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madefate · 5 months ago

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˖°.𓆩♡𓆪 .°˖ Blitz digs his claws into the ice, eyes closed, every part of him trying to get his bearings as the world rockets down around him. He doesn't know if it's the speed or the magic or just the ice itself, but it's a bitter kind of cold that immediately latches onto him and sinks into his bones, makes his jaw throb harder instead of numbing it out. Only when he's sure that the fuckin' thing isn't moving anymore does he finally look around.

His stomach swoops when he peers over the edge and sees the palace and the grounds much farther below him than he'd been expecting ; he's had to make some unfortunate jumps in his day, with or without the guarantee of safety, but no rooftop escape or high wire compares to this. Shit. Stolas is so small down there, so far away, and when Blitz desperately searches for their connection, it's just as silent.

Fuck this Ice Prick guy - fuck this whole family that thinks it's so great that it can shit over everyone else's happiness. Fuck the way they've made Stolas feel all these years, the fear they put in him, the lifetime of fucking abuse. And fuck this shit head who thinks he's owed something just because he wants it. Just because of his name or his fuckin' daddy.

There's no time to waste. Blitz can't hear them anymore, and that just drives the panic harder into his gut, but he has to focus. He keeps his claws in the ice but slowly tries to get himself to his knees. Thank fuck he managed to hold on - aside from the bruising on his chin and his still stinging hand from earlier, he's fine. He even still has the sword - he sees it when he glances around him.

The platform is pretty small ; he could probably lie down, but only just that. Fighting his nerves, Blitz removes one claw from its hold to take the sword in hand again. No matter what, he'd rather have a weapon available.

Now - now he just needs a plan.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ On the ground below, far out of earshot, Andrealphus matches Stolas' posture and leans in, eyes bright and dangerous in their own way - not as quite far above everything as they had seemed at the beginning of all of this. There's a level of personal hatred simmering in them now, made all the deadlier with smugness as the ice creeps higher up Stolas' leg, swirls around his curled fist in an effort to weigh it down - make it useless.

❝ Those are some impressive words. ❞ His voice is dripping with derision. ❝ But that is all they are. Words. You're in no position to negotiate, Stolas. No - now it's time for you to finally lose everything. ❞ He gestures behind himself, at the frozen over estate - the shrubs and trees and flowering plants encased in ice, so many of them already turning brown and brittle.

❝ I've already begun. You have lived on this property as a privilege of the Goetia family. That privilege has been revoked - along with your ... feckless hobbies. And that is only the beginning. You are going to watch as I take away your precious things. I will personally see to the disposal of your little sex toy and all of his ... annoying associates. Your home, the trash you left my sister and spat in the face of this family for. Your very magic. I'm going to take it all. ❞

Andrealphus is leaning in closer now, a sneer pulling his lips into a grotesque facsimile of a smile. ❝ You're a gardener, brother, aren't you? - What do you do with weeds ? ❞

˖°.𓆩♡𓆪 .°˖ Fuck, whatever they're talking about down there, it looks intense. When Ice Prick moves, practically looming over Stolas, Blitz see the flash of ice and realizes with a blazing fury that Ice Prick is trying to freeze him in place. Every single protective instinct he has - and there are so fucking many, honed over the years in service of Barbie, Fizz - Loona, M&M. Stolas. - roars to life.

There's no way he can make this jump without breaking his goddamn neck or flat out pancaking himself on the ground one final time. - But a controlled fall ... there's something there. It's going to have to be all or nothing ; this stupid pillar is basically vertical - if there is a slope down the side, it's barely noticeable. He's going to have to let himself drop right down before digging the sword into the sheer face

He's not gonna get a practice run, but - fuck it. He has to get down there before Ice Fuck manages to hurt Stolas more than he already has - no, unacceptable. Blitz'll punch his beak down his throat before he snaps it if anything happens to Stolas. Don't you FUCKING touch him. Reflexively, he searches for the thread of their connection, grabbing onto it even though it's so quiet - it feels almost hurt when he touches it, as if it wants to sob and might do so through him.

I know you can't hear me, Lovebird, but I'm coming.

Keeping hold of it, readying his sword, Blitz jumps.

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ❝ Of course, ❞ Andrealphus keeps his own magic at the ready, waiting to pounce if he needs to. ❝ We will keep Octavia safe. That poor girl doesn't need to be caught up in all of your - indiscretions. She doesn't need the bad influence of your parentage when she has her mother to guide her. Protect her. ❞

He looks as if he's about to say more, perhaps even get to his point, when he glances up suddenly at motion atop the pillar. For a moment he watches passively as a little red blur pitches over the side - oh, has the little imp given up so easily ? - No, seems not. He's doing something with that silly sword of his, slowing his fall, maybe. With a gesture, Andrealphus secures him in a thick dome of ice to deal with when the time is right.

❝ Goodness, you two are vexing. As I was saying - this is the state of things, Stolas. This is the bed you've made. And you will lie in it - ... if you continue not to cooperate. ❞ That's when he leans in, voice velvety - oily, dripping with false sympathy. ❝ Though I know what the girl means to you, and it breaks my heart, truly. I suppose, if you were to stop all of this nonsense - perhaps you might make a home with your true family once more. The wife and child you are meant to serve above all others. ❞

˖°.𓆩♡𓆪 .°˖ It's a few seconds of heart hammering adrenaline, and then the world goes immediately dark and cold around him. In that moment, Blitz is sure that he's miscalculated and that he actually did kill himself on the stones below - but he's trained himself well to take stock of his surroundings, and he can feel the sword in his hand, the surprisingly rough surface of the ice all around him - encasing him, shit.

The chill is so quickly much worse here, blasting right through him until he has to drop the hilt and draw his hands and arms to himself to keep them from burning with the frost. No, no - no ! He can't see them ! He can't DO anything - ! He doesn't know if it's the dormant connection, or his own emotions reaching a fever pitch, but Blitz screams in frustration, slamming a fist against the floor of his newly made cage.

Thank fuck it doesn't break, actually - that's a one way ticket to pancake town. But, fuck - ! Blitz brings his hand back to his chest, seeking any kind of warmth in his jacket, his mind reeling. In sheer desperation, he clings to that connection, as if he can hold onto it and follow it to wherever the fuck Stolas is in this strange, magical, astral place.

I'm trying, Lovebird. I'm not going to stop trying.

So - he does. All he can do for the moment is hang onto that connection and refuse to let go.

Stolas has never been much of a fighter. He knew how to fence, but that was usually in a controlled environment, with specific parameters. And Blitz had taught him some basic self-defence that he hasn't had to use yet. Unfortunately both of those required him to be in close quarters to his opponent, which was something they were looking to avoid with Andrealphus.

Even though Blitz hasn't had to deal with Stolas' former brother-in-law before, it's clear yet again just how good Blitz is at reading people. He'd been able to pick up on the best way to get under his skin very quickly. Andre tried to present an aura of being untouchable, that nothing bothered him, and he could just let things roll off of him, but now all three of them knew that that was just a facade, that he was just as susceptible to taunts as those he so looked down on.

Even though the situation is less than ideal (to put it mildly), even though Stolas is currently not in the best shape, the anxiety that had been building since he realized he couldn't access his powers has lessened. With Blitz here, by his side, even though he can't feel him through their connection (which had added to the anxiety), having him here means he doesn't have to face this on his own, gives him courage. He'd known something had to give with his family, and now that it had…, he was going to stand up and face it, with Blitz right beside him.

They've fought together a few times now, but nothing quite like this, never against someone with Andrealphus' powers and skills. He might not be a match for Stolas at his best, but he was still a formidable opponent with his ice projectiles. They had sparred a few times, using their own brands of magic, and Andre didn't like to lose. Looks like that much hadn't changed.

But he was going to be sorely disappointed, if Stolas and Blitz had anything to say about it. They weren't going down without a fight, he wasn't going down without a fight, not when he had so many people to fight for. There was no way he was going to let Andrealphus get to Octavia, not when he'd done everything he could to keep her away from the family for seventeen years, to give her as normal an upbringing as he could.

Even as Andrealphus sends another ice wall in their direction, Stolas follows after Blitz, keeping as close to him as he can, bent practically double to make himself smaller, less of a target, something he'd had plenty of practice doing over the years.

He offers Blitz a grim smile when he asks if he's back online, but he doesn't have time to give more of an answer. Blitz gestures to him to look and copy, and Stolas nods, picking up the small shard of ice he'd pulled to him and using it to chip at the wall, finding the imperfections like an artist with marble, chipping out several chunks that are relatively the same size and shape as those Blitz has gathered.

Ice clutched in his hands, he watches as Blitz peeks around the corner of the wall, to get a view of exactly where Andre is before he calls out a taunt of his own.

❝ Uh, wasn't the disgrace your limp dick in the sack ?! That's what your little boy toys say in the Lust ring! ❞

And even in such dire circumstances, even as Blitz is dragging him away from Andre's retaliation to such an insult, Stolas can't help the laugh that falls from his lips. He'd been so afraid before, and while there's still that undercurrent of anxiety in his blood, it's no longer controlling him, keeping him frozen in place.

Blitz wastes no time in taking advantage of Andrealphus' distraction, sending one of the ice chunks hurtling in the peacock's direction. The projectile connects with a satisfying thunk! and Andre stumbles where he's standing on his platform, lording it over the courtyard.

Without even needing to see Blitz's gesture, Stolas moves with him as the wall behind them practically explodes as a result of Andre's anger, his attempt to retaliate for such an impertinent blow.

"Not so untouchable now, are you, you arrogant prick?" Stolas mutters, using what little power he's managed to unlock to throw as much of a shield over Blitz as possible, even as he tugs Stolas down, to try to cover him with his body.

❝ He gets real fuckin' sloppy when he's mad - this is great. If we keep this up, we can - ❞ Blitz starts, but before he can finish his statement, the ground shifts beneath them.

Stolas reaches for him, tries to grab hold of him, but before he can, Blitz is pulled from him, a pillar of ice carrying him up, away from the battlefield they've forced Andrealphus to give them, away from Stolas. All he can do is watch, hands outstretched, heart in his throat as he watches Blitz cling to the pillar, trying not to fall off of it.

"Blitz!!" he calls, even as he hears Blitz shouting his own name. He has to get to him, has to figure out a way to get him down from that pillar; if he falls--

But before he can try anything, before he can reach for what limited powers he has, to try to get to Blitz, Andrealphus' voice calls out to him once more, and he whirls in his former brother-in-law's direction, red eyes narrowed.

He's finally come down from his platform, onto the same level as Stolas. Fucker knew what he was doing, separating them; Stolas can feel his anxiety level rising again. He can't feel Blitz, can't see him and still watch Andre, and that worries him. If he falls, he won't be able to help him until it's-- He shoves that thought from his mind, refusing to entertain it even for a moment. He's not giving up, not now, not ever.

Stolas can almost see the barrier in his mind, keeping all but a sliver of his own powers at bay. When he was by himself, it seemed almost insurmountable, a monolith, kept in place by his former brother-in-law's own powers. He'd tried to fight against it, but it had felt like too much. Stolas hadn't been enough to do it on his own, and for a moment, he'd been back in that place where he felt like he'd never be enough. That despite his innate, raw power, he wasn't worth using it for himself, and so he very rarely used it at all.

So when Blitz had showed up, reminded him that he had so many reasons to keep fighting now, that he wasn't alone, that he needed to get out of this, for Via, for Blitz, for Loona, for himself, he found a reserve of strength he didn't even know he had.

Drawing himself up to his full height, his red eyes narrow at Andrealphus as he subtly shifts his stance, grounding, positioning himself the way Blitz had taught him.

And without another word, he drew back, using his body weight to put as much power into the motion as possible, he aims his punch through Andrealphus, clocking him right in the jaw.

"How's that for cheating, you fucking prick?" Stolas spits, ignoring the bloom of pain in his hand; he would deal with that later.

But right now, while Andrealphus is reeling from the blow, he whirls around, looking up at Blitz again, desperate to get to him. Afraid of what he might find, Stolas reaches for his wings….., but before he can extend them, before he can even try to get to Blitz, Andrealphus has recovered, anger blazing in his blue eyes.

"You'll pay for that, Stolas," the peacock growls as ice starts to creep up the owl's legs, just enough to keep him in place. Andrealphus steps closer, slow smirk slipping onto his face, even despite how hard Stolas had hit him. "Or maybe we should make your impish little plaything be the one to pay, hmm?" His voice is low, intending for only Stolas to hear him.

"If you touch him, I will rip you apart," Stolas growls, eyes flashing dangerously. He might not be able to reach for his powers right now, but he wasn't defenseless, not anymore. "I will tear your tongue out of your head and feed it to your sister if you go anywhere near him."

