#better than normal ashi’s…….. | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

megalony · 8 months ago

Text

Tiny Little Fighter

As promised, this is my new Evan Buckley imagine. Please let me know what you think.

If anyone would want it, I'm debating about making this into a little series. Let me know.

Taglist: @justagirlthatlovedtoread @musicistheway @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @luula @missdreamofendless @bradleybeachbabe @woderfulkawaii @amberpanda99 @daggersquadphantom @marvel-and-chicago-fan @angryknightstatesmantrash @minjix @lyjen @kmc1989 @itsmytimetoodream @noonenuts @hiireadstuff @ashie-babie @classyunknownlover @jayyeahthatsme @sp1ritssz @dumb-fawkin-bitch @oliverstarksbae @gimatida @heart-35 @supernaturalstilinski @stefansalvatoresgf @kyky9103 @wutheringhearts2275 @gay4hotmilfs @itshamleth @chaoticnosleepinfluencer @gs29 @wh0reforsmutstuff @mel-vaz @natashamea18 @chrisevansdaughter @alexandra8484 @deena-beena-weena @targaryenluvs @shelbygeek @kpoplover-19 @marvelmenarebeautiful @gillybear17

@zoeybennett @mrspeacem1nusone @zephyrmonkey @estella-novella @shauna-carsley @dottirose @cfdhouse51 @darkfemme1

Evan Buckley Masterlist

Summary: After Evan and (Y/n) have their baby very early, Evan won't leave them alone in the NICU. He stays alongside his baby, making sure they're okay.

Enjoy.

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

"I don't wanna do this." The look in (Y/n)'s eyes absolutely broke Evan's heart. If people could die of heartbreak, he knew this is the pain that it began with. He knew he was on the verge of a heart attack with how distraught his wife was and the fact that there was nothing he could do to make this any better.

His lips smothered the top of her head and his hands shakily ran up and down her back as he tucked her closer to his chest. Each shaky breath he took against her hair made Evan's chest tighten and tighten until he was barely breathing at all, just gasping and panting against the top of her head.

"I know, baby. I know."

What else could he say? What else could Evan do other than stand here and hold her broken pieces together and try to keep himself in one piece? How could he do this when they were both pieces of a puzzle, starting to fall apart?

His back tensed and he leaned forward when (Y/n) bent her knees and pushed down like she was trying to make them both kneel on the floor. He felt her nose push against his sternum as she buried her face in his chest and groaned. She choked on a scream when another contration split through her pelvis and made her want to hunker down on the floor.

This was too early.

They weren't supposed to be in the maternity ward right now. (Y/n) wasn't supposed to be over halfway through labour right now. Not when she was barely twenty five weeks pregnant.

They had another eleven weeks left, bare minimum, until they should have to think about labour. They had another fifteen weeks until their actual due date. But here they were, waiting for this to be over with to see if their baby would be able to survive being born this early.

They didn't have any other choice.

Not when (Y/n) had developed pre-eclampsia which had gotten to the point that her blood was starting to shred and her liver was shutting down. If they didn't have the baby now and (Y/n)'s liver gave way, that would be it for her and for the baby. The only way for her body to be able to recover and get back to normal was for the baby to be born. This was her body's way of reacting to the baby.

It was affecting her liver which was on the verge of shutting down, her blood was starting to shred itself and (Y/n) had already been given a blood transfusion to try and keep her going. It was affecting her vision and now the baby was getting distressed.

Inducing labour was the only chance they had of (Y/n) recovering and of trying to take care of their baby.

"I think you're ready now. Let's sit you on the bed."

(Y/n) shook off the midwife's hands but when she tilted her head back and looked up at Evan through teary, spotty vision, she nodded. She didn't want anyone's hands on her but her husband. She only wanted his help. (Y/n) knew none of this was the midwife's fault or the hospital or the doctors. It wasn't her fault either, no matter how badly her brain was trying to tell her that she was doing this to herself.

But she didn't want their help. Their touch. Their comforting words that sounded cynical and condescending to (Y/n). All she wanted was Evan.

"Don't let me go," (Y/n) almost pleaded as she grabbed Evan's hand when he carefully eased her back down onto the bed rather than standing with her in his arms. She wanted him as close as she could get him and more so. He had to be right next to her, he had to be touching her somehow. (Y/n) wanted to feel his breaths mingling with hers and his touch on her skin.

Evan’s eyes softened and with the tears welling around his blue orbs, they looked like they were beginning to melt. He nodded and pulled the seat closer to the bed until his knees pushed uncomfortably into the edge of the bed. His hand stayed curled in hers and he moved his other hand to rub up and down her arm while the midwife got ready to assess her.

She said nothing as the midwife put a heartbeat monitoring clip on her finger and two more to her stomach to monitor the baby’s heartbeat. She tipped her head back into the pillow, wanting to smile when she felt Evan bring the back of her hand to his lips.

"I'd say you're dilated now. You can begin to push on the next contraction," The midwife's voice had an air of caution and sympathy in her tone because she could see her words made (Y/n) cry harder.

She didn't want to be doing this. Labour had barely been induced for four hours and already (Y/n) was ready to evict her baby.

Her baby wasn't going to be able to survive on their own. They wouldn't be able to breathe or regulate their temperature or feed properly at this stage. None of their organs would be developed enough to survive outside the womb. They would need to be in the ICU for weeks if they were going to survive this.

Silence fell over the three of them, save for the few sniffs and tears here and there, as they waited for the next contraction to hit. Evan tipped his head down and pressed his lips to (Y/n)'s arm as they waited, his hands holding hers tightly. When the next contraction came, (Y/n) pushed but stopped at the sound of one of the monitors. All their heads seemed to snap to check which monitor it was to know whose heart was now in distress. (Y/n) wondered for a moment if it was her own heart that was becoming frazzled due to how it seemed to flutter in her chest before beating harshly.

But it wasn’t her heart, it was the baby’s.

“What’s happening?” Evan questioned, absentmindedly tightening his hand around (Y/n)’s as he moved his free hand to press to her stomach. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the monitor that showed their baby's heartbeat which was suddenly slower than it was before the contraction.

“Baby is just a bit stressed, that's all. The heartbeat should stabilise in a minute.” The midwife responded as she watched the monitor showing the baby’s heartbeat and waited for it to pick back up. All of them sighed in utter relief when it started to mellow and go back to the rhythmic beat it had been a moment ago.

They knew the moment the baby was born, their heartbeat would fluctuate again and become uneven. Once they realised they were no longer in the womb and would have to breathe on their own, the baby would be in complete distress.

Evan turned his head back to look at the midwife when (Y/n)’s hands tightened around his own signalling she was having another contraction. He cringed when (Y/n) started pushing and her scream rebounded through his ears and made a shiver run down his spine. But he felt relieved that the monitor didn't scream out this time, the baby seemed stable. For now.

(Y/n) cried out when another contraction hit and pushed to sit forward with her chin tucked down into her chest.

She pulled Evan's hand up until she could press it against her chest and her eyes followed him as he got up from the chair and moved to stand as close as he could to the edge of the bed. He leaned over, curling his left arm around her shoulders while he pressed his lips to her temple.

She could feel Evan mumbling "It's gonna be okay," into her hair and the words were soothing, even if she didn't quite believe them.

Part of Evan wanted to let go of (Y/n)'s hand and move down to feather his fingers across her stomach instead. She didn't look like she was five and a half months along.

He had been so, so happy when (Y/n)'s bumps finally started to show and he could feel the baby kicking. Whenever they laid in bed, Evan had a hand constantly glued to her stomach and he was forever talking to the baby and kissing her tummy and waiting for movement. He thought he would have another three months of that.

Evan thought he would get to spend the next three months marvelling at how (Y/n)'s body changed and telling her how much he loved her expanding stomach. Not anymore. Something akin to a knife twinged in Evan's gut at the notion that (Y/n)'s stomach wasn't going to get any bigger than this.

Their baby would no longer be connected to (Y/n).

Whenever their baby kicked or wriggled or squirmed, Evan would actually see them doing it. He wouldn't feel those movements anymore; neither would (Y/n). They would watch a tiny, miniscule baby wriggling and fighting to stay alive; if they made t through this labour.

"Okay, the head's born now, well done. Take a breather, you're doing great."

Part of (Y/n) was desperate to smile when she watched Evan lean over her stomach as soon as the midwife spoke. He kept hold of her hand and his other hand stayed on her shoulder, but he leaned down to look at their baby.

Evan had delivered a few babies after years of being a fireman and nothing really shocked him anymore. But this was different. That was his own little baby, his own child that was coming into the world and there wasn't a sight that would ever match that. Seeing any other woman give birth was never going to make Evan's heart clench or send his stomach rocketing like this.

That was his baby. That was his tiny little fighter.

They shouldn't be that small. They shouldn't be that wrinkled. Labour shouldn't be going this fast or be this swift. Their baby shouldn't be born so small Evan feared they weren't going to fit in the palm of his hand.

He didn't realise he was crying again until he felt (Y/n)'s trembling hand reach up and her thumb swiped away the tear from his cheek. Tears of sorrow, more than joy, because this wasn't a joyous moment. It should have been. This should have been a day where Evan's ADHD had him bouncing off the walls with excitement. He should have been flying through the roof, anticipating the birth of his first child.

He couldn't find the will to be happy about this when this early meant his baby might not survive.

He hadn't even told anyone yet.

Evan thought that when (Y/n) went into labour, he would have everything sorted. He would have the maternity bag packed, the nursery sorted. He would call Maddie, then Bobby, then Eddie, right in that order to tell them all. Then he would call them as soon as the baby was born and ask them to come over.

The only person who knew (Y/n) was in labour was Maddie. She knew because she had been here just this morning to see (Y/n). And she had born witness to (Y/n)'s scream and Evan's breakdown when they were told they needed to induce labour now, for both their sakes. Maddie had gone home, anxiously cradling her phone to await any news and she hadn't told anyone. She couldn't. It felt like overstepping the mark.

But what would Evan say if this didn't go well? What was he going to do if he lost his baby? He couldn't tell that to anyone over the phone, but he wouldn't want them to witness him having a breakdown if he had to tell them face to face.

"That's it, push again (Y/n),"

"You're almost there, keep going sweetheart," Evan nudged his nose against (Y/n)'s and pecked her lips before he moved round a little. He perched down on the side of the bed just behind her and leaned across so (Y/n) could lean her back against his chest. His arms cocooned around her waist and his fingers stayed oddly still against her stomach.

(Y/n) had never known him be so still in such a moment of unease and unknowing like this. She thought his hands would constantly be jittering and his foot would be tapping on the floor and his knees would be jerking up and down. But the only movement she could feel was him kissing the top of her head.

Tears tracked down (Y/n)'s face and she felt like she was on fire when she heard the midwife say that the shoulders were born. Then the arms.

It felt like she was being electrocuted and like her legs had been burned off at the thighs when all the weight was suddenly pulled down from her stomach. And she knew. She just knew that was it. She'd had their baby; they were no longer connected. Their baby was no longer safe and protected with (Y/n), they were fending for themselves now.

Her body slumped back into Evan and she couldn't hear whatever he said, even though she could feel his lips moving against her neck and his voice vibrated against her skin. His arms tightened around her waist in a comforting, broken hug as he held her tightly to his chest and started to sway them side to side.

Her shaking hands moved up to hold onto Evan's forearms that grounded her and kept her calm when she felt like she was about to disappear. She let her head flop back on his shoulder and her wet lips smothered his neck as her nails punctured into his arms.

It took (Y/n) a moment to realise that another midwife had already bustled into the room and both of them were tending to the baby laid between her legs.

"A-are they okay? Are they breathing?" Each word came out through a bubbling sob and (Y/n) was surprised any of them could make out a word she was saying.

But she hadn't heard a cry.

Tears streamed freely down her face as she clutched Evan's arms to her chest, letting him sway them from side to side to try and calm them both down. He had his chin digging into her shoulder and his lips against her neck, but (Y/n) could feel him crying against her skin.

"It's a boy."

"Is he okay?" Evan persisted when they didn't exactly receive an answer. She could be trying to calm them down, trying to tell them as dearly as she could that they had a boy, but he wasn't alive anymore. They had to know.

"We've got a pulse."

That was enough. That was more than enough. He might not be breathing or wriggling or kicking and they might not be able to hold him yet, but he had a heartbeat. That was all he needed so far. As long as the midwives could get him intubated and get him into the ICU, a heartbeat was what they needed to start with. That would do for now, that was enough right now.

"Would dad like to cut the cord?" The second midwife was leaning over the end of the bed and she looked over at Evan with something tender in her eyes. It almost made him wonder if she had been in this position before, if she herself had experienced a premature baