along the skin of his face as she admired his beauty. A smug smile was displayed on his face while he repositioned his hands behind his body to hold the pair up. Still holding his face in her palms, Y/n pressed forward to scatter a line of kisses on his cheeks. He chuckled in amusement before her kiss latched to his mouth once more. Between short and passionate pecks she fought for words to tell him how much he meant to her. She wanted to tell him all the emotions of love and desire he brought onto her. Tell him how she could never live with another- how he was the only one she wanted for the rest of her life.

“You’re too good to me, George.” She whispered against his lips. The lack of space between them was intoxicating. Heat emanated from George’s cheeks as he desperately attempted to regain his breath and compose himself. His chest was light with air caused by the sweetness of the girl before him. A small smear of glitter lip gloss covered his bottom lip in a shine.

George tasted a hint of bubble gum as his tongue swept along the skin of his bottom lip.

“I’d give you the whole world if I could but I’m afraid I don’t have the coins for that yet, princess.” Pressing his forehead against hers, George hummed the words. Y/n shook her head with a smile as she countered his grand proposition with one of her own.

“All I need is a quaint, cozy cottage out here and you… well a dog or a kitten would be nice too.” She laughed.

George could only stare at her in that moment. Her words registered although the naturalness to her beauty was too much for him to process. The sun hit her back in with such purpose it was as if she were an angel breaking through the sky. Her strawberry midi dress flowed down her sides and pooled in between his legs. Pretty pink satin clung to her form. The sparkling red strawberries fitted her perfectly. The ruffles on her shoulders gave her the look of a cottage princess, a fairy even. Hair flowing freely in the wind, it was a sight he’d never grow tired of seeing. He’d never seen someone as breathtaking as her.

Taking advantage of his silence, Y/n looked up to George in seriousness. His large brown eyes stared lovingly back to her. Gesturing to the meadow surrounding them, Y/n asked him,

“Do you think you’d be happy out here?”

George tore his stare from the girl to scope out the land once more. All the years he spent wandering down here alone in his mind and looking for some sort of answer to life, now he had found it. He could already picture where he would build a playset for the children and where he’d be able to make a small Quidditch pitch to teach your future kids. Ideas were forming for the house and how many rooms you’d both want. George was thinking somewhere around eight- extra room for more kids. Mapped out where the house would go, where he’d build a garden for you, figured out what tree would be perfect for him to put together a treehouse with Fred for the kids, and where the path would go towards the lake. The layout was quickly forming and he wanted in.

Y/n watched in curiosity as the thoughts swarmed through her lover’s head. She could see him intently thinking things over, then smiling before tilting his face back down at the girl. His head moved down so his lips could press against the skin of her forehead as he kissed her.

“Darling, as long as I’m with you, I’ll be more than happy.” He reassured her.

Y/n melted into the warmth provided by his lips. Her body leaned into his, desperate for more of him. George wrapped his arm around her shoulder tightly and fixed his body so he was sitting tall. She clung to his frame like a koala to a tree, burying her face into the material of his hoodie.

“Once I graduate?” Her muffled voice vibrated against his sternum. George ran his fingers up and down her spine as he held her tight.

“Once you graduate.” George repeated sincerely. Although they’d gone over the conversation a million different times, Y/n couldn’t help the shadow of doubts that crept into her mind. She trusted George with all her heart- every inch of her being but they’d be living in two separate worlds for a year and she worried that was something he might not want. Maybe he would realize he wanted to be with a girl his age, or someone older, someone not stuck at Hogwarts. Even without reason for worry, it still came.

Remaining in his hold yet moving back slightly, Y/n’s eyes darted to the flower covered ground. Her fingers ran along the petals absentmindedly as she worked to find the courage to speak. Her shift in emotions did not go unnoticed by the boy. George focused on the look of contemplation adorning her. As adorable as she looked, he hated seeing her in the slightest bit of distress. This went for any situation whether Y/n was stressed about a class, feeling ill, or just sad because she’s hungry, George does everything in his control to fix it for her.

“You’ll wait for me?” The sudden question took George aback. Her tone was a mix of innocence and fear. His confusion arose for the grave manner of her inquiry. Even if her worries were astonishingly unworldly to George, he knew better than to shut down her insecurities brashly. If the topic at hand weren’t so significant to their relationship, he might even crack a joke. However the seriousness in her features was not to be ignored.

George reached out to interlock his fingers through her warm hands. That comforting smile of his graced his face as he brought her knuckles up to his lips and placed a trial of kisses along the bones.

“Of course I’ll wait, love. No other girl I’d want to spend the rest of my life with- no other girl I want to call my wife, the mother of my children. No one but you, my love.” George insisted. It seemed magical to Y/n the way he always knew exactly what to say. Always so heartfelt and honest in meaning. He never told her a lie to make her happy but somehow managed to piece together a perfect string of words to make her whole again. Something in the way he spoke, in his words, it made her believe nearly anything was plausible. Most of all, she trusted him and believed that he had every intention of sticking around, which brought a sneaking grin to Y/n’s face. All those worries washed away at his words. It was a part she loved deeply about him.

The feeling of George’s touch smoothing over the bottom of her pink dress pulled Y/n back to the meadow. The scent of lavender and vanilla wafted past his nose from the perfume he had gifted her for Christmas. His fingers would skim against her bare leg in a teasing fashion as he smirked. Y/n let out a giggle at the tickling sensation of his touch. Her arms wrapped around his neck for support while her bashful grin never ceased.

“There’s that pretty smile.” George remarked with a chuckle. A sense of victory took hold of him at seeing her worries vanish. Arms locked around his neck, Y/n pulled him towards her as her head fell to his chest. Given their limited time, all the couple wanted to do for the next month was be in each other’s arms. George cherished every opportunity he got to hold her, knowing he’d spend the next year missing her everyday. It came in the little things as well like the way her hair always smelled like a basket of delicious fruits, or how she’d hum to herself while they were studying together. He already knew he’d spend most days babbling on to Fred about how much he missed Y/n. Break was almost over which meant the twins would be leaving Hogwarts for good within a few weeks. Y/n dreaded the idea of not seeing George every day, not getting to kiss him or hug him. George hated thinking about having to hear from her through letters and not getting to hear that sweet laughter every day. So for now, all George wanted was to hold his girl and enjoy the excitement for their future he felt budding inside of him.

The colors in the sky were starting to grow brighter by the minute and without saying it, the pair both knew they’d be needing to head back to The Burrow for lunch sooner then they’d care to admit. In the serenity of the meadows the couple found a sense of home. Y/n soaked in their last bits of time in the meadow before George mentioned them heading back. Although neither moved at his words but instead remained holding onto one another.

“I love you, George.”

“I love you more, princess.”

[babymetaldoll]

Danger Days - Chapter twenty-four: "I could honestly say that things can only get better"

Word count: 8,1K

Summary: Our couple deserves a happy ending. You've been invited to Matthew and Joey's wedding. Enjoy!!

Warnings: Hardcore fluff

A/N: thank you SO MUCH for reading this story, for your comments, and for enjoying this weird mix. I'm pretty sure it's the only MCR x MGG fanfic out there, so thank you for your support!! I love you all so much!!

Masterlist

Chapter one | Chapter two | Chapter three | Chapter four | Chapter five | Chapter six | Chapter seven | Chapter eight | Chapter nine | Chapter ten | Chapter eleven | Chapter twelve | Chapter thirteen | Chapter fourteen | Chapter fifteen | Chapter sixteen | Chapter seventeen | Chapter eighteen | Chapter nineteen | Chapter twenty | Chapter twenty one | Chapter twenty-two | Chapter twenty-three | Chapter twenty-four |

--

::: Los Angeles, April 30th, 2011 :::

17:30 pm

Mercedes was nearly crying, sitting on Joey's bed, staring at her daughter in her wedding dress.

- "Can you tell I'm pregnant?"- she asked her mother and bit her lips, honestly concerned- "I mean, everybody knows, I just don't wanna look like a fucking whale."

- "Mami, you look like a princess! And my little baby granddaughter is just making you glow even more!!"- Mrs. Sigmundsson wiped off the tears from her cheeks and smiled- "Let me take another picture."

- "No! Mom! Enough!"- Joey chuckled and turned to the mirror again. She didn't remember when was the last time she had been so self-conscious of how she looked. Probably on one of her first dates with Matthew.

- "Ok, bride!"- Jamia said as she walked in with the rest of the bridesmaids, Paget, Laura (Matthew's sister), and Tabitha- "Everything is set! Are you ready to get married?"

The girl in the wedding dress froze. She felt the cold chill down her spine as she stood still in the middle of the room, not able to move a muscle at the sound of those words.

Joey was about to get married. She was about to be Mrs. Gubler. And though the idea excited her more than anything, it also scared her to the bones. The uncertainty of the future. Was Matthew going to cheat again? Were they going to be happy? Was she going to be a good wife? Were they going to be good parents? It was a huge commitment. Was it the right decision?

- "No, no, no"- Mercedes walked to her quickly, cupping her face sweetly- "Mami, don't overthink this"- Joey nodded, her eyes locked in her mother's- "Remember what you said to me last night?"

- "I asked you to smack me if I thought about backing off"- Joey whispered, and her mother smiled.

- "What was it that you wanted me to remind you of?"

Knowing herself as much as she did, Joey had a conversation with her parents on her last night as a single woman. They were staying with her at the house. Matthew had moved to his brother's house for the previous three days before the wedding. The couple had been anxious enough that week (and the last five) but Mercedes and Jamia had convinced them to stay apart and miss each other a little to make their reunion at the altar more special.

The bride had spent her night with her parents watching movies after their rehearsal dinner... if going out bowling counted as a rehearsal dinner.

::: Los Angeles, Friday 29, 2011 :::

- "Ok, so imagine those pins at the end of the lane are me"- Matthew said, chuckling as he stood with a bowling ball in his hands- "You're all going to be the pins at the other lanes, ok?"

Their family and friends nodded, laughing as the young man stood there, explaining what would happen the next day at the wedding while they ate pizza and had a few beers.

- "Ok, so Joey is the ball"- Gubler continued.

- "Why?!"- the girl shouted right away, pretending to be insulted- "Is it because I'm pregnant and fat?! Is it, Gubs?!"

- "Never, Yami!"- Matthew ran to her and kissed her cheek sweetly- "This is just for educational purposes only, believe me"- she pouted, and he kissed her lips quick and sweetly, making their friends "awww" at the same time.

- "Fine... continue educating us then, Akumu"- he grinned and walked back to the lane quickly.

- "So, basically, what's gonna happen tomorrow is this"- Matthew grabbed the ball and stood still. Joey chuckled, staring at her soon-to-be husband- "You are going to be still and quiet, sitting or standing, depending on the moment. Don't worry, there will be someone telling you what to do. And suddenly, my Yami is going to show up and walk down the aisle like this."

The ball started rolling down the lane, and Gubler made a pause until the ball knocked down half of the pins and disappeared down the pit.

There was a dramatic silence for a few seconds as Matthew turned around and looked at all the guesses.

- "That's what's this wedding is all about. I am all those pins that fell, 'cos Joey knocked me down my feet as she walked down the aisle to me. And those pins standing at my best men, making their best not to freak out as I fall down and probably pass out in shock of how beautiful my bride will look like"- Joey walked to him and started kissing his cheeks quickly.

- "I love you so much, Gubs."

- "Did you see that? Take notes, gentleman, this is how you make your wife happy!"- everybody laughed at Gubler's words and made a toast for the couple.

- "This is deep shit Gubler"- Mikey said and made the groom chuckle.

- "I know, right?"- he quickly answered with a huge grin- "We didn't decide to come tonight bowling for no reason. This took months of preparation, right, Yami?"

- "Sure, Buttercup"- she replied and nodded, to then kiss his cheeks again, feeling her cheeks hurt from all the smiling she had done during the whole day. The whole week actually.

Later that night, the bride and her parents reached home after saying goodbye to Matthew, a scene that lasted at least half an hour after all of their guests and most of their relatives had already left the bowling club. The young couple didn't want to part, and their parents waited patiently until they said their goodbyes.

- "See you tomorrow, Yami"- Matthew whispered, rubbing his lips against hers as they stood under a starry sky. The spring breeze played with their hair as they just stayed there, hugged. Matthew sweetly kissed her, holding her face carefully with both his hands. She felt like a porcelain doll. He touched her with such care and fineness, it seemed like he was sure she was going to break if he wasn't careful.

- "I hate the fact I have to wait another night to sleep with you again..."- the girl whispered- "Our bed feels too big and cold without you kicking me at four in the morning"- he chuckled and kissed her sweetly.

- "Well, if I had known you liked my midnight kicking so much, I would have done it more often."

- "Shut up"- Joey pulled Matthew closer for a deeper kiss, and he failed to hold a soft moan as she slipped her tongue between his lips. They held each other tight, as close as possible, and their lips didn't leave the other's for as long as they could until they gasped for air.

- "Ya, mi amor! Vamos! Save some of that for tomorrow!"- Mercedes yelled and made Joey and Matthew chuckle, staring at each other.

- "You know, tomorrow you are gonna be Mrs. Gubler, and no one will ever be able to take you away from me"- he whispered and stared into her eyes in adoration as she bit her lips, smiling.

- "I like the sound of that, Mr. Gubler."

Finally, back home, Joey and her family sat on the couch to watch a movie together. Mercedes had made her favorites sweets, and Sveinbjörn kept his daughter hugged, close to him, during the whole time. He had mixed feelings that week. He couldn't stop seeing her like she was ten years old again. Every time she spoke, he heard her little voice asking for more candies. It was bittersweet to feel he was letting his little girl go. His girl. He had so clear in his mind the moment they had first brought her home. She was like a scared kitten trying to look brave.

But most of all, Sveinbjörn remembered the first time she had called him dad. It had been a few months after they adopted her. They were out a weekend, on a family trip to Snoqualmie Pass. Joey had decided she wanted to learn how to snowboard, and her parents thought it was a good idea to encourage her to do a winter sport that wasn't sitting in front of the television during the cold months.

It had turned out to be a little more complicated than she had expected, but still, she was putting everything she could into the class. The other kids were much better, and she didn't want to be beaten or humiliated. Her parents looked at the class from a safe distance, having coffee in a little place a few meters away. They kept smiling and taking photos until they heard a loud yell. Joey had started sliding down a small hill, and the girl didn't know how to stop. The only word that left her lips the moment she faced she needed help was:

- "Dad!! Help me!!"

And it was like a thunder had echoed in Sveinbjörn's heart. He jumped from his chair and ran as fast as his legs could take him until he reached Joey's side. She had fallen on her side, and though she wasn't hurt, her heart was racing, and her chin kept quivering, making her best not to cry.

- "I'm here! I'm here"- Sveinbjörn repeated as he held her tight, and her arms locked on his like if her life depended on it. That was the day he felt she had accepted her as her father.

Now the same girl was sitting next to him, with her head on his shoulder, watching "Lord of the Rings" for the hundredth time, caressing her pregnancy belly. Sveinbjörn held his breath for a second and looked at his wife with tearful eyes. She smiled at him and sent him a kiss.

- "Ok guys, real talk here"- Joey said a few minutes later and sat straight on the couch.

- "What happens, mi amor?"- Mercedes asked and reached a cup of hot chocolate for her daughter.

- "Where are the marshmallows, mom?"

- "Gubbi told me not to give you any more marshmallows"- Joey had to bite her lips not to crack up at her mother's nickname for her boyfriend. Instead, she made her best effort to keep a straight face as she looked into Mercedes's eyes.

- "But he is not here. Why can't I have more marshmallows?"

- "The doctor asked you to watch your sugar, mi amor, and I am not going to put my granddaughter's health at risk"- the girl narrowed her eyes and argued right away.

- "But you made brownies and cinnamon rolls, and my wedding cake!!"

- "But no marshmallows in your chocolate! We have to set boundaries!"- and Joey sighed, resigned. She knew that was a battle she wasn't going to win.

- "Fine... whatever, that's not what I wanted to say."

- "What is it, prinsessa?"- Sveinbjörn asked and smiled at his daughter

- "Ok... so"- she sighed and looked at her parents, both of them waiting for her words- "Ok, so"- she repeated and tried to rearrange the words in her head- "So, if tomorrow, at any moment of the day I chicken out, I need you to slap me, ok?"

Both of her parents stared at Joey in disbelief and waited for a few seconds before the two of them burst out laughing right on her face.

- "Ay mi amor! What makes you think you are going to get cold feet?"

- "Mom, you know me, I'm sure I'm gonna start overthinking everything, and I'm gonna freak out sooner or later. So when that happens, I need you to remember something to me."

Mercedes and Sveinbjörn stared at their daughter, waiting for her words. But they only got silence. Joey looked at her hands and played with her engagement ring on her finger.

- "Prinsessa? We are gonna need the rest of the information for tomorrow"- her father whispered and rubbed her leg fondly.

- "Just remind me I had never been this Joey before I met him"- she whispered and blushed- "And that... we are creepy together. That he crossed oceans of time to find me... that he cried when I told him I was pregnant 'cos he was so happy he couldn't handle it. And this is the most important part: mom, please tell me no matter how scared I am..."

::: Los Angeles, April 30th, 2011 :::

17:35pm

- "... No matter how scared I am, when Matthew holds my hand, I always feel shit will only get better"- Joey whispered and smiled as Mercedes kissed her forehead and wiped off the tears from her face.

- "That's right, mami. So don't be afraid, 'cos you are gonna marry the man who makes you happy."

The bride nodded at her mother's words and took a look around the room. Marilyn walked into the room that minute and smiled at her.

- "Hey guys... just give me a second. I need to stop crying"- Joey whispered, and both of the women chuckled as they walked over and hugged her.

- "You look so pretty"- Marilyn answered and smiled, kissing her cheek.

- "How's Matthew?"- the bride asked, and her in-law smiled.

- "He is ready"- his mother answered proudly, but his sister chuckled.

- "He already finished puking, and we made sure he was dressed, combed, and entirely functional to wait at the altar"- Laura answered and chuckled as her soon-to-be sister looked at her with a huge grin.

- "I wasn't waiting for any different scenario."

And it was all true. Gray, Matthew's younger brother, looked at Mikey, and both of them shook their heads as they saw the groom walk in and out of the bathroom non-stop for at least twenty minutes. His best men were all in the guest's room with him: his brother, two of his best friends, and Mikey Way. The bassist was shocked when Gubler asked him to be part of the wedding, but there was no way he could ever refuse.

- "Do you want me to call mom again?"- Gray asked his brother as he walked into the bathroom and found him sitting at the edge of the tub. Matthew was already in his tuxedo, and his hair was a mess after he had run his hands through it a hundred times just in the last five minutes.

- "No, I'm ok, I just need to..."- Matthew took a deep breath and held it as long as he could- "I just need to relax a little. I got slightly nervous."

- "Slightly?"- Gray raised an eyebrow and tapped on his brother's back- "You are freaking out, dude! come on!"

- "I'm not freaking out!!"- Matthew yelled, totally freaked out, and stood up, walking back to the room. His friends were playing cards as they waited for the wedding. Mikey looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

- "Dude, wanna go get a drink?"- he asked and walked with him to the door.

- "That's the best idea I've heard in the latest hours! Thank you! That's the kind of best man I was hoping to get from my friends."

The whole catering was ready for the ceremony, and most of the guests had already arrived. They all waved at Matthew as he, Gray, and Mikey walked to the bar area.

- "Ok, one whisky, and that's it"- his brother said, and Gubler nodded, holding the glass and sipping it.

- "Why are you freaking out?"- Way raised an eyebrow and suppressed a smile- "You nagged my sister until you wore her out and got her to marry you."- the Gubler's brother chuckled at those words- "And now you look like a lamb that's gonna get slaughtered!"

- "I don't! I don't!"- Gubler argued and took another sip of his whisky- "I just... oh fuck it burns!"- he looked almost shocked that his drink was so strong. Mikey and Gray chuckled- "I just wanna make sure everything is ok, is everything ok? Do you think she is gonna like everything?"

- "Gub, breathe, ok?"- his brother grabbed his shoulders and smiled kindly- "It's gonna be great!"

- "And she hasn't run away yet. That's always a good sign"- Mikey added and drank his whiskey.

- "Yeah, that's actually pretty reassuring"- Matthew chortled and left his glass aside. He had already had his share of whiskey that week with his friends. That day he wanted to have a clear mind to remember every single detail of their wedding, 'cos he didn't really remember a lot of his bachelor party last Thursday.

::: Los Angeles, April 28th, 2011 :::

- "I'm gonna get fucking married!!!"- Matthew yelled as he jumped into the pool in his brother's backyard.

Everybody in that bachelor party was boozed. And though Gubler had asked his friends to keep it rating G and almost family-friendly, Gray had gotten him a couple of strippers for an hour dance show. Everybody enjoyed the spectacle, but the groom did his best to stay as far from the strippers as possible. He actually asked them very nicely to focus the entire show on his friends.

- "If my wife bought you lapdances, it's only fair I do the same"- the groom tapped on Mikey's back and smiled, absolutely drunk.

- "She even made out with a stripper"- Frank added and laughed- "Fuck, I'm never going to forget that shit... I still think about it in the shower sometimes."

- "That's my wife, man!!"- Matthew frowned and hit Iero's arm, though both of them were slightly chuckling.

- "Hey! My wife is this close to saying your fucking name in the sack with me, so let me enjoy that fucking memory!"

Everybody laughed at that argument, and Matthew could hardly keep a straight face as Frank sipped his beer and snorted as he added.

- "I'm pretty sure she had to stop herself from..."

- "Stop! Stop it!!"- Gubler shouted and turned around, covering his face with both hands- "I need another drink!"- and just like that, Matthew left to find more booze.

Mikey looked at Ray and Frank and smiled widely, staring at the scene around them. They were with Matthew's friends and brother, celebrating his last days as a single man 'cos he was about to marry one of their closest friends.

- "This shit is bizarre"- Frank slurred, as his tongue felt numb in his mouth from all the alcohol he had drunk in the latest hours- "I didn't see this coming."

- "What? Being wasted?"- Mikey asked, frowning- "I totally called it."

- "Being here with Gubler, ass!"- Frank hit Mikey, and Mikey hit him back right away as Ray laughed. They were like The Three Stooges. They looked at the groom hugging his friends, wasted, and crying as he jumped into the pool again, yelling he was getting married.

- "Ok, now are you two a little more calm knowing our little sister is gonna marry a good man?"- Ray asked his friends, and they sighed.

- "No. I'm never gonna be really calm about anything that might hurt her"- Mikey answered with brutal honesty- "But I feel a little better knowing she is doing what makes her happy."

- "Yeah, she is doing him, and he makes her happy"- Frank added, and they cracked up laughing right away.

- "Stop putting those images in my mind!!"- Ray argued immediately.

- "How's my favorite band doing?!"- Matthew walked over and wrapped his arms around Mikey and Ray- "Did I tell you how much I love you, guys?"

- "No, Gubs. We haven't reached that part of the drunk talk yet"- Iero smiled and lit another cigarette- "But we love you too, man, you've been a weird addition to our lives!"

- "Yeah, you came along with Bug, and though we wanted to kill you for a while... you are kind of growing on us"- Ray added joking, and messed with Gubler's hair.

But the groom stayed serious for a moment, digesting those words. It was an issue for him, and now that he was drunk, he wasn't processing it well.

- "I'm so sorry, guys"- and Gubler's eyes flooded with tears- "I'm so sorry for what I did... I will never forgive myself for hurting her so much. And the fact you were there for her when she needed you..."

Matthew hugged Mikey and Ray tighter and invited Frank into the group hug. The one he joined, drunk tears in his eyes as well.

- "Come on, man! We know you love her, you fixed everything, and now you are gonna marry her!"- Toro tried to cheer Gubler up, feeling guilty he might have... broken him.

- "Yeah! And you have the chance to make her happy every single fucking day from now on"- Mikey added, tapping on his back and handing him his beer- "So stop being sorry, and start being awesome with her, ok?"

- "Yeah, I can do that"- Matthew sobbed and smiled- "Thank you so fucking much, guys! I really love you!"

- "That's the booze talking!!"- Iero laughed- "But just 'cos we don't want to be mean with you today, we are going to admit that we love you too..."

- "This is the deepest conversation we've ever had!!"- Gubler was really drunk, 'cos in real life, all clean and sober, they had shared much deeper conversations. Just that neither of them included "I love you man" at any part.

- "Now let's call Yami!!"- Matthew jumped all of a sudden, whipping off the tears from his eyes and grabbing the phone from the table quickly- "I wanna tell her we are best friends!"

- "She already knows!"- Ray laughed at Gubler's excited face. The groom FaceTimed his soon-to-be bride and waited a few seconds before she picked up.

Joey was the only one sober in that bar. She could tell her friends were absolutely wasted. And it was fun to watch them trying to dance around, holding their drinks, and acting all happy.

- "Are you having fun, bebé?"- Mercedes asked, walking to her daughter, who was sitting by a table, sipping her virgin piña colada and wearing a silly veil and a sash that had written "Mrs. Gubler" in golden letters.

- "Very! But I'm so fucking tired! It has been one hell of a week..."

- "But everything is ready, mami! so stop whining and start enjoying, ok?"- Joey chuckled at her mother's words and nodded.

- "Yes, mamá, you are right"- the two of them smiled and turned to the dancefloor.

- "White people can't dance"- Mercedes shook her head, and Joey burst out laughing.

- "Are you gonna go show them how it's done?"

- "I don't want to embarrass them... look at them, they are so happy"- Joey kept laughing and felt the hum of her phone in her pocket.

- "It's Matthew!"- the girl nearly jumped with excitement as she saw her boyfriend's face on the screen- "Akumu!!"

- "Yami!! I'm so fucking drunk!!"- the young man shouted, and Joey laughed immediately.

- "I can tell!"

- "And Mikey is my fucking best man! Literally!"- the bassist appeared on the screen hugging Gubler, along with Frank and Ray.

- "We are fucking best friends for life!!"- Way hollered and kissed Matthew's face.

- "Dude! You are gonna be the godfather of our little baby princess! We are gonna be fucking family!!"

The two men looked at each other in shock, and tears flooded their eyes again.

- "Are you crying?!"- Joey yelled in shock as Frank laughed at the other side of the screen

- "Dude, we are drunk and emotional, let the guys be!!"

- "You are right, Jersey"

- "How's the party over there? How's Jamia doing?"- he asked as Joey could see how Mikey and Matthew were still hugged, probably sobbing

- "She is rocking the dancefloor with the girls while I sit and drink pennyroyal tea"- bride sang and lifted her glass with a smile- "It's not really tea, it's a virgin piña colada.'

- "Fascinating"- Iero chuckled, and Matthew grabbed the phone.

- "Yami! I miss you!"

- "I miss you too, Akumu!"

- "Stop being so lovey lovey"- Mercedes argued, and Joey laughed right away.

- "Mom, it's "lovey-dovey."

- "Whatever! You understood what I was saying, so don't correct me! And you two are supposed to miss each other! So stop being so lovey lovey and say good night!"

- "No! Mom!"- the girl argued and chuckled, holding onto her phone with her life.

- "I said good night!"

- "You can't force me to hang up!"

- "Give me that!"

- "Why are you so hot-headed about this?"- Joey chuckled as she kept her phone away from her mother

- "I am not a hot-head. I am Colombian. We get excited. Our country is covered in coffee!"

- "Mercedes! Come on! You already forced me not to sleep with her!! I miss her!"- Matthew yelled, making his in-law chuckle.

- "You already knocked her up! What else do you want?!"- Mrs. Sigmundsson yelled, joking and her daughter covered her face with both hands, completely embarrassed.

- "I want her cuddles"- Matthew added with a sweet pout- "Please don't yell at me!"

- "This is how you know that your new family loves you. When they feel free to yell at you!"- Mercedes quickly replied and chuckled.

- "Oh my god!! I miss you so much!"- Joey said and threw a kiss to the screen.

- "Are you having fun, Yami?"

- "Yes! It's been better than I expected... by the way, your sister is wasted."

- "That's ok... everybody here is pretty hammered too."

- "Why are you all wet, by the way?"

- "I jumped into the pool"- Matthew's smile made Joey sure he was proud of his actions.

- "Ok... don't catch a cold"

- "I won't, I swear!"

- "How's Christa?!"- Ray yelled from somewhere. He wasn't really in the view.

- "She is slightly... a little bit less drunk than Jamia... but both of them are gonna end up puking in a while, I'm sure."

- "Jamia is the worst? Great! I won't feel guilty to get intoxicated then!"- Frank interrupted Ray's words and tapped on his friend's back- "I'll go get another beer!"

- "What the fuck are you doing sitting here talking on the phone?"- Paget showed up all of a sudden and narrowed her eyes, staring at Joey.

- "Hey bestie!"- Matthew's voice was his answer, as Joey bit her lips, not even able to answer that question. She was making her best not to laugh.

- "What the fuck? Matthew?"- Brewster grabbed the phone and widened her eyes- "You shouldn't be talking with the bride!"

- "Come on! It's not like we are seeing each other right before the wedding or whatever. I just wanted to check on her and see how everything was going. Is she having fun? Is she feeling ok? How's baby Amelia?"

- "She is ok, everybody is having fun, and you should leave her alone, she is enjoying her last party with her girls as a single woman! Now say goodnight 'cos we are gonna dance"- Paget gave Joey her phone but stood still in front of her, waiting for her to finish the call.

- "Ok, Akumu, your mom won't let us talk anymore..."- Joey chuckled- "So I guess I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"

- "Yes, Mrs. Gubler"- the young man smiled and waved- "I love you so much!"

- "I love you more!"

- "I honestly doubt that."

- "Don't make me show you"

- "Stop the lovey lovey!!"- Mercedes yelled and ended the call- "It's your bachelorette party, and you are gonna have fun with your girls. Come on!"

Mercedes was a party beast. No one could ever doubt that. Joey was right when she said her mother partied harder than her. She forced her daughter to move from the table and onto the dancefloor. It was a fun scene, and it had been a pretty good bachelorette party after all. Joey didn't really have any high hopes for the night, but Jamia had excelled in her duty.

They had started the celebration at Paget's house, with some things to eat and a few fun games. Everybody had been invited to get together: Mercedes, Matthew's mom and sister, AJ, Kristen, Christa, Jamia, Tabitha, and her mother. And everybody was at the club. Even Gubler's mom. Joey was honestly tired and didn't really want to go, but she was forced... and glad she had. 'Cos she had the time of her life.

Having girlfriends wasn't as bad as she always thought it would be. Having friends wasn't as awful as she had experienced before, and letting people into her life was more rewarding than she had imagined. Joey had no idea what had happened to her in the lastest months, but she was never going to go back to being the old self she was a year ago.

::: Los Angeles, April 30th, 2011 :::

17:45

- "Hey! Mikey! How are you?"- the bassist walked to the backyard, as far as possible from everything and everyone as soon as he read his brother's number on his cell phone screen.

- "Hey, Gerard... how are you?"

- "Good... I'm..."- the singer made a pause and lit a cigarette- "Do you wanna hang out? Catch a movie or whatever?"

- "I can't today."

- "Why not?"

- "I've got plans?"

- "Hot date?"

- "No"- Gerard sighed and nodded. It only took him a second to realize which was the real reason his brother couldn't hang out with him.

- "Today is the wedding, right?"- Mikey's silence was all the answer he needed- "I see... well... sorry to bother you, you must be too busy with your fucking new friends."

- "Can you stop that? Why are you trying to make me feel like I'm betraying you."

- "Then maybe you did!"

- "I'm not! stop playing the victim 'cos that shitty role doesn't fit you!"- Gerard knew his brother was never going to feel sorry for him, so it was useless to act hurt.

- "Is everybody there?"

- "Yeah"- Mikey didn't want to lie. There was no use.

- "And... how does she look like?"

- "I haven't seen her. The ceremony starts in fifteen minutes"- the fact there was a time set for the moment she was going to be Gubler's wife cut Gerard deeper than his wife's word when they fought.

- "Well then... I don't wanna keep you from your bridesmaid's duties."

- "You really are a bitter little bitch"- Mikey answered and hesitated a little before adding- "I'm actually in best man's duty today."

The silence in the line let the bassist know his words had hurt Gerard. It's not that he didn't care his brother was going through a rough patch in life. It was that he was sick of being thrown under the bus by him to save his marriage.

Gerard had blamed Mikey for everything that had gone wrong with Joey on tour. He had told Lynz that he had kissed the drummer acting over jealousy, 'cos Mikey had all her attention, and he didn't have any. Stupid, selfish, completely irrational. A lie. A useless lie Gerard knew was going to blow on his face at a certain point. A lie that was ruining his relationship with his younger brother. But it was the lie that kept Lynz around as he slowly convinced her he didn't have any feelings for Joey.

- "I guess I'll talk to you some other time then"- Gerard hissed.

- "Yeah, see ya"- Mikey hung up the phone and scratched his eyes for a second. He grabbed his cigarettes from his pocket and hesitated about lighting one.

The Way brothers knew they weren't going to stay mad at each other forever, and considering they were going to start another eternal leg of the tour in a few days, they were going to talk about it eventually. But shit had gotten pretty rough, and it was undeniable.

Gerard was doing whatever was necessary to save his marriage. Lynz was tagging along for the following concert dates, stuck next to her husband, even when Joey wouldn't be close to him anymore. And though it was clearly going to be awkward for everybody, Gerard was willing to go through it. Joey didn't love him. He couldn't lose the woman who did.

Mikey turned off his phone and sighed. Jamia's voice took him from his thoughts, pushing Gerard away from his head right away. He could deal with him later.

- "Mikey, the bride needs you."

Joey was jumping all over the room when Mikey walked in. He smiled as soon as he saw her. Her maids of honor kept trying to calm her down and keeping her from stepping on her veil.

- "Bróðir!! Mia needs a snicker!"- the girl quickly said as she ran to her friend and kissed his cheek. He chuckled and took a mini Snicker from his pocket. Mikey Way was always prepared for the moment.

- "I love you, and your goddaughter loves you too... You look so fucking hot!!"

- "You look so fucking... white"- he teased and held her hand, raising it over her head, asking her to spin for him.

- "I'm a fucking marshmallow in Converse"- she grinned and showed Way her red converse underneath her dress-  "I'm not gonna put on heels, no way, no how!"

- "You are gonna look so tiny next to Matthew in the pictures"- Mercedes joked from the other side of the room as she sipped a glass of champagne with Marilyn.

- "Anyone any day... except Mikey Way."

- "He is taller than me, actually"- the bassist whined and pouted.

- "Right!... but you fight a good fight"- Joey smiled so much, her cheeks were starting to hurt- "Anyway, I need you to give Akumu this"- the girl handed her friend a little box and started jumping on her spot again.

- "And this is?"- Mikey frowned and shook it, trying to listen to what was inside.

- "It's my wedding present for him."

- "Oh... ok... "- Mikey stood there staring at Joey with an interrogative look.

- "What are you waiting for? Go! And then come back and tell me if he liked it, please!!"

Joey was so excited Mikey was scared she could hyperventilate any minute. But it was so funny all he did was chuckle.

- "Fine, I'll be right back."

Matthew was downstairs, shaking every guest's hand as they walked into the house. He was with his dad and brother by the door, with a huge grin, all his confidence coming back to his body after freaking out earlier.

- "I have been sent by the bride"- Way announced ceremoniously and smiled as the groom nearly started jumping, just like Joey.

- "How is she?"

- "She asked me to give you this, it's her wedding present for you."

- "Oh! Fuck!!"- Matthew held the little box and chuckled nervously- "Wedding present, I forgot the wedding present!"

- "What?!"- Gray hit his brother's arm right away- "What the fuck?"

- "Yeah! I forgot it back in the room!!"- and Matthew burst out laughing- "You really think I'm the worst, thank you very much!"- and his brother smiled.

- "A little, yeah..."- Mikey and Gubler walked upstairs to the guest room. The actor dug into his backpack until he found a little box that he handed over to Mikey.

- "Ok, this is for Yami"

- "You have to open yours. She asked very specifically to describe your reaction as you saw it."

- "Oh, sure, sure!"- Matthew held the box Joey had sent him and opened it up to find a little note:

- "You gave me yours, here's mine"- he read out loud and smiled, staring at a little anatomic heart-shaped lapel pin. It was pearl red with golden details. His eyes filled with tears as he stared at it for a few seconds and immediately proceeded to put it on his tuxedo.

- "Looks pretty cool"- Mikey said and nodded at the groom.

- "I'm never gonna take this off"- Gubler's smile was so honest and happy. The few traces of hate that we're still hiding inside of Mikey's head against him disappeared. Way shook his head and tapped on his shoulder.

- "I'm going to her room to deliver yours... I'll tell him you cried."

- "Which I did"- the actor whipped off the tears from his eyes, and Mikey chuckled.

Mikey walked back into Joey's room the minute her father had gotten there to take her daughter. Everybody talked, making sure all the little details on her dress were ready, fixing her hair and makeup.

- "I come in the name of the groom"- Mikey announced as dramatically as he had done earlier- "And he has sent you this in return for your present."

- "Did he like it?"- Joey's eyes were so open they were nearly popping off her face.

- "He actually cried"- Mikey answered right away.

- "Please, mami! stop crying!!"- Mercedes whined as she started whipping off the tears that fell down her daughter's cheeks.

- "It's her wedding day, why aren't you crying?"- Tabitha asked and frowned as Mercedes smiled back.

- "I already had a little moment, but now my job is to be a rock for my daughter when she needs me. You'll see me drunk and crying after she is gone"- Joey chuckled, knowing her mother wasn't joking- "Now open the present!"

And so did the bride. She opened the little box, only to find an empty film case with a note and a Starbucks ticket.

- "The best coffee I've ever had"- she read the date on the ticket and realized it was from their first date, the date they met, recording his friend's band. Inside the case, there was also a simple family tree Pandora bracelet.

- "Only Matthew can put jewelry in a film case"- Jamia joked, and Joey snorted- "Are you gonna wear it for the wedding?"- the bride nodded, unable to speak.

- "Ay mami, if you are gonna cry, do it now, 'cos you have to walk downstairs in five minutes"- Mercedes hugged her daughter, who was biting her lips as hard as possible to stop the tears from falling.

- "She's the bride! She can be late"- her father quickly answered and kissed Joey's temple.

- "I'm gonna go see Matthew, dear"- Marilyn said.

- "Can you tell him to wait a little bit please, I think I need to get my shit together"- Joey whispered, and her in-laws smiled.

- "Take your time, honey."

Crying of happiness sounded like a cliché, and yet, there she was, making her best not to sob.

At 17:55, Mikey kissed Joey's forehead and walked to the backyard. He was going to tell Matthew about Joey's reaction to his present, but Frank waved and caught his attention.

- "How's everything going?"- he asked as Mikey hugged Christa, Tucker, and Ray.

- "Great, our girl is ready. Jamia is doing her bridesmaid's job quite amazingly, I must say. And Bug is on fire! she keeps jumping and laughing... the happiest bride on earth."

- "Gerard called"- Ray announced- "He said you talked to him today and told him about the wedding."

- "Yeah... sorry about that."

- "Nah, it's not a secret. I'm so fucking glad he doesn't know where we are, 'cos he would be able to show up and try to ruin everything..."- the band made a pause after Ray's words, and all of them hesitated for a second.

- "No, he doesn't know the address, no one else does, so there's no way he can show up"- Mikey reassured the band and nodded- "We are peachy."

Sveinbjörn held his daughter's arm and smiled at her as they got ready to walk downstairs. The couple's family room on the second floor had a beautiful stair that led directly to the backyard. The bride's maids of honor were ready to walk downstairs, but Joey held them back for one more minute.

- "Everything ok?"- Jamia asked and looked at the bride.

- "Yeah"- she took a deep breath and sighed- "Let's do this, mother fuckers."

Matthew was already standing by the altar, grinning at all the guests. He could see all his friends from home, his closest family, his nephew running around with AJ kid. His friends from Criminal Minds were there too, smiling widely at him. Everybody he loved was there, the people closest to his heart.

- "Nervous?"- his father asked him before taking his seat in the front line, and Matthew shook his head right away.

- "I've never been more sure about anything I've ever done before in my entire life."

The music started as all the bride's maids walked down the stairs slowly to be greeted by the groomsmen. First Tabitha, then Paget, Laura, and finally Jamia. When J was in the last step of the stairs, the string quartet started playing Elton John's "I guess that's why they call it the blues."

Joey took a deep breath and walked outside. Their backyard was a Halloween dream, and her charming prince was waiting for her, standing next to an arch of autumn-looking leaves, orange, brown and yellow. It was breathtaking.

The aisle was marked on the grass with garden candle lamps and red, black, white, yellow, and orange rose petals. Fairy lights hung all over around. A mix of black, orange, and cream color pumpkins filled the garden, some of them lightened with candles and craved "Mrs" and "Mr" and "Newly Wed."

The bride could feel her heart swell inside her chest as she fixed her eyes on Matthew and smiled. He whipped off the few tears that started falling down his cheeks as soon as he saw her and felt his brother tapping on his back. It felt forever until she reached his side. Sveinbjörn held his daughter's hand and Matthew's with a warm smile on his lips.

- "If you don't take care of her, I'll kill you"- the old man said, and Joey burst out laughing right away.

- "I swear, I will never leave her side, and I'll never let anything hurt her"- Gubler answered with happy tears in his eyes as he kept staring at Joey. Sveinbjörn kissed his baby and then kissed Matthew's cheek.

- "I love you, kids"- her father whispered and walked to sit next to his wife. Joey bit her lips as she looked at Matthew, and he leaned over to kiss her.

- "You have to wait until the end she whispered and giggled, staring at Matthew, who kept biting his lips."

- "I don't think I can... you look so beautiful"- he managed to whisper as they walked the last few steps until they were in front of the officiant.

- "The bride and the groom have written their own vows"- the officiant announced when it was time to exchange rings. Mathew held Joey's hand sweetly and smiled at her, feeling the knot in his throat tighten as he tried to speak.

- "Yami, I knew you were the love of my life as soon as you first pinched my arm when I was too hyperventilated on our first date"- the couple chuckled, along with most of the guests- "Never in my entire life, I imagined someone could get me like you do. And I've fallen in love with you so many times after that first date, I've already lost count. But if there's one thing I'm sure about, it's that I'll keep falling in love with you until my very last day."

Matthew had to make a pause as he smiled, staring into his bride's eyes with such tenderness, the girl felt her heart was about to stop. She had to bite her lips to stop the tears from falling.

- "I never thought I could find someone to be creepy with me, someone I could give my heart to. I just love you so much"- Matthew whispered- "And I love our little Amelia so much as well. I swear in front of all our family and friends, I'm gonna live the rest of my days on earth making the two of you, and all the other kids we are gonna have, as happy as you can be."

The girl chuckled as tears of love flooded her eyes.

- "We'll talk about "all the other kids" later, ok?"- she joked, making Gubler snort.

- "As you wish..."- he held her hand and sighed as he slipped the ring in her finger, to then kiss it. Jamia had to keep the sigh in her chest as she stared at the scene, thinking her crush for that man was never going to fade.

- "Matthew Gray"- Joey murmured and smiled as she felt the words couldn't even leave her lips. She was overwhelmed with love- "I never thought I would be standing in front of a man who wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. A man I trusted. When I was a kid, I always thought this day wasn't meant to exist for me. But ever since I met you, you've proved I was wrong about so many things.."

The two of them chuckled, and Matthew ran his thumb sweetly on Joey's cheek to wipe off the few tears that were falling from her eyes.

- "I love you"- he whispered as he stared at her.

- "I love you too"- she answered and blushed- "And I promise to love you as long as I live, and then longer... so I'll always keep the coffee pot on"- Gubler chuckled, and she smiled wide at his reaction- "Dr. Seuss wrote that you know you are in love when you don't want to fall asleep, 'cos reality is finally better than your dreams. I feel no dream can beat every moment I spend with you..."

Joey held Matthew's hand and sighed one last time, taking her time to make she wasn't going to cry the minute she put the ring in his finger. She smiled at him, tears now falling free from her eyes, just like from his.

Frank and Ray were sobbing, and they weren't even embarrassed about it. Most of the guests were crying after those vows. The officiant pronounced the couple husband and wife, and they finally kissed. Matthew cupped her face in his hands sweetly and gently as he pulled her closer to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, humming into the kiss, feeling her heart beating so hard and fast inside her chest, she was sure everybody in the backyard could hear it. But she didn't care at all.

Joey didn't care that she had been cheesy in front of her family and friends. She didn't mind crying in front of a bunch of people. All she cared about were the lips kissing her and the man who sworn loving her until the end of time. The man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

- "I love you so much, Mrs. Gubler."

Matthew whispered and smiled widely as those words left his lips, resting his forehead in hers and running his tongue through his lips, thinking he didn't want to stop kissing her for as long as he lived. Joey laughed and nodded, feeling like a kid who had just received the most amazing present on earth.

- "I love you more, Mr. Gubler."

- "I surely doubt it"- he replied and kissed her lips once again.

- "Do you wanna bet?"- she teased, feeling how his hands traveled from his cheeks to her waist.

- "I've got the rest of my life to prove you wrong"- he answered with a snarky smile, and she just giggled.

- "Matthew Gray Gubler, it's on."

- "Ok, I'll first prove you wrong if you look to your right."

Joey frowned and looked beyond all the guests that waited in their seats to congratulate them. Hanging at the back of the garden, her eyes found the eighteen banners Matthew had made for each concert he had been in the audience: "The distance is nothing when one has a motive," "I have crossed oceans of time to find you," "And neither the angels in heaven above, Nor the demons down under the sea Can ever dissever my soul from the soul of the beautiful Annabel Lee," "Come sleep with me: we won't make Love, love will make us," "You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope", "I have loved none but you," "If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more," "Fear no more, says the heart...", "Just in case you ever foolishly forget; I'm never not thinking of you," and more.

- "Oh my... god... Matthew..."

- "I love you an insane amount, Mrs. Gubler... and my love is out there for everyone to see."

- "Akumu..."- the girl bit her lips trying not to cry- "I'm carrying your baby, so I win"- he chuckled and kissed her again.

- "I told you, I've got the rest of my life to prove you wrong, so every day, I'm planning to love you more than the day before."

- "We are cheesy"- Joey chuckled and kissed his lips softly- "I can do cheesy with you, no one else but you."

- "That's the plan, Mrs. Gubler. It's just you and me now."

- "I like the plan, Mr. Gubler."

The End

**

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