#hh tw #( ic. )#( blitz. )#helldustedstories #au. and i'm so ready to wake up now #one of my hobbies is being evil - i enjoy it very much :')

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let-the-dream-begin · 4 years ago

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In My Daughter’s Eyes Chapter 26: Accustomed

Chapter 25

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On August fourth, the actual date of their one-month anniversary, Claire was working until ten at night. When she shoved the key in the lock and shouldered the door open, she expected to see Mrs. Lickett on the couch with a book as she always was after Faith was put to bed. What greeted her had her frozen in the doorway. Mrs. Lickett was talking animatedly with Jamie.

He shot up from his seat immediately, swiping something off the coffee table. Mrs. Lickett silenced herself, looking back and forth between the younger people like she was watching puppies play together.

“Happy one-month, Sassenach.”

Claire realized through her bleary vision that he’d swiped up a bouquet of flowers. She felt like her bones were melting in her body, and she just wanted to throw herself on him and weep with exhaustion and tenderness.

“I’ll leave you two…” Mrs. Lickett said, getting off the couch. “Nice talking to you, Jamie. Goodnight, Claire.”

Claire stammered an incoherent goodnight, and Mrs. Lickett closed the front door, Claire having had it open this whole time.

“I came after Faith was asleep so she wouldna get all excited, so dinna fash about that. Mrs. Lickett texted me.”

In any other situation, Claire might have laughed at the thought of the two of them texting one another.

“There’s a bottle of champagne in the fridge if ye’d like. I can also go, if ye wish. I ken ye had a long day, that’s why we celebrated on Saturday, so if ye’d rather I — ”

He paused, and only then did Claire even realize she’d actually started weeping.

“Claire? What’s wrong?” The flowers dropped from his hand, landing on the couch, and in three quick strides he was upon her, hands gripping her shoulders. “What is it, lass? Did ye lose many patients?”

Claire sniffled, laughing at her own hysterics. “No...well, yes, a few but that’s not…” She wiped her eyes, then cupped his face. “You’re just….so sweet, Jamie.”

“Oh.” The concern wiped itself off his face, replaced by vague dumbfoundedness. “Ye’re alright, then?”

Claire nodded vigorously. “I’m...I’m perfect, Jamie.” She kissed him, wet snotty face and all. “I’m so glad you’re here.” She nuzzled her nose with his.

Jamie exhaled with relief, nuzzling her back. “I’m glad ye’re glad,” he said with a laugh. “I ken we celebrated already, but it felt wrong to not see ye on the day. Even if it’s just fer a bit. I couldna stop thinking about ye all day.” His thumbs rubbed circles on her shoulders.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you either.”

They kissed again, Claire threading her arms around his neck and Jamie threading his around her waist. When they pulled apart, Claire laughed wetly. “Shall we get out of the doorway?”

They did, making their way to the kitchen where Claire arranged the flowers in a vase while Jamie got flutes for their champagne. Claire remarked over and over how beautiful the flowers were, and Jamie retorted nearly every single time that they weren’t nearly as beautiful as she was. They clinked their glasses, toasting to one another, and they finished the bottle on the couch, intermittently kissing sloppily and laughing at the episodes of Friends that TBS was playing.

When the bottle was finished, Claire had herself wrapped around Jamie like a koala, and she found herself weeping again. When Jamie prodded, she sniffled and looked up at him.

“I don’t know, you just...you do so much for me.” She wiped her eyes. “I feel like I don’t...I don’t do enough.”

“Sassenach…”

“I just want you to know how much you mean to me,” she finished. “Even if I’m terrible at…”

“Claire.”

That stopped her. Not Sassenach. Claire.

“Ye’re no’ terrible at anything.” He wiped wetness from her cheeks with his thumbs, looking into her eyes.

“But do you know…? Do you really know that you’re...you’re so important to me?”

“Aye, mo ghraidh. I know.” He kissed her forehead, then her nose, then her lips. “I know.”

And then, like the person desperate for physical connection that she was, Claire pounced on him, tearing his shirt off and letting him tear off hers, and her bra, as she straddled him. The blazing warmth of his bare chest pressing her breasts flat was almost too much to bear. They kissed fiercely, Jamie raking his nails up and down her back, causing her to shiver and groan. It didn’t take long at all for Jamie to stand up, carrying Claire bodily with him. He paused for a moment to adjust her legs around his waist so she wouldn’t slip, and they both giggled. Then Jamie walked into the bedroom, kissing Claire all the while, and he laid her on the bed like she was made of glass and meant to be worshipped.

She didn’t wait for invitation before stripping her bottom half, and Jamie did the same before joining her on the bed. He teased her nipples with his mouth and rolled her clit in his fingers for a while, until Claire was choking on her own moans, bucking her hips into the air, desperate for him. He entered her, and she came immediately from the sheer release after a long day and the build up he’d given her. Jamie let her get her bearings before moving within her, and then he was reaching between them, pounding and rubbing her mercilessly until they were both crying out their release into each other's mouths, biting on each other’s lips to keep each other quiet.

Claire was seeing stars, the darkness of the night around them consuming her senses. Jamie’s warmth was all around her, surrounding her. He rolled over next to her and gathered her against him, and without thinking, she threaded her legs with his, nuzzling into his chest and kissing his sternum. In that kiss, she said:

Please know. Please know how much I care.

Jamie’s answering kiss to the crown of her head, accompanied with a large hand rubbing up and down the smooth expanse of her back answered:

Aye, mo ghraidh. I know. I know.

——

A persistent banging noise was what woke Claire the next morning. She groaned with annoyance at first, pulling the blankets over her ears, but then she felt someone shaking her.

“Sassenach,” Jamie whispered. “I think Mrs. Lickett is here.”

Claire’s eyes shot open, and she sat up. “Oh shit,” she hissed. “That’s Faith outside the bedroom, isn't it?”

“Aye, indeed.”

“Shit shit shit…” Claire scrambled from bed and breathed in exasperation upon remembering she’d fallen asleep stark naked. Faith banged more insistently on the door, moaning in frustration. “Coming, lovie! One second!” Claire threw up a prayer of thanks to whoever was listening that Jamie had thought to lock the door behind them last night.

She tore through her closet for a robe and yanked it on, then turned to see Jamie was getting dressed.

“Don’t move,” she breathed. Jamie froze with one leg still halfway into his pants.

“Ehm…why?”

“I don’t want Faith to know you’re here. She’ll never let you leave.”

Jamie bit his lip to stifle a laugh, finishing with his pants.

“Just…get in the corner. Far away.” She gestured absurdly with her hands, pushing him farther and farther back from several feet away. “Don’t make a sound. She will figure it out, and there will be a meltdown.”

Jamie pantomimed zipping his mouth shut and throwing away the key. Claire rolled her eyes before unlocking and opening the door, just a crack. Faith was way ahead, grasping the edge of the door the second she could, and trying to thrust it open.

“Good morning, Faith,” Claire said warmly. “No, no, we can’t cuddle this morning, I’m sorry darling.”

Faith groaned, giving another sharp push that would have had Claire stumbling backward if she hadn’t seen it coming. “Don’t push me, Faith,” Claire said softly, but firmly. “Mrs. Lickett is here, come on.”

Claire did a little pushing of her own, shuffling Faith away with her legs and prying little hands from the door. She quickly shut the door again behind her as soon as she was certain that no fingers would get crushed, and she scooped Faith into her arms.

“Coming!” Claire called as she settled Faith onto her hip and scuttled into the living room. She put Faith down so she could unlock and open the door, and she cringed to think how unhinged she must look to the poor woman.

“Good morning, so sorry,” Claire said, flustered. “I overslept, clearly.”

“That’s alright,” Mrs. Lickett assured, stepping inside.

“Ehm, just a few things,” Claire said with an awkward chuckle. Before she could continue, a scratching noise filled her ears, and she whirled around to see Angus scratching on her bedroom door.

Of course he knows.

“Angus! Come!” Claire said, her voice thin with panic. The dog obeyed immediately, of course, well trained as he was, but he definitely knew something was up.

“Uh…” Claire cleared her throat. “Right. So, there is, ehm…J-A-M-I-E is H-E-R-E,” Claire said carefully, deliberately spelling any words that might trigger excitement for Faith. Realization illuminated Mrs. Lickett’s face, and she nodded, lips taut with the effort of stifling a smile. “So I, uh…just need you to keep her busy while I get dressed and get H-I-M…O-U-T.”

“Right,” Mrs. Lickett said.

“Have her feed Angus first and foremost and then…how about a bath? She never runs out of the tub.” Bath time was indeed one of Faith’s favorite activities; she treated it like her own little ocean, playing mermaid and squirting water with her bath toys. Getting her out of the tub was like trying to get her out of the Abernathys’ swimming pool.

“Sounds good,” Mrs. Lickett agreed. “I’ll shut the door for good measure.”

“Perfect.” Claire looked behind her to see Faith on the living room floor with her Barbies, arranging them on the coffee table using some filing system that Claire would never understand. She then watched in horror as Faith pushed a bra and two t-shirts off the coffee table. She darted forward and snatched them up before Mrs. Lickett could notice, though she likely already did. “Okay baby, listen to Mrs. Lickett, Mummy needs to get ready for work.”

With that, Claire shuffled away back into her bedroom, careful to only open the door just enough for her to fit in, locking it behind her. When she turned around, Jamie was just sitting on the bed, still shirtless for obvious reasons, grinning like an absolute fool.

“I’m glad you think this is funny!” Claire whispered harshly, throwing his shirt at him, but her own smile betrayed her.

“It’s like Jenny sneaking Ian out of our parents’ house,” he said quietly, biting his lip to contain a chuckle. “Couple of teenagers we are.”

Claire rolled her eyes, making her way to the closet. “You wouldn’t be smiling like that if she started crying when you left because she found you.”

“Aye, I ken,” he said. “It’s just…” He sighed, leaning back on the pillows. “Christ, Sassenach, my wame’s been doing tumbles since the second I woke up this morning, then watching ye fret and flit about…”

“Oh, stop…” Claire blushed, throwing clothes and fresh scrubs to pack onto the bed.

“And now ye’re just gonna flounce about in that wee robe like a temptress, to taunt me?”

“Please, you know I threw this on for any reason but to tempt you.” Claire rolled her eyes as she untied the belt, then she paused. “Do I need to make you turn around so you don’t get drool on the bed?”

Jamie grinned sheepishly, though he didn’t avert his eyes. Claire turned to face him, one eyebrow raised.

“I mean it, sir. I’m already running late, because of you.”

“I can control myself!” Jamie said in mock offense. “D’ye take me fer a heathen?”

“I might,” she grinned slyly, finally opening the robe and sliding it off herself. Her nose wrinkled in disgust, and she huffed. “I can’t believe I don’t have time for a shower, I feel disgusting…”

“Dinna look it.” She chanced a glance up to see Jamie laying back, hands behind his head, taking in her body like a royal feast.

“I’m sure I positively reek,” she went on, pulling on underwear and clasping her bra.

“Come closer, I’ll check for ye.”

She looked up at him again, aghast. “You are shameless.”

“Never said I wasna.”

Claire scoffed and rolled deodorant on before pulling her shirt over her head. She looked up to see a tiny pout on his face, though the evidence of what her naked body had done to him was still plainly visible.

“Ruined your fun, did I?” Claire said, tutting her tongue in mock sympathy. “Poor lad.” She pulled her capris on and started shoving the scrubs into her bag.

Jamie chuckled softly, but she could see how his eyes had darkened, could see the strain that his arousal was placing on his entire body. The veins in his neck protruded, his face was red.

“You know,” Claire began, trying to straighten the absolute mess of curls atop her ahead in the mirror full length mirror on her closet door. “We do have to wait until Faith is in the tub. You’ll hear once the water starts running, and only when it stops are you all clear to leave.” She gave up on her hair and decided to tie it in a knot atop her head, shoving in a few pins and pulling on a headband for good measure.

“So?” Jamie said, cocking an eyebrow at her from behind her in the mirror.

“So…” she turned around slowly. “I might be able to take care of that little problem.” She flashed her eyes at the tent in his pants, and he visibly and audibly gulped. “But only if you promise not to make me a mess again.”

He nodded eagerly. “Aye, lass, I promise.”

Claire smirked and chuckled wickedly, approaching the bed. “Go on, take them off.”

Jamie gulped again and lifted his hips to pull his pants and boxers down. A rushing noise filled the air.

“Ah,” Claire said. “That’s the bathtub.”

Jamie’s cock sprang free, and Claire knelt on the bed. “But I’m not worried about taking too long.”

Jamie’s eyes flashed with dark indigence, as if he’d like to punish her for saying such a wicked thing, but knowing that he could not, given the promise he’d made. Claire ran her hand up the length of his inner thigh.

“Oh,” Claire said, pausing her hand right before reaching the desired destination. “And you must be very quiet.” She wrapped her hands around his base, delighting in his quiet hiss. “Can you do that?”

He nodded dumbly, swallowing again. She gave a few languid strokes before leaning down and kissing the tip.

“Good lad.”

——

Claire spat into the sink and checked her breath for the third time out of sheer paranoia. Mrs. Lickett was sitting on Faith’s little step-stool next to the bathtub while Faith was playing in the warm, bubbly water. Claire watched as she fully submerged herself for the millionth time, flapping her little hands as if she had an entire swimming pool’s room to do laps in there. Satisfied with her breath, Claire finally rinsed her mouth and straightened a few wild curls, even while fully knowing they’d pop out the second she stepped out into the humidity (humidity; something she’d never experienced in England, and decided she hated).

Claire waited on her knees for Faith to pop back up from under the water, greeting her with a little “Boo!” when she did. Faith started, blinking a bit, and Claire worried she’d actually given her poor girl a fright. But then her absent face melted into that familiar smile, and Claire laughed.

“Okay, baby. Mummy is going to work now. You’ll be a good girl today, yes?”

Faith ignored her, slapping her hands at the surface of the water and reaching for her Ariel mermaid Barbie.

“Hey.” Claire picked up the doll herself, redirecting Faith’s attention. “Look at my eyes.” Faith reached for the doll, quite unhappy with Claire’s decision to withhold it. “Be a good girl today. Yes?”

Claire gave a thumbs up, and Faith whined.

“Faith Julia.”

Faith gave a hasty thumbs up, even as she continued whining and reaching for the doll.

“Good enough,” Claire remarked to Mrs. Lickett, who chuckled softly. “Okay, kisses.” Claire kissed the top of Faith’s wet head, and Faith returned with a wet sloppy kiss to her cheek. Claire dramatically wiped it away, eliciting more giggles from Faith.

With one final goodbye, Claire left the bathroom, grabbed her bag from the couch, and was out the front door. She locked it behind her then turned around to see Jamie leaning on his car, arms crossed, like some high-school jackass stereotype. It looked much hotter on him. She shook her head as she descended the stairs, laughing.

She’d rushed him back into his clothes when the tub stopped running, and then she’d shoved him out the front door. He’d gone, but not without pulling her in for several sloppy kisses, even as she was attempting to shut the door in his face, and not without stopping to give Angus far too many scratches and pats.

Evidently, that rushed goodbye was not good enough for him, because there he stood, waiting for her.

“Still haven’t had enough, Fraser?” Claire teased, unlocking her car and throwing her bag in the backseat.

Jamie sauntered over to her. “Never.”

She hummed in amusement, and he pulled her in for a sweet, lingering kiss.

“I really do have to go,” she said breathlessly. “I’m lucky if I’m even on time at this point, let alone early enough to get into my scrubs.”

“I’d apologize, but…” He kissed her again, and she groaned in either annoyance or something else. “I’m no’ very sorry fer any of it.”

“Hmph.” She gave him one final peck before getting into her car and shutting the door. As she started the car, he rapped on the window with a knuckle. She sighed with annoyance, but her smile betrayed her, as usual. “What?”

“Happy anniversary, Sassenach.”

She could literally feel her face melting into that stupid, soft expression reserved for only his most endearing moments (which was nearly all his moments, admittedly).

“Happy anniversary, Jamie.”

She leaned out the window to kiss him one more time, then started rolling in reverse, even with her head still craned toward him. He waved until she couldn’t see him in her rear view mirrors anymore, and she rolled up her window.

Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ, Beauchamp…

Claire gulped and turned the air conditioning up higher.

One month, only one month…

And you are so, so far gone.

——

For cooking night that week, Jamie brought over ingredients for homemade pizza. Faith very much enjoyed rolling the dough, and it was difficult to simultaneously stop her from playing with it like play-doh and keep her from eating it. She also had fun putting innumerable slices of pepperoni on the pizza. The original plan was to split the pie into sections and have each of the three of them put on whatever toppings they wished on their own section, but Faith’s pepperoni could not be contained. Then when Jamie tried to put peppers and onions on his section, Faith pushed his hands away, whining, and no amount of coaxing could get her to relent. There was no reasoning with her; regardless of the fact that she would only eat two of the small slices, this entire pizza was Faith’s to dictate, end of discussion.

To compromise, Jamie cooked his and Claire’s vegetables of choice in a pan on the stove to sprinkle on once the pieces were cut.

“It’s a good thing I like pepperoni,” Claire remarked wryly.

“Aye. I do too.”

Claire did not even allow Jamie anywhere near the bedroom that night; they’d agreed no staying the night, accidentally or not, when Claire had to work the next morning. They’d already embarrassed poor Mrs. Lickett enough for one lifetime. For Saturday night, however, they had a plan. On pizza night, they’d both told Faith that Jamie would be “sleeping over” on Saturday night, meaning he would be there when Faith woke up in the morning, and that he would leave sometime in the afternoon. Faith hardly seemed to even be paying attention, but Claire was almost certain she’d retained it.

It was important to Claire — to both of them, really, to normalize Jamie’s presence in the home, overnight or no, so Faith didn’t bounce off the walls every single time. Come Saturday afternoon in Jamie’s car, Claire was satisfied that Faith was properly prepared. They’d just dropped Faith off at the Abernathy house in her bathing suit, ready for a full day in the pool with her friend while Mummy and Jamie went on their date. Claire beamed at Jamie in the driver’s seat.

“What?”

“Nothing,” she said flippantly. “Just…excited. Happy. I don’t know.”

Jamie took her hand and brought it to his lips, keeping his eyes on the road. “So am I, lass.”

Their hands remained intertwined for the rest of the drive until they arrived at Jamie’s chosen date location for the weekend: the stables.

He’d promised her that night on the carousel that he’d take her riding for real, and today he was making good on that promise. Staff rotated who had to come and care for the horses on weekends, and this week was Jamie’s turn, so they’d be alone.

“I’m there every weekend anyway,” Jamie had explained, “for Donas. But this way we ken we’re alone.”

The wink he’d given her sent a shiver down her spine.

Jamie had also packed a picnic lunch for them to have on the grounds, complete with a light whisky. They departed Jamie’s car in the parking lot, and Claire marveled at the lot’s emptiness with no one else around. Claire started to make her way toward the welcome center, then Jamie gently took her hand. She cocked an eyebrow at him, and he answered:

“This way.”

They bypassed the building and he took Claire to a gate, then produced a clanking ring of keys from the pocket of his shorts.

“This is the more direct route to the horses,” he said, shuffling through keys. “But if ye need the restroom, dinna fash.” He unlocked the gate, removed the key, and held up a different key. “I’ve got the key fer that, too.”

Claire chuckled and followed him through the gate, waiting for him to lock it again behind them. Jamie led them past the stable that Claire knew Pippi was kept in.

“We dinna keep Donas where we take the bairns,” Jamie said. “That’d be a recipe fer disaster.”

Claire’s brow practically raised to her hairline; she was almost nervous to meet such a notorious creature.

“Spoiled beast practically has the whole stable to himself,” Jamie said it in a chastising manner, but his sheepish grin gave him away.

“You’re quite fond of him,” Claire said.

“Aye,” Jamie said, handing Claire the picnic basket so he could open the doors to the barn. “One of my best friends.”

He winked before he heaved the doors open, but Claire was not at all certain he was joking. The thought had bubbles rippling in her chest:

My boyfriend, best friends with a horse.

“Could you be any more endearing?” she said, following him inside.

“Huh?”

She chuckled. “Never mind.”

Claire noticed immediately that out of the eight stalls in this stable, only four of them had horses in them, where the other stable was always full. Claire took in the sight of a regal white mare, a beautiful brown and white spotted Appaloosa, a silver Andalusian, and an enormous, terrifying black stallion, the stalls next to it deliberately empty. In fact, the four stalls on that side were empty save for him; the other three horses all on the other side.

Claire gaped for a moment. “Donas, I take it?”

“Aye.” Jamie swelled with pride.

“He’s…beautiful, Jamie. Really.” Claire had to fight the urge to reach out and touch him, somehow convinced he would bite her hand off.

“Aye, bit rough around the edges to be sure, but sweet as anything when ye get to know him.”

“He…doesn’t look like he wants to get to know me.”

Donas huffed, stomping his front right hoof. Jamie laughed.

“He’d no’ get to know anyone if he had any say in the matter. Lucky fer us,” Jamie put a hand on Donas’s muzzle, looking into his eyes, and the beast leaned into his touch. “He kens who is master is.”

Claire’s heart warmed at the sight; they really did look like a couple of chums.

“Now, Donas,” Jamie said sternly. “I’ve a lass here, and I’d no’ like to be embarrassed. I ken ye dinna care what she thinks of ye, but at least fer me, could ye no’ bite her?”

The warmth immediately disappeared, and Claire’s eyes bugged out of her head. Jamie laughed out loud, and Donas tossed his head away from the sound. Jamie pulled his head back, holding it in place and stroking soothingly, even as he continued to laugh.

“I’m teasing, Sassenach. He willna actually bite yer heid off. At least I dinna think he will.”

Claire eyed him suspiciously. “Is this going to be one of those things where if this doesn’t work,” she gestured between herself and Donas, “then this doesn’t work?” She gestured between herself and Jamie.

Jamie barked another laugh. “Well if that’s true, ye’re no’ trying very hard to keep me!”

“Jamie…”

“Come on, Sassenach. Ye canna be so afeared. He can smell it on ye. It feeds his ego to ken that ye fear him.” He gave the thick, black neck a solid pat. “And that just spurs him on to be more of an arse.”

Claire straightened out, sticking her nose in the air. “I’m not afraid.”

Jamie cocked an eyebrow. “Then show me.”

She took a deep breath and then approached the pair of them, careful not to shrink or falter in the slightest.

“I can do this,” she said calmly, slowly stretching her hand out, taking a quick peek at his ears to make sure they were not pinned back (they weren’t). “This is just like trying to talk to the misogynist pricks at work. Can’t let him know he gets to me.”

Jamie made an amused Scottish noise. “My horse is a misogynist now?”

“Very well could be. Have you ever asked him?”

Jamie laughed, but pointedly kept himself still and quiet as possible so as to not sway Donas’s opinion of the hand approaching him.

“Don’t worry,” Claire said calmly and evenly. “I mean no harm. I care about your master very much.” She let her hand hover under Donas’s enormous, flaring nostrils. “I just want to be friends. Acquaintances, even. For Jamie’s sake.” She flicked her eyes to Jamie to find him grinning like a fool at her, his pupils blown wide. But then:

“Dinna break eye contact,” he hissed, and Claire immediately rectified it. “He doesna like that.”

“Of course he doesn’t.”

Claire had to repeatedly tell herself, he will not bite my hand off, he will not bite my hand off, in order to remain still and have any hope of keeping the smell of fear off of her. Then, like watching a miracle unfold, Donas tapped his wet nose into Claire’s cupped hand for a split second. Claire laughed triumphantly, and Jamie beamed with pride.

“He doesn’t hate me!” Claire knew better than to say he likes me; that would certainly be pushing it. She knew enough from riding with Uncle Lamb that if a horse touched your hand, it was an invitation to be pet, so she flipped her hand and reached forward.

She stopped, however, when Jamie swiftly grabbed her forearm.

“What?”

“He showed ye he doesna hate ye, an achievement in and of itself,” Jamie said, his eyes full of mirth. “Let’s no’ push our luck by trying to get him to like ye. No’ just yet.”

Claire sighed with annoyance, letting her hand drop. “Fine.” She carefully stepped away. “Pompous brat.”

Jamie laughed out loud, giving said pompous brat another solid pat. “Careful now, Sassenach, or he willna be so gracious next time.”

“Gracious my arse,” Claire grumbled.

Jamie clicked his tongue and left Donas’s side to gather her in his arms and kiss her gently. “Ye’re no’ gonnae be grumpy the rest of our date because a horse doesna like ye?”

“No,” Claire said, but even she didn’t believe herself.

“Och…” Jamie cupped her face in his hands. “Ye ken I canna resist that wee pout.”

“I’m not pouting!”

“Aye, ye are.” Jamie laughed through the words. “Come here.”

He tipped her face up into his and kissed her much less gently, immediately demanding entrance for his tongue. She obliged eagerly, even though somewhere in the back of her mind she was thinking about how the horses were all watching them. Jamie’s hands moved from her face to her hair, tugging greedily and groaning into his mouth, wanting to swing a leg over his hip right there in the middle of the stable.

An indignant huff interrupted them, even as Jamie’s excitement grew. They pulled apart, and Claire looked over Jamie’s shoulder to see Donas stamping his hooves again.

“Seriously?” Claire fired at him. Jamie laughed out loud again, untangling his hands from Claire’s hair and running them down the length of her arms.

“Come on, lass.” He took both of her hands and pulled her away from Donas, into a stall, leaving an empty one between them and Donas.

“What on Earth are you doing…?”

“Getting ye away from prying eyes.”

Jamie captured her lips with his immediately, his tongue resuming its prior task of exploring every inch of the inside of her mouth. Claire whimpered in surprise and then began moaning, threading her arms around his neck.

“This is…” Claire breathed. “We can’t do this here.”

“Why no’?” Jamie nibbled at her neck. “I told ye we’d be completely alone.”

The thought sent a jet of heat to her core, and she stifled another moan. “Because…the…” She lost her train of thought as Jamie’s hand found its way under her shirt.

“The horses dinna mind, Sassenach.” He sealed his lips on hers again, squeezing her breast under her bra.

They moved together, back, back, back…until Claire’s back slammed against the wall of the stall.

“Besides,” Jamie said, palming her over her capris, eliciting a muffled groan from her. “I havena been able to hear ye since last week. Ye’ve had to keep far too quiet fer my liking.”

He squeezed her breast harder and increased the speed of his hand over her pants, and she sighed in ecstasy, kissing him hungrily and letting her hands roam to his fly. She forcefully pushed his shorts and boxers down, savoring the strangled cry he let out when she fisted him in her hand. His clothing fell around his ankles, and he reciprocated, unzipping Claire’s capris and forcing them along with her underwear down. Claire clumsily toed off one sneaker so she could get one foot out of her pants, and then hooked the leg around Jamie’s naked hips. She dug her heel into him, pulling him in closer. For a moment, Claire ground against him, savoring the friction, keening desperately as she did. And then, in one swift motion, Jamie viciously grabbed her thigh and lined himself up to enter her with a powerful thrust. Claire cried out loudly, breathing heavily.

“Aye,” Jamie rasped, kissing her sloppily. “Let me hear ye, mo nighean donn.”

Claire hummed in appreciation, her voice hitching with each of Jamie’s piercing, almost painful thrusts. Her back slammed and rubbed against the wood behind her, and somewhere in her hazy consciousness she thought she’d definitely have a bruise after this, and then that thought had her moaning louder.

The thought of him marking her.

Her increase in volume had him doubling his pace, grunting and groaning in her ear, biting her earlobe, her neck. Her grip on his shoulders became more desperate, her heel dug in harder, her voice grew higher and louder.

“Claire…” Jamie hissed, gripping her thigh harder. “Oh, Claire…”

The sound of her name on his lips like that was almost enough to undo her. Then his free hand began mercilessly rubbing her clit, and she made a guttural noise she didn’t even know she was capable of making.

“Aye, lass…” Jamie looked deep into her eyes and redoubled his efforts. “Let go. Only I can hear ye.”

It was a wonder to Claire that he was capable of speech right now, because if she’d tried to speak, only more shrieking moans would come out. And oh, they did. She felt herself tightening, and she dug her nails into Jamie’s back, and then she was falling, hard. She knew she was screaming, knew, and didn't care. Her walls gripped him so tightly he almost slipped out even though it would defy gravity in this position. Jamie was not far after, spilling into her with her name on his lips like a prayer.

Afterward, they sat in the hay on the floor, still half naked leaning against the stall, limbs entwined. Jamie kissed that spot on her shoulder where she thought she already felt a bruise blooming.

“I can’t believe you’ve already made me sore before we even get on the horses.”

Jamie snorted, then kissed the top of her head. “Wasna my intention.” Claire hmphed, and Jamie laughed again. “You just let me know when ye’re ready to go.”

Claire hummed, her eyes closed, and then felt consciousness slip from her against her will. She woke less than a half hour later, and after chastising Jamie for letting her fall asleep, and both of them repairing the state of their undress through endless fits of giggles, they made their way back to the horses.

Donas looked thoroughly disgusted with them, though Claire might have just been projecting onto an entity she knew had distaste for her.

“See that white mare?” Jamie said, leading Claire over. “This is Millie. Toni’s horse.”

“Toni rides?”

“Oh, aye. That’s why she works here.” Jamie let Millie sniff his hand, then began petting her. He gestured for Claire to do the same, and the process was much less painful (and terrifying) than it was with Donas. “They take a wee bit out of yer paycheck to keep yer horse here, but it’s a hell of a lot cheaper than having the land yerself, or using a public stable.”

“She’s beautiful,” Claire marveled, running her fingers up and down the long nose. “Very gentle.”

“Aye, she’s bonny. Toni said ye could ride her for today.”

Claire looked up at Jamie, her gaze warm with affection for Toni. “That’s really nice of her.”

“Please, ye ken that meddling wee besom’ll do anything to get us alone. Since last September. This wasna done out of sheer generosity.”

Claire chuckled, moving on to the softness of Millie’s mane. “You tease her too much.”

“Ach, she kens she’s a good friend.”

“Where does she fall on the friendship tier? Above or below Donas?” Then Claire yelped, or rather squeaked; Jamie had pinched her arse. She swatted at his arm, and Jamie remarked that if she’d done that so close to Donas, he’d really have bitten her head off.

Introductions out of the way and teasing (mostly) finished, they got saddled up and led the horses out of the stable.

“Now, I ken ye said ye rode before,” Jamie said. “So it’s yer choice. D’ye want to use the riding hall and keep it moderate, or d’ye want to roam around the grounds, get a wee bit exciting?”

Claire smirked at him around Millie’s head. “I’m always up for a wee bit of excitement.”

In one swift motion, Jamie launched himself onto his saddle, that wide, lopsided grin dancing on his beautiful face. “That’s what I hoped ye’d say.”

Claire mirrored him, getting herself settled in Millie’s saddle and giving her loving strokes on her neck. “Shall we?”

They rode anywhere between a trot and a gallop, all over the grounds that Claire had become familiar with on foot. It did look different without tables or Easter eggs or dunk tanks and projection screens. Jamie was a bit of a show off on his glorious, enormous mustang, and as much as Claire wanted to smack him, she also found it endlessly endearing, his desire to impress her.

They stopped somewhere to have their picnic lunch, letting the horses graze while they ate slowly, sipped whisky, and of course, kissed each other until they were both lightheaded. Claire very nearly threw a leg over to straddle him and ride him right there on the picnic blanket, but it would have been far too much effort to remove her shoes and capris again. So she took care of Jamie’s still-new-to-sex-and-always-ready excitement with her hand, and remarked with a sultry smile that she knew he’d take care of her later.

They rode some more, joking and laughing — Claire tossing her head back so far she nearly fell out of the saddle, holding hands between them (despite Donas’s apparent disapproval), and even guiding their horses close enough to kiss one another. And then of course Jamie yanked Donas away before he could bite off Millie’s ear. Obviously there was a very good reason they kept the stalls next to that brute empty.

They reached the stable again and bid their horses proper goodbyes, Claire remaining a safe distance from the Brute. Jamie held her hand all the way back to the car, and her legs felt wobbly, her stomach fluttery. It was impossible to tell if she was swaying from straddling the horse for so long or from the way Jamie had slammed into her against the wall, but either way, it was not altogether unpleasant.

They picked Faith up promptly at six, having given her a hard stop time in the pool at five so she’d know what to expect and be ready to be picked up, and hopefully not have a meltdown when it was time to get out. Gail’s report was that she was very well behaved, though she’d had more snacks than Claire would have liked. Faith did not at all protest when it was time to leave, especially because it was Jamie who stepped into the room first. Claire could not help the twinge of jealousy when Faith wrapped herself around his legs and listened to him far better than she would have to Claire if she was alone, but she knew this was normal, for any child, let alone a child on the spectrum.

After Faith and Claire showered together, Claire made mac and cheese with dinosaur chicken nuggets for all three of them while Jamie showered.

“See?” Claire remarked when they were all sat down at the table, loading a stegosaurus with several little Frozen character-shaped macaronis. “Being a bad cook is fun sometimes.”

They watched the movie of Faith’s choice (Frozen, to no one’s surprise), and then Faith did not protest when it was time to brush her teeth and get into bed. She did not protest because Jamie had promised to be the one to tuck her in that night. He was not granted the honor of teeth-brusher or Risperdal-dispenser, but tucking in and turning on the nightlight were sacred parts of nighttime routine nonetheless.

And Claire knew that Jamie took it very seriously.

She stood back, watching from the doorway as Jamie pulled the blankets up to her chin, multiple heavy blankets despite it being summer.

“Sleep well, a leannan,” Jamie said softly, stroking back her wild curls. “Ye were a very good girl today.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead, and Claire’s chest ached. “I’ll see ye in the morning.”

That had Faith grinning, her eyes wild with excitement.

“But morning willna come if ye dinna sleep,” he warned. “So I willna see ye unless ye sleep.”

She bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut, wrinkling the lids with the effort. He and Claire both chuckled, and Jamie shook his head.

“Alright. Goodnight, lass.”

With that, he patted Angus’s head and stood up from the bed, allowing Claire to say her own goodnight, and then they departed to Claire’s room.

Jamie did take care of her, face buried between her legs hooked over his shoulders, took care of her so well that she had to put a pillow over her face to keep from rousing the five year old they’d just put to bed.

When he was finished taking care of her, he rose up and tossed the pillow away, laughing no doubt at how positively insane she must have looked after flattening her face into a pillow. He kissed her anyway, insanity and all, and he lined himself up to take her.

“You didn’t have enough today?” Claire teased, breathless.

Jamie’s eyes darkened, and he wet his lips. “Never.”

And he took her.

107 notes · View notes

hyperfixations-and-hecticness · 1 year ago

Text

The first real man we see in Barbie is at first shot with a tone that almost mimics a sort of mock-heroic manner. Aaron is the little intern realising there’s a world threatening danger loose associated with their company. He travels to a forbidden place, the top floor as dramatic music plays and the other men see him off.

#something the foil to Barbie entering her own womanhood shot as sex piece compared to the first man as a hero #when we are introduced to Barbie in the real world it’s with a focus on her ass as she walks in.#and every time there’s a scene change that’s how we get introduced to it #another shot focused on her ass #Barbie live watch #barbie blazed live watch #barbie movie 2023 #barbie movie #margot robbie #greta gerwig #barbie

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blanc-et-n0ir · 4 years ago

Text

MCYT Multi-chapter Fics

Hey, hey, this time it’s the multichapters :D Meaning, three chapters and above. Again, my AO3 over here

COMPLETED

Bring Me Down With You (11,145 Words) (4 Chapters)

Tags:

Dream, TommyInnit, Sapnap, Wilbur Soot, Fundy, BadBoyHalo, Punz, Tubbo, Eret, GeorgeNotFound

No Romantic Relationships, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit, Dream & Sapnap, Dream & TommyInnit, Dream & GeorgeNotFound

Whump, Poisoning, Dueling, Bows and Arrows, L’manberg War, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Family, Compromise, Sick Fic, Sick Character, Wounds, Potions, Healing, Caves, Injury

Summary:

The terms of the deal were simple. They’d both be at their weakest, no armor and no anything and they have to shoot one shot. A single arrow. Whoever is hit, will have to resign and give the win to whoever is left standing. Those were the terms. So when did they agree to drink poison?

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

Set during the Dream SMP war.

All I Want For Chistmas Is... FLUFF (46,641 Words) (24 Chapters)

Tags:

Skeppy, Dream, BadBoyHalo, GeorgeNotFound, Sapnap, Wilbur Soot, Technoblade, Philza Minecraft, Tubbo, TommyInnit, Eret, Niki, AweSamDude, Punz, Ponk, Purpled, Fundy, Quackity, Schlatt, Karl Jacobs, Ant Frost, Velvet

Skeppy & BadBoyHalo, Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap & Ant Frost & BadBoyHalo, Technoblade & Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit & Philza, Dream & TommyInnit, Dream & Tubbo, Dream & Purpled, Dream & Technoblade, Dream & Philza, Eret & Niki & Tubbo, Ant/Velvet, Dream & Punz

Christmas Prompts, Fluff, Family Dynamics, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Family Bonding, Friendship, Rivals, Frenemies, Snowball Fight, Snow Day, Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Cuddling, Platonic Relationships, Boys Kissing, Secret Santa, Cookies

Summary:

Fluffy One shots about our MInecraft Streamers in Dream SMP. Featuring different AUs whether it's IRL or MC but IRL and more! Mostly platonic unless stated otherwise!! (but don't expect much I prefer platonic anyways)

Lots of cuddling, shenanigans, pranks and laughter!! Maybe a little hurt for the comfort to feel so much better!!

The Whispers in the Dark (53, 160 Words) (20 Chapters)

Tags:

Dream, Technoblade, Wilbur Soot, TommyInnit, Tubbo, Schlatt, Philza Minecraft, Eret, Sapnap, GeorgeNotFound, Quackity, Niki, Punz, Fundy, Ponk, AweSamDude, Skeppy, BadBoyHalo, Ant Frost, Ranboo, Captain Puffy, Karl Jacobs

No Romantic Relationships, Dream & Technoblade & Wilbur Soot, Technoblade & Wilbur Soot & Philza & TommyInnit, Dream & Sapnap & GeorgeNotFound, Sapnap & Wilbur, Dream & Ranboo, Ranboo & Philza, Dream & Captain Puffy

Family Dynamics, Enemies to Friends, Hybrids AU, Pogtopia Arc, Villain Wilbur, Chaotic Dream, Bad Ending, Good Ending, Government, Uneasy Alliance, Hunting, Discrimination, Friends to Enemies, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Betrayal, Big Brother Technoblade, Switching Sides, Platonic Cuddling, Carrying, Panic Attacks, Found Family, Execution, Violence, Graphic Description, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Decapitation, Revolution

Summary:

They say that when you are a hybrid of a mob, you take one of two things. Their powers or their desires. Their powers, as simple as it is. A Blaze hybrid would be able to conjure flames and stay inflammable. An Enderman hybrid would be able to teleport and are harmed by water. Their desires, not as simple. A Creeper hybrid would desire to see things explode. A Wolf hybrid would desire the thrill of a hunt.

They say that the dangerous ones were always those who got the desire- the shortest end of the stick.

------------------------------- Let me give Wilbur the satisfying ending he deserves please. We all wanted Manberg to b l o w and I'm going to give it to you. No Angst, promise. (I lied, there's angst)

Angst for the Angst God (19,904 Words) (14 Chapters)

Tags:

Dream, Technoblade, Philza Minecraft, Ranboo, Wilbur Soot, GeorgeNotFound, Sapnap, TommyInnit, Tubbo, Captain Puffy, Quackity, DreamXD, Karl Jacobs

NO romantic Relationships, Dream & Technoblade, Technoblade & Philza, Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap, Dream & TommyInnit, Dream & Captain Puffy

Angst, Character Death, Deity Dream, Fluff and Angst, Betrayal, Assisted Suicide, Mercy Killing, Murder, Suicide, Dream and Techno Friendship, One Shot Collection, Time Travel, Time Loop, Insanity, Time Travelling Karl Jacobs, Prison Break, Manhunt, Immortal Technoblade, Immortal Dream, Emotional Manipulation, Exile, Abduction, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat

Summary:

A bunch of oneshots about AUs that I've written in a server that is filled with angst or fluff. Whichever strikes the mood. Hope you enjoy your stay here ;)

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

(preview)

He watched as the last obstacle in his path fell. Dream smiled, his eyes glinting with malice and power, “You should have kept an eye on your Patroclus, Achilles.”

He hummed and turned around. L’manberg was no doubt wiped out. Ranboo was firmly in his grasp. All he had to do was take care of that damned egg, Badlands and anyone who stood in his way. He chuckled.

It was almost too easy.

ON GOING

Let’s Play A Game Called MAFIA (14,399 Words) (5/6 Chapters)

Tags:

Dream, Technoblade, GeorgeNotFound, Sapnap, BadBoyHalo, Skeppy, Wilbur Soot, MegaPVP, Illumina, F1NN5STER

Technoblade & Wilbur Soot, Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap, Dream/GeorgeNotFound

Mafia Game, Mafia AU, Character Death, Suspense, Detective AU

Summary:

A masked man leaves the apartment complex and walks off under the dim lighting of the street lights. It wasn’t long before he reached his car and opened the driver’s seat. He pushed his keys in and turned it, starting the car. He hummed to himself as he took off his mask, placing it on the car seat beside him. He waits inside his started car as he dials a phone number.

“It’s done.”

In a sick twist of fate, Skeppy dies so Sapnap and Bad have to find the murderer before they kill more people. They meet and drag more people into the case but as the days dwindle by, more deaths and incidents come alive.

Will they find the real murderer or end up living on the edge to their very end?

(Based off of the Party Game called Mafia)

Who Would Want To Be King? (10,932 Words) (5/? Chapters)

Tags:

Dream, Technoblade, Wilbur Soot, TommyInnit, Tubbo, GeorgeNotFound, Philza Minecraft, Schlatt, BadBoyHalo, Quackity, Karl Jacobs, Sapnap

NO Romantic Relationships, Dream & Technoblade, TommyInnit & Tubbo, Technoblade & TommyInnit & Wilbur Soot & Philza, Dream & Wilbur Soot

Prince and the Pauper AU, Frenemies, Rivals, Family Fluff, Family Dynamics, Platonic Relationships, Prince Technoblade, Farmer Dream, Fluff and Humor, Attempted Kidnapping, Kidnapping, King Philza

Summary:

In a kingdom not so far away, lived two men. These two lived completely different lives, with one standing at the very top since birth while the other was stuck at rock bottom. Two very different boys with different experiences but they both share one similarity. They both wish to do something different. To live different lives. To get out of their bubble and grow in their own way. In this little kingdom, two men live to see another view of the world they already see.

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Barbie Prince and the Pauper AU but everything is platonic and it's all about Dream and Techno

Reaching For Something That Isn’t There (3,676 Words) (2/3 Chapters)

Tags:

Dream, TommyInnit, Technoblade

NO Romantic Relationships

Character Study, References to Ancient Greek Mythology, Parallels, Pain, Suicidal Thoughts, Betrayal, Emotional Hurt, Hurt No Comfort, Character Death, Theseus! Tommy, Icasrus! Dream, Achilles! Technoblade, Dream centric, Technoblade centric, TommyInnit centric, Anger, Violence, Imprisonment

Summary:

History is forever doomed to repeat itself.

People ask what Theseus gained by playing the hero, what Icarus saw in the sun, what Achilles truly wanted. They ask these questions and still don't see an answer.

Why was the sun so charming enough for young Icarus to forget his father's words? Why was Theseus so confident enough that he would be welcomed home for his achievement? Why was Achilles considered a bad example?

Three tales all ending with caution and fear. Three tales to remind everyone of their humanity. Three tales to ensure no one would do the same. And what did they do?

History is forever doomed to repeat itself.

Guide Me Through Hell and Back (34,714 Words) (15/? Chapters)

Tags:

Dream, technoblade, Philza Minecraft, TommyInnit, Tubbo, Drista, Punz, Wilbur Soot, GeorgeNotFound, Sapnap, Ranboo, DreamXD

No Romantic Relationships, Dream & Philza, Dream & Technoblade, Drista & TommyInnit & Tubbo, Dream & Punz, Dream & DreamXD,

Blind Character, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Fear, Flying, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Family Dynamics, Self Confidence Issues, Trust, Platonic Cuddling, Hybrid AU, Platonic Relationships, Cuddling, Chaos, Explosions, Angst, Broken Families, Trust Issues, Protective Technoblade, Protective Phil, Blind Dream, Panic Attacks, Torture, Kidnapping, Physical Therapy, Black Markets, Forced Healing, Sad Dream, Protective Dream, Soft Dream, Prison, Pandora’s Vault

Summary:

"I gain immeasurable amounts of stress just looking at you, Dream."

-SUN TZU

Dream is blind but he's a bat hyrbid with good hearing. Technoblade finds out and he's concerned for his friend. He stays with him and keeps him company, he also ensures Dream doesn't go too far and hurts himself with his stupid ideas. So what if Phil adopts him along the way and Drista causes chaos with Tommy and Tubbo? Technoblade will protect his friend to the ends of the Earth, screw whoever looked at him weird if he gets all fussy.

(Basically just Technoblade and Dream being best friends fluff.)

The Lonely Guardian (59,379 Words) (14/? Chapters)

Tags:

Dream, Technoblade, TommyInnit, Schlatt, GeorgeNotFound, Sapnap, Wilbur Soot, Quackity, Ranboo, DreamXD, Drista, Philza Minecraft

No Romantic Relationships, Dream & Everyone, Dream & Technoblade, Dream & Tubbo, Dream & TommyInnit, Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap, Dream & Quackity, Dream & Schlatt, Dream & Philza, Dream & Ranboo

Cottagecore AU, Soft Dream, Healing, Emotional Manipulation, Realization, Self-Exile, Self-Reflection, Domestic Fluff, Friendship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Exile, Protective Dream, Dreamons, Potions, Minor Injuries, Serious Injuries, Betrayal, Friends to Enemies, Enemies to Friends, Long Haired Dream, Dream centric, Anarchist Technoblade, Bittersweet Ending, Sibling Tension, Arguments, Dad Schlatt, Sick fic, Sick Character, Good Friend Dream, Character Death

Summary:

Dream didn't know what came over him, he wanted some time to think. Some time turned to days and thinking turned to building a nice home. Days turned to weeks and the home is bigger and cozier now.

Weeks turned to years and it's been a while since Dream has seen his friends. Still, they're definitely living a more peaceful life now that he's gone, right?

(Or, Dream left and started a cottagecore after the L'manberg Revolution and a Dreamon took his spot and the plot continues as it does in canon. Except, we have a Dream who likes to stay in his cottage and help his injured friends without telling them who he is, exactly)

Dreaming Of Nightmares, Dee? (9,268 Words) (2/? Chapters)

Tags:

Dream, Technoblade, Philza Minecraft, DreamXD, Karl Jacobs, GeorgeNotFound, Sapnap, Foolish_Gamers, TommyInnit, Tubbo, Ranboo

No Romantic Relationships, Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap, Dream & Technoblade & Philza, Dream & Ranboo, Dream & Foolish, Dream & Karl Jacobs, Dream & DreamXD, Technoblade & Philza, Philza/Kristin

Deity Dream, Dreamon, Deity Karl Jacobs, Time Traveling Karl Jacobs, Fix-It Fic, Sad Dream, Fluff, Family Dynamics, Hurt/Comfort, Protective Dream, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Gods and Goddesses, Mins Manipulation, Dream centric, Comfort, Big Brother Dream

Summary:

When three gods have to deal with a world full of mortals, some things get complicated along the way. Well, Dream was hoping for the best when he left the server to his twin, Nightmare's, and older brother, Dee's, hands.

He got more than he bargained for and mortals tend to be fragile. Prime, he needs a break.

(Or, Dream is the god of luck, Nightmare is the god of chaos and Dee is the god of destiny and the three of them try and fix the SMP out of the goodness of their heart /s)

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mamashitty · 4 years ago

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Currently. . .

I was tagged by the lovely @wrathofthestag to do this ask, and I'mma do it! Thanks for the tag! :D

Last song I listened to: Fifteen (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift. my son has turned me into a swiftie. I have no shame.

Last movie watched: Barbie & Chelea: The Lost Birthday, a new Barbie flick on netflix? Of course we had to watch it.

Currently Reading: Nation by Sir Terry Pratchett. I have also fallen in love with reading newsletters in the morning and evening. Some of my favorites are: Anne Helen Petersen's Culture Study, Why Is This Interesting, Vox's Sentences. I'm always on the lookout for more suggestions, so lemme know if you have any favorite newsletters!

Currently Watching: Critical Role season 2 (I will never catch up) and tours of peoples van/bus conversions. I kind of have this fic idea percolating in the back of my mind of Check Please characters living on a skoolie. So. Research?

Currently Craving: Waffles. Nomnomnom. Oh, and donuts.

Currently working on: Project Stoned (a novella idea), organizing the house, a prompt, and transferring things over to campfire blaze for worldbuilding purposes.

Currently playing: I'm in such a video game slump. Does the RingFit count? I've been doing that at least three times a week. I really enjoy, actually. Even with my kids commentary. "Mama, you need to do this different. Mama, why are you tired? Mama, mama, mama." Backseat gaming/working out, it starts young. :P

Tagging: Whoever wants to play this, please consider yourself tagged!

#currently doing #mama shitty

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sparksfamily · 4 years ago

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Operation Pink Kill (Choices one shot- QB)

Part 1

Ah, Belvoire. The only place that you have to be aware of everything. I can't complain much since I'm already the target of the boss bitch around here. As she always says: "I have eyes everywhere“. Ugh. Is that supposed to scare me? Hell nah. After a long day of classes and with, I walked along with Zo into our dorm. " Boo, you want wine? " she straddled to the fridge, grabbing a bottle of green wine. " Sorry Zo but I have a test tomorrow and I.." My vision wandered to her-"I have gotta focus even if I wanted to be here with you" She smiled fondly at me with those beautiful brown eyes " Maybe I can arrange something later.. Now go study!" with a wink she dropped herself on the sofa and started sipping the bottle while watching some show on TV. I almost ran up to my room, the faint blush creeping around my cheeks. I don't even know how I could survive without this girl. Since I wanted my revenge for her teasing, I decided to look for my lucky bra. Weird. I searched on all drawers and.. nothing. "Zo??? You didn't borrow my bra, didn't you?" I called out. Zoey poked her head into the room amd frowns" Sorry girl, I like to be confined to my own underwear. No offence" Nononono. Maybe is this what Malibu Barbie meant by revenge. I couldn't believe this. This wasn't happening right now. I turned to Zoey, eyes blazing with rage while trying to keep myself from screaming " Call everyone. That bitch is gonna pay" °°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°° "Do you really think that we should go on with this..?" Taylor asked with with a lot of uncertainty in her voice. Zoey put a hand on her shoulder, trying to reassure the poor freshman girl that had been Poppy's servant since the beggining of the year" You know we have to. There's no other way " "Girls, we need to focus. Poppy's birthday is one of the most important events that she hosts. Not to mention that VIP people will be at Zeta house." Penelope scrolled down through various pictagram posts regarding the event. This poor girl that sold test answers for a popularity and normal living had changed for better. Now she just helped to dig up dirt from that Satan snob and her puppets ,which was a lot. "Penny,Penny, Penny.." Zoe shook her head. She couldn't believe this girl right now. " Relax... This is why we are here today. To make sure everything will go as planned,right Bree?" I sat there, focusing on the Zeta house blueprints that Zo managed to "borrow" from the archives. "Bree?" she called out again. Zoey Wade is just one kind of a person that you are really lucky to have by your side. She could support you in everything possible. Even on taking a devil girl down to the ground. "Sorry, right." I looked at all of them. Pure silence came as I still memorized everything on those plants. Fine, I didn't need to know everything but this could be an opportunity for future plans if we broke into Zeta House again. " Do we have everything ready?" I glanced at them. This strange trio just intrigued me more and more. They could have different interests but helping each other was one of the things they had more in common.Courtesy of meeting me. " We know that Poppy will be worrying about her clothes and Chloe will be always behind her so they don't really have time to pay attention to details. There is where our 'weapon' comes in. As soon as we enter the house we have to be quick and effective to set it in. Go in and out without being discovered. We have all cards on the table so we can't give up now. Are you all with me?" I extended my hand. One by one they all joined in "One, two, three, Operation Pink Kill GO!" We all cheered and left the dark room where a little remote detonator rested on the table.

#choices #queen b poppy #queen b mc #tried my best

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leam1983 · 4 years ago

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It’s the end of the work week and, well...

I’m having thoughts on labor culture.

My father was born in 1958. He lived as the son of an absent father of five children who had no ability to truthfully express his love and care, and who instead chose to bury himself in work as a means to display his commitment. My paternal grandfather made and sold mattressees and died quite young of a cancer strain that today would’ve seemed benign. He was described as a hard worker, either up to his neck in his business or wanting just a scant few hours per day to himself. It made an aloof lover out of him and a distant father - who still loved his wife and children to bits but who felt emotionally castrated in a sense, as were men of the era.

The family consensus is that his work killed him.

My father is now 65 and survived a bout of Non-Hodgkinian Lymphoma. The oncologist and anyone with half a brain agreed that stress was the culprit. Early on, Dad had the family as an excuse for his tendency to overwork. He had to provide for us, after all, and garnish my mother’s meagre savings. All she has is her government-issued pension plan, while my father does have his own pension as a retiree of the City of Montreal’s Real-Estate Appraisal service. Considering, he felt obligated to pull a heavier load to bring in more, so they’d have better investment opportunities. Later on, he kept working out of a sense of fealty and attachment to his division, breaking out of retirement during the pandemic to join the work-from-home team. He wanted to help techs and city officials find ways to bring more of the traditionally snail-mail-based parts of the system online so the city’s Land Management service wouldn’t be paralyzed by COVID-19. What was supposed to be a single month turned into four, which turned into twelve.

By the end, they were begging him to stay on the team and to pull longer hours. We’re talking twenty hours per day, in some particularly grueling stretches. That means being logged in by breakfast and scarfing bagels down with Urban Design techs on Zoom instead of your own family, or having supper with your boss because she needs a play-by-play of the situation to stave off her executive anxiety.

Long story short, I didn’t see Dad much during the first wave. His reasoning was that he’d eventually stop, pool all this cash, and chuck it into his and Mom’s Registered Retirement Savings Account - with maybe an extra two thou or so in case the country reopened enough for their postponed trip to Cuba to take place.

Guess what? His zona flared up and he ended up with odd, shingly bumps along his scalp which to this day the local dermatologist grimaces at and tentatively has us dab with cortisone cream.

Mom, though? She’s a retired and registered nurse with a self-negating streak and a chronic propensity to undervalue her own physical ailments. Someone who quite literally understands the pain of busted hips on a clinical level because she was trained in Gerontology - and also someone who refuses to schedule an appointment with her GP and who inexplicably self-medicates with white wine.

As for me, I’m a 37 year-old man with a paycheck I consider massive with its meagre six bucks above the minimum-wage threshold - someone who chose to shack in with his folks until the current crisis ends and who therefore has a history of a single, willingly terminated apartment lease that originally began in the Planned Housing market. The apartment I want is basically a Barbie doll house for adults, a gleaming fantasy I’ll never have enough capital to touch unless I feel like trying my hand with criminal applications of my skills. The apartment I can get right now is a shithole, and I have the audacity to think I deserve a shithole that at least wasn’t someone’s former cockroach den.

Now here’s the kicker: I value my sanity and my health. I know my mental stamina levels and I know from experience that after working seven-point-five hours per day with the occasionally shorter Friday, I’ve found my limit. I could invest more if I worked more, yes, and I’m already in a better position than my parents, retirement-wise. I’ll never be rich, but I’m already set to be comfortable, provided I don’t spend my golden years trying to make it as an unsponsored TechTuber or anything else that’s equally ludicrous.

Where that’s a problem is in the toxicity this is generating. See, I have the gall to slide my daily schedule later so I can start at an hour that fits my biological clock and ends at an hour where I’m at my most creative. That means the folks saw me spending my pandemic mornings on Animal Crossing while Dad was trying to wrangle Excel spreadsheets for non-tech-savvy fellow Boomers while preventing the dog from eating his meeting notes. That means they guzzled vinho verde like it was Kool-Aid after seven while I made sure to find more concrete means to distance myself from work - ideally ones that didn’t involve functional alcoholism.

Naturally, what was bound to happen, happened: Dad soon spent his evenings calling me shiftless or “unwilling to commit”, while I was stuck watching him miss all the cues his stressed-out body were sending him. We already had Trump’s last desperate months and a global plague to handle, I really didn’t want my work to turn into more of a nuisance than it already is. I already love the people I work for and hate what I do (repeating the family cycle, it seems), but I’ve at least decided to give myself ample Me time every single day.

I’ve paired that with smaller, if consistent portfolio investments, along with a few new habits I wanted to get into to stay saner. Dad pulls crosswords or plays competitive chess in the wee hours, while I usually lay down to meditate around midnight and fall asleep by 1 AM at the latest. I’m half-expecting my father to pull a Tyler Durden and to sneer at me, at some point. “Self-care is masturbation,” he’d probably say.

Looking at classifieds for rentals, it’s obvious that the entire system is predicated on abuse. Work yourself down to the therapist’s office, right down to the fucking bone, and you just might earn a half-decent retirement because nobody’s taught you to invest incrementally. Nope, Society seems to say, you’re supposed to buy, buy and buy some more, until you realize you have ten years left to start from scratch!

I remember Dad’s face on my eighteenth birthday. “Why would you want a Disability Care Savings Account, Brain? You just turned into a legal adult by Canadian standards - you’re in no rush, right?”

I told him the real gift I wanted for my birthday, that day, was a ride to the family’s Financial Investments counsel. I pulled up the PDFs I’d printed out and filled and brought them over. From then on, if I dropped a penny in my nest-egg, Ottawa would drop another one. If my share grew, so did the government’s. In the twenty-odd years since, it’s expanded exponentially.

Dad thought I’d done this to have a big cushion by the time I’d retire. Mom thought I’d done this in case my disability worsened and I started requiring equipment or physical assistance. Honestly, my dumb, if slightly prescient eighteen year-old self figured I’d rather spend my time reading or playing video games than working. I knew I’d need something to help cushion my admittedly low career-related ambitions. I might throw several thousands at a new computer every seven to eight years, but that’s because I’ve saved them up for just as long, little by little. I have no vices beyond what sillicon offers and what you’d find in the pages of a book and don’t exactly need a big ‘ol, stonkin’ humidor stuffed with conoisseur stogies.

I have a shoebox with a poked-out Ziploc bag and a sponge, with a handful of joints and a few Santa Anas I got off of a buyer’s pool from work. Five of us occasional chair-bar goons pooled cash together on Cigar Chief and cushioned prices with a single, shared and massive order. I’m nowhere near rich, but assuming the housing market can catch its breath eventually, I’ll be able to live modestly - with one or two markers of occasional luxury I’ll have chosen.

I have a shittier job than my father has had and I’ve chosen to be happier than him. It’s just sad that the usual response elevates overwork as the supposedly one, true way to leave a mark in society.

No, Dad. I don’t want to die while my own cells eat me alive, I want to die blazed out of my fucking mind, happy because I’ll have had time to enjoy my friends’ company and to finally make some sense out of Kerouac’s Subterraneans or to figure out what the fuck is going on in Joyce’s Illiad. I’ll die crusty as shit and fulfilled as a Pop Culture jockey, because I’ll have either finished Persona 5: Golden in my lifetime or I’ll have watched the entirety of the MCU’s output before Disney finally manages to kill their golden goose.

I want to die decades from now, feeling like I at least owned my choices and didn’t spend my time tethered to someone else’s professional expectations of me.

#personal life #thoughts #work culture #overwork #cancer #free time #mental health

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danrdarrenc · 5 years ago

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All I Ever Wanted

This is my version of the time jump, i.e., the story I would have written for Will and Sonny. Also, I know the jump is only a year but it worked better if I set it a few months beyond that.

February 2021

“Aunt Kayla! Are they are alright?” Will asks frantically, catching sight of Kayla coming out of the nursery.

“Yes,” Kayla says simply, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Cara and Ada are perfectly healthy. Rebecca seems to have cared well for them despite…” Kayla trails off.

Will sighs with relief as Sonny says, “Thank you, Kayla. Can we see them?”

Kayla nods, gives them another little smile, and leaves to check on other patients.

“Let’s go,” Sonny says, taking Will’s hand. “Let’s go see our daughters.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

November 2019

“It’s so quiet,” Will said from where his head was pillowed on Sonny’s chest.

It was their first night in their new house and Ari was staying with Gabi for the night so that Will and Sonny could get settled in the house themselves before settling her. They also thought it would do Gabi some good to spend the night with Ari, take her mind off of Stefan, even if Ari still didn’t quite understand what had happened.

“You know, the mansion is so big that I didn’t actually realize how many people were living there. But now that we’re alone, I realize it was a lot,” Sonny answered, his fingers trailing paths along Will’s arm.

They lay in comfortable silence for awhile, Will half-asleep, when Sonny said absentmindedly, “We should have another kid.”

“What?” Will shifted his head to look at Sonny.

“Let’s have a baby.”

Will stared at Sonny for a minute but then his face split into a grin. “You mean it?”

“Yeah. Of course. Is that something you want?”

Will nodded. “Yes. Yes.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Will said on a laugh.

Sonny laughed too and kissed Will.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

February 2021

“Hi there, sweet girl,” Sonny coos, peeking over the edge of Cara’s nursery crib.

“They look so peaceful,” Will whispers, peering down into Ada’s crib. “So perfect. I can’t believe we almost lost them.”

“We didn’t, though,” Sonny says quietly, taking Will’s hand where it rests on the edge of both cribs. “They’re here and they’re safe and we’re going to take them home just as soon as Kayla says we can.”

Will nods, swallowing the lump in his throat.

Sonny pulls his hand away from Will’s to shift behind him and hug Will from the back. Sonny hooks his chin over Will’s shoulder and they watch their baby daughters sleep in silence.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

February 2020

“Should we tell Ari?” Will asked over dinner. Earlier in the day they had received word from their surrogate, Rebecca, that the implantation had gone well and they would know in a week if it had taken and she was pregnant.

Sonny shook his head. “I think we should wait until we know she’s pregnant. No point in working her up if it didn’t take.”

Will nodded his agreement. Then, quietly, “I hope it took.”

Sonny’s face split into a grin. “Me too.”

Will grinned back.

* * *

April 2020

Will was in his office at the house when his phone beeped with a text message from Rebecca. His hand hovered over his phone nervously. He wasn’t sure he could read another disappointing text.

It had been two months since their first try; that and the next one hadn’t resulted in a pregnancy.

Before he could read it though, he heard Sonny shout from the family room where Will had left him watching TV. Excited, Will stared down at the screen where the words “I’m pregnant!!” blazed up at him.

Sonny ran into the room. “We’re having a baby!”

“We’re having a baby!” Will echoed jumping out of his chair to hug Sonny.

They laughed together and kissed through their smiles and Will abandoned his work for lunch and champagne.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

February 2021

“We’re home,” Will announces, pushing his way through the door, a baby carrier in his hand. Sonny is behind him with the other one.

A patter of footsteps comes running to greet them. Ari appears in the family room just as they put the babies down on the floor. Gabi enters a minute later, having followed Ari at a slower pace.

Ari stops a few feet away, wary, Gabi behind her.

“Do you want to come meet your sisters?” Sonny asks.

Ari nods but makes no move to go any closer.

“Come here,” Will says, and holds out his hand for her. He smiles encouragingly at her when she still seems nervous.

Finally, Ari takes Will’s hand and tentatively moves closer to her fathers and the new babies. Gabi follows behind.

When she’s standing over them, Will says, “Ari, these are your sisters, Cara and Ada.”

“Cara. Ada. This is your big sister, Ari,” Sonny says.

“You can touch them,” Will says.

Ari looks at him, her eyes wide.

“Here. Like this,” Will demonstrates, brushing his finger lightly against Cara’s cheek.

“You want me to do it with you?” Gabi asks.

Ari nods up at her mother.

“Here. Come here.” Gabi shifts them so they can sit on the floor next to Cara’s carrier. She puts Ari in her lap and takes her hand. Together they run the back of Ari’s hand across the baby’s cheek and gently tickle at her stomach.

“They’re beautiful,” Gabi says, a genuine smile radiating her face. “I’m so happy for you guys.”

“Thank you,” Sonny says and then shoots Will a look.

“What?”

“Will you be their godmother?” Will asks.

“Of course I will! I’d be insulted if I wasn’t.”

The three of them laugh together and lapse into comfortable silence, as Ari hops off of Gabi’s lap and finds her way to Sonny where he’s sitting with Ada.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

April 2020

“Ari, sweetie, can we talk to you for a little bit?” Will asked, knocking on her playroom door, interrupting her tea party with her Barbies.

“Am I in trouble?” she asked.

“No, Sweet Pea, you’re not in trouble,” Sonny answered, carefully moving chairs away from the table to make room.

Will and Sonny both folded themselves onto the floor across the table from Ari. Ari waited for one of them to speak, looking back and forth between them. Will looked at Sonny, who gave him an encouraging smile and nod.

“Ari, sweetie, would like a little brother or sister? Is that something you would want?” Will asked.

Ari nodded her head violently, her blonde hair bouncing on her shoulders.

“Yeah?” Sonny clarified, relieved.

“Yeah!” Ari confirmed.

“That’s great,” Sonny said, as there was a knock on the door.

Will and Sonny both waved the woman standing in the doorway into the room.

“Ari, this is Rebecca. A couple months ago we asked her to be your brother or sister’s mommy, and now she’s going to have a baby,” Sonny said, in the way they had agreed Ari would best understand the situation.

“It’s nice to meet you, Ari,” Rebecca said with a smile sitting on the floor next to Sonny where he had made room for her.

“Hi,” Ari answered tentatively.

“Your Barbies are very pretty. Do they have names?” Rebecca asked.

And just like that, Ari warmed to the new, if temporary, addition to their family.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

March 2021

Although Jack and Jen have been gracious enough to provide Will three months of paid paternity leave from The Spectator, Will has offered to write articles from home, if for no other reason than to keep his mind and his skills from rusting. Julie and Doug, too, have been gracious, permitting Sonny as flexible a schedule as will allow for the manager of Doug’s Place.

Still, they need to be more awake they usually are these days.

“I forgot how exhausting newborns can be,” Will says, collapsing into bed beside Sonny, who is half asleep.

Since bringing the twins home, they have kept to a pretty tight schedule of alternating middle-of-the-night feedings but after three weeks, the sleep deprivation is getting to them both.

“Me too,” Sonny mumbles into his pillow.

“Hey.” Will pokes Sonny, who opens an eye to look at Will. “I think we need to change our plan.”

“What’d’ya mean?”

“We can’t keep doing this. Neither of us is getting any sleep. I think we need to alternate nights not feedings. That way one of us can sleep through the night each night and be functional in the morning.”

Sonny nods, his eyes drifting closed again.

Will chuckles. “Why don’t you go back to sleep. I’ll take the rest of the feedings tonight.”

Sonny nods again and drifts back into unconsciousness.

Will smiles softly down at his husband and then pads out of the bedroom. He checks on Ari to make sure the babies haven’t woken her, as they have sometimes in the past couple weeks, and then makes his way to the kitchen to make himself coffee. If he’s going to be up every two hours, he might as well use the time to do some writing.

As it turns out, Will’s idea of alternating nights instead of feedings is a good one; following the switch, their daily lives and schedules become easier to manage, the one who had slept the night before picking up slack where the other is lacking from sleep.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

May 2020

“Do you think Ari’s going to feel abandoned when the baby’s born?” Will asked one night over dinner, a couple weeks after they had told her that Rebecca was pregnant.

They were alone in the house, Ari with Gabi, and they were having a night in, dinner cooked by Sonny, movies, lovemaking.

“What?”

Will stirred his pasta with his fork nervously, not looking at Sonny. “She’s been our only focus for so long. Do you think she’s going to feel abandoned when the baby comes?”

Sonny didn’t answer right away, pondering Will’s question. “I don’t think so. She’ll be seven in a couple of weeks. Seven and a half by the time the baby’s born. She’s old enough to understand what’s going on. Plus, she seemed really excited when we told her. I think she’s hoping it’s a girl so she can use her as a living doll.”

Will laughed, comforted slightly by Sonny’s words. But his face still betrayed his concern.

“Hey,” Sonny said, taking Will’s hand over the table. “I don’t think we have anything to worry about. She has Gabi and so many people in this town that love her and would be ready to pick up slack if we fall behind. But I think Ari will turn out to be a good little helper.”

Will smiled at the thought and tried to enjoy the rest of their evening alone.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

April 2021

Although Will had worried that Ari might feel abandoned, a worry that multiplied when they found out Rebecca was pregnant with twins, Sonny had been right. At almost eight, Ari is eager to help take care of the babies in any way she can - especially dressing them and feeding them bottles.

She’s the best little helper they have, and she has a real knack for calming them down when they’re crying. Neither Will nor Sonny is certain exactly how she does it, but more often than not, when the babies start mewling, Ari has them settled within minutes and without effort.

“We really need to figure out how she does that,” Sonny says, sitting down on the couch next to Will, who’s reading a book.

The babies had been fussy all day, barely taking their bottles and not sleeping. It was a day when they were both home, and Will and Sonny had both tried everything they could think of to get the girls to settle. Nothing had worked.

Despite all their efforts, Cara and Ada remained irritable all day, until Ari prances into the house with Gabi and makes a beeline for the babies’ room. Within minutes, Ari has gotten them to settle.

“Did you tell her some trick we don’t know about?” Will asks Gabi, who is staying for dinner.

“No,” Gabi answers, shaking her head. “But Rafe always said that Arianna was the only one who could ever calm me when I was fussy. Maybe it’s a sister thing.”

“Allie did have a knack with Sydney,” Will comments.

Gabi shrugs.

“They’re asleep,” Ari announces, appearing in the family room.

“Thank you, Little Lady,” Will says, flashing her a grin and holding his arms out for her.

She obliges, crawling into his lap for a cuddle. “Do you have homework to do?”

Ari nods.

“Okay. How about you do your homework for a little bit and then we’ll have some dinner. Does that sound like a deal?”

Ari nods again.

“Alright. Go get your backpack and we’ll get you set up.”

Will kisses her hair before she hops off his lap to retrieve her bag.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

July 2020

“Twins?!” Sonny asked, confirming what Kayla had just said.

They were at Rebecca’s 13 week scan, making sure that the baby was progressing properly.

“Yes. See,” Kayla said, pointing at two spots on the sonogram screen. “It looks like two of the implants took this time. Congratulations.”

“Twins,” Will whispered, dazed but happy.

Sonny grinned at him and laced their fingers together.

“I’m so glad it worked this time,” Rebecca said, smiling at them.

“Thank you again for doing this,” Will said.

“You don’t have to thank me. This is what I’ve always wanted to do. Bring joy to families like yours.”

Sonny squeezed her hand in appreciation.

* * *

“Ari, sweetie, remember how we told you Rebecca’s going to be having a baby?” Sonny asked.

Ari nodded as she licked her ice cream.

“Well, she’s actually going to have two.” Sonny said.

“Two?”

Will nodded. “Twins. Like Johnny and Allie.”

“Will I be able to play with them?”

“Of course you will,” Sonny answered.

“Okay,” Ari said, unfazed, and licked the ice cream off her hand that had slipped from the cone.

* * *

They were in the middle of painting the nursery when Sonny got the call.

“Uncle Jack? Whoa. Slow down. What?”

Will stopped what he was doing, a paintbrush hanging in midair.

“What?” Sonny repeated, his voice small.

Will dropped the brush when he saw how pale Sonny had turned.

Will hurried to take the phone. “Uncle Jack, it’s Will. What happened? Shit. We’ll be right there.” He hung up the phone. “Sonny? Hey.” Will tried to get his attention, but Sonny was paralyzed with shock. “Sonny,” Will tried again, with a hand on his face.

Sonny looked at him, dazed. “I’m going to drive you to the hospital, okay? I’ll call Gabi on the way to take care of Ari.”

Still dazed, Sonny followed Will.

Jack was waiting for them when they arrived.

“What happened?” Sonny asked immediately. His shock had worn off in the car.

“As I said on the phone, there was a car accident,” Jack responded.

“Are my parents alright?” Sonny’s eyes were wide with fear.

Kayla appeared before Jack could answer. “Sonny?”

“How are they?” Sonny asked her instead.

“Your dad is in surgery right now. It looks like he has a punctured lung and broken ribs but he should be alright.”

“And Adrienne?” Jack asked.

Kayla’s face dropped and Sonny swayed where he was standing. Will wrapped his arms around Sonny’s waist from the back to steady him. Jack had a hand on his shoulder too.

“Adrienne didn’t make it. I’m so sorry, Sonny, Jack. She was gone when she arrived. There was nothing we could do.”

A sob escaped Sonny’s throat.

“I’m going to go check on Justin. I’ll be back in a bit.”

She left and Will helped Sonny to one of the chairs. Jack sat down heavily next to them and buried his face in his hands.

* * *

The funeral was a week later, as soon as Justin was deemed well enough to be discharged from the hospital.

Sonny’s brothers came in from Arizona, said their goodbyes to their mother, supported their father and brother through the day, and left Salem again the next morning.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

June 2021

“I can’t believe they’re six months old already,” Sonny says, dropping his head onto Will’s shoulder as they sit on the couch watching TV and rocking the bassinets lightly.

“I know.”

“I can’t believe Ari is eight. How did that happen?”

“I don’t know.” Sonny laughs lightly.

They lapse into comfortable silence until Will says quietly, “I’m happy, you know that right?”

Sonny lifts his head to look at Will curiously.

“This is all I ever wanted growing up. A stable home, a family without drama and constant fighting.”

Sonny nods. “I know.”

“I don’t think our life is boring.” His saying that to Sonny still haunts Will, even after all these years.

Sonny blinks, his lips parting slightly, Will’s thoughts clear.

“I know,” Sonny repeats. “You don’t have to apologize for that, Will. It was a long time ago. We’re different people now.”

Will nods and kisses Sonny.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

August 2020

“The babies both look perfectly healthy,” Kayla said with a smile. “Would you like to know the gender?”

Rebecca said “Yes” before Will and Sonny had a chance to even think about it.

Kayla gave her a strange look but ignored her and waited for Will and Sonny to respond. They looked at each other, communicating silently, and then Will said, “Yeah.”

“Congratulations. You’re having two beautiful baby daughters.”

“Ari will be thrilled,” Will said immediately and Sonny laughed genuinely and whole-heartedly for the first time since Adrienne’s death.

* * *

“Son?”

“Hmmm?”

They were lazing in bed, enjoying a Sunday morning without Ari, who had spent the weekend with Gabi and Rafe and David. Will’s head was pillowed on Sonny’s chest and Sonny’s fingers trailed circles along Will’s arm.

“I’ve been thinking about names for the babies. I thought maybe we could name one after your mom.”

Sonny didn’t immediately respond. After a while, he said, “I’d like that. She’d like that. So would Dad.”

Will kissed Sonny’s shoulder. Thinking about Adrienne was still painful for Sonny but it was getting easier.

“Maybe the other one can be after Caroline,” Sonny said.

Will shifted his head to look at Sonny. Sonny smiled softly at him.

Will returned the smile. “Grandma would love that.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

September 2021

The six of them - Will, Sonny, Ari, the twins, and Chocolate, the brown and white beagle they had gifted Ari for her eighth birthday - are at the park, enjoying the last vestiges of summer that are quickly turning into fall.

Ari is running around chasing after the dog, throwing sticks and rolling around in the grass with him. They’ll have to thoroughly wash Ari’s clothes tonight but the joy on her face and in her laugh makes it worth it.

Sonny pushes the stroller back and forth from where they sit on the bench watching Ari and Chocolate.

“I wish my mom were here,” Sonny says suddenly.

Will watches Sonny, waits for him to say more. It has been a hard year without her, especially when Sonny wanted her support in the two weeks after the twins’ birth when everything happened with Rebecca.

“I know,” Will says gently, slipping his hand into Sonny’s free one.

“She would love to see this.” Sonny nods at the babies, Ari and the dog.

Will kisses Sonny’s temple. “She’ll always be here with us,” Will says, nodding at Ada.

Sonny smiles softly but sadly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ruin the mood.”

“It’s okay to miss your mom, Sonny,” Will says.

Sonny closes his eyes and leans into Will. They stay like that for a long time, until the sun is setting and Ari comes wandering over to announce she’s hungry.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

November - December 2020

Rebecca moved into their spare bedroom as she entered her third trimester. Kayla suggested she be mostly on bedrest for the rest of the pregnancy, and so Will and Sonny catered to her as best as their schedules allowed. As she lived with them, Rebecca became a part of their daily routine and their daily lives. Ari’s adoration of her was not a small part of Rebecca feeling like part of the family.

Without them realizing what was happening, Rebecca ingratiated herself into making decisions about the babies in perhaps a way a surrogate shouldn’t. She gave her input about the color the nursery should be, even though it was already painted a light pink with green balloons, she advised what baby products they should be buying, and she even boldly suggested names to place on their final list.

* * *

They celebrated Will’s 28th birthday with a celebration at the house, so Rebecca could join them for a couple of hours. Will’s family and Justin celebrated with them, and the party ended up doubling as a celebration of Jennifer waking up from her year-long coma.

Towards the end of the party emotions ran high when Will and Sonny announced the babies were being named after Adrienne and Caroline.

* * *

Thanksgiving dinner was just the five of them - Will, Sonny, Rebecca, Gabi, and Ari.

* * *

“Are you going to have a nanny?” Rebecca asked Will one morning in early December when he brought her breakfast.

“I don’t know. We haven’t thought that far to be honest.”

“If you want, I could be their nanny for a bit until you figure it out. They say it’s good for newborns to be breastfed anyway.”

“I’ll talk to Sonny about it. Thanks,” Will said with a smile. “I’ve got to get to work. Will you be alright until Sonny comes to check on you for lunch?”

Rebecca nodded.

“See you later.”

* * *

They skipped the annual Horton tree trimming that year, opting instead to spend the day at home with Rebecca, so she wouldn’t be alone on Christmas. Gabi joined them to round out their little family celebration.

“Thank you for this,” Rebecca said, indicating her necklace, as they settled her back in her bed. “You didn’t have get me anything.”

“You’re having our babies. It’s the least we could do,” Sonny said.

She smiled at him and then yawned.

“Get some sleep,” Will said.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

November - December 2021

“Happy birthday,” Sonny says into Will’s ear.

Will grins, still half-asleep.

Ari with Gabi, Lucas and Kate had readily agreed to take the babies for the night, so Will and Sonny could spend the morning of Will’s birthday alone. They’re all meeting up in Doug’s Place for lunch later today.

Sonny peppers Will’s face, neck, and shoulder with kisses. Will hums, content.

“Morning,” Will says and turns around in Sonny’s arms. “This’nice,” Will mumbles, eyes closed, burrowing his head half into the pillow and half onto Sonny’s shoulder.

Sonny wraps his arms tighter around Will’s waist and kisses Will’s hair.

When he wakes up again an hour later, Will is alone in the bed. “Sonny?”

“Happy birthday,” Sonny says from the doorway, carrying a tray.

“What’s this?” Will teases with a smile, sitting up against the headboard.

“Breakfast in bed,” Sonny says, placing the tray carefully on the bed and climbing in next to Will.

There’s two plates of pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon, two glasses of orange juice, and a single rose.

“This looks amazing,” Will says, pulling Sonny in for a lingering kiss.

“Nothing but the best for my husband,” Sonny says when they pull apart.

Will smiles, eyes sparkling, and digs into the food.

* * *

Thanksgiving they spend at the Brady Pub, where the Bradys and Hortons have all gathered to celebrate the holiday.

* * *

The twins’ first Christmas is a bright and cheerful celebration, and Will and Sonny each hang one of their ornaments right next to Ari’s and underneath their own.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

January - February 2021

They rang in the new year at home, anxious that Rebecca could go into labor at any minute.

* * *

As Rebecca’s due date neared, Will and Sonny alternated days off of work so that at least one of them was home with her in case she went into labor.

Will was in his office at The Spectator when Sonny called, frantic.

“Rebecca’s in labor! We’re on the way to the hospital.”

“I’ll be right there.” Will gave Jen, who was back at work, a hurried explanation and rushed out on her wave.

“Sonny!” Will spotted him pacing outside the delivery room. “Where’s Rebecca?”

“They’re prepping her or checking her dilation or something,” Sonny said, grabbing Will’s hands.

“Sonny? Will?” Sarah popped her head into the hallway. “You can come in. She’s ready.”

They hurried inside hand-in-hand and quickly shoved their way into the scrubs Sarah handed them.

Rebecca was screaming, Kayla encouraging her. Will and Sonny each settled on one side of her and took one of her hands. Almost immediately, she squeezed their hands as another contraction ran through her.

An hour later, Cara and Ada were settled in their fathers’ arms.

“Everything looks perfect and normal,” Kayla said with a smile. “I’ll give you some privacy.”

“Do you want to hold them?” Will asked Rebecca when Kayla had left.

“Can I?”

Sonny nodded and handed her Ada. Carefully, when she had Ada balanced in one arm, Will placed Cara in the other.

“They’re so beautiful,” Rebecca whispered, tears rolling down her face.

“Yeah. They are,” Sonny said, choked up, and laced his fingers with Will’s across the bed.

* * *

Two days later, Will and Sonny arrived at hospital to bring the babies home to find them gone.

“What do you mean they’ve been discharged?” Will asked the nurse.

“About an hour ago,” she said and clicked the mouse on the computer. “To a Rebecca Vale.” At Will and Sonny’s alarmed looks, she said, “She said she was their mother.”

“Well she’s not,” Sonny hissed, pulling his phone out and ringing Rebecca. “She’s not answering her cell or the house.”

“Of course she’s not,” Will replied, shaking his head and banging his fist on the nurse’s station.

“What’s going on here?” Kayla asked.

“Your staff let Rebecca walk out of here with our daughters,” Sonny barked.

“What? It specifically says in their file that she’s a surrogate,” Kayla said, double-checking the computer.

“I’m sorry, Dr. Johnson. She said she was their mother,” the nurse said, distressed.

“Why don’t you go do some rounds, Taylor,” Kayla said, not unkindly. “We’ll discuss this later.”

Close to tears, the nurse hurried away.

“Eli,” Will said into his phone. “I’m reporting a kidnapping.”

* * *

“Are you sure you’re alright keeping Ari?” Will asked Gabi.

“Will, she’s my daughter,” Gabi said. “You and Sonny focus on getting those beautiful babies back.”

Will’s face fell and Gabi pulled him into a hug.

* * *

“Can you think of any place she might be hiding?” Eli asked.

It had been three days and so far all searches of Salem and the usual hiding places had been unfruitful.

“I don’t - we don’t - I guess we don’t really know a lot about her,” Sonny answered, sighing and rubbing his hand over his face.

Neither of them had slept much in the past three days; they were both exhausted.

Will dropped his head back against the couch, worn out and close to tears.

* * *

As February blew into Salem on a blizzard, Rebecca had been on the run with Cara and Ada for almost two weeks.

Will and Sonny had slept fitfully and eaten sporadically and only because survival required it. Will used all of his contacts at The Spectator to help with the search and Eli had actually enlisted the help of John and BlackPatch.

Finally, a few days before Valentine’s Day, Rebecca made a mistake.

“We got a hit on Rebecca’s credit card at the train station in Chicago,” Eli told Will and Sonny over the phone. “We’ve already alerted the train station and Chicago PD. I’m on my way there now. I’ll keep you posted.”

Two hours later, Eli called to say they had Rebecca in custody and the babies were at the hospital with Kayla getting checked out.

“Thank god,” Will said, relieved, as he hurried after Sonny to their car. “We’re on the way to the hospital right now.”

At the hospital, Eli filled them in. “Rebecca confessed to kidnapping the twins, said she loved them and couldn’t let them go.”

Sonny swore under his breath.

“How do we know she’s not going to try this again?” Will asked.

“I’ve already spoken to the DA and she’s ready to prosecute her. She’s behind bars.”

“Thank you, Eli,” Will said.

“I was just doing my job,” Eli said with a smile. “I have to get back to the station. Will you be alright?”

They both nodded and he left. A minute later, Will spotted Kayla coming out of the nursery. “Aunt Kayla! Are they alright?”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

January 2022

Doug’s Place hosts the twins’ first birthday party. Hortons, Bradys, and Kiriakises populate the restaurant - Sami, a mostly fully healthy EJ, Lucas and the kids have come in from Italy - and Ari bounces around asking if anyone needs anything, like the little helper she’s been in the eleven months.

“Daddy, can I play with the babies?” Ari asks, swinging her feet on one of the barstools.

“They’re asleep right now, sweetie, but you’ll be the first one to know when they’re awake,” Will says, tickling her.

She squirms away, laughing, and hops off the chair to hide behind Sonny, who’s talking with Justin.

Will laughs and shares a grin across the restaurant with Sonny when Ari tells him what happened. Seconds later, Sonny walks over to Will, brandishing the baby monitor in his hand. Ari trails behind him.

“They’re awake,” Sonny says, heading to the office where they had set up the babies’ portacrib.

“Can I come?” Ari asks, bouncing on her toes.

“Come on, Princess,” Will says and Ari runs towards the office. Will and Sonny follow at a slower pace.

Five minutes later, Will and Sonny emerge from the back room, each with a baby in their arms. Ari walks alongside them, tickling at the babies’ feet.

“The guests of honor are awake,” Sonny announces and the entire room bursts into “ohhhs” and “awwws” and “hi theres”.

Chairs are pushed back and plates abandoned as family members meander over to say hello and kiss Cara and Ada. They’re not fussy today so they quickly get passed around: Marlena, Kate, Justin, Jennifer, Ciara, Eric, Brady, Sami, Lucas, Roman, and Kayla each gets a turns with at least one of the babies.

Eventually, the twins end up crawling around on the floor with Ari chasing after them.

When it’s getting late, after they’ve sung “Happy Birthday” and cut the cake, and the twins are lagging, sitting calmly on the couch with Sami holding Cara and Lucas holding Ada, Will clinks a knife against a glass.

“We, uh, we just wanted to thank everyone for coming,” Will says to the crowd. “That’s it. That’s all I have.” Will laughs along with his family. “Yeah. Just thanks.”

After that, the party begins to break up, guests staggering out one by one.

“We’ll see you tomorrow?” Sami asks, EJ and Lucas behind her. Allie, Johnny, and Sydney are on the couch, entertaining Ari.

Will nods, rubbing Cara’s back as she falls asleep on his shoulder. Sonny is next to him, Ada already asleep in the carriage.

“This was a great party, William, Jackson,” EJ says.

“Thanks,” Sonny responds.

“Johnny, Allie, Syd, we’re leaving,” Sami says, as she heads to the door.

“Bye bye,” Lucas whispers to Cara and again to Ada as he passes the stroller.

“Ari, sweetie, time for us to go, too,” Sonny says as Will carefully places a sleeping Cara into the stroller.

Six hours later, Will and Sonny crawl into bed together and are asleep within minutes.

#will horton #sonny kiriakis #wilson #my fic #mywilsonfic

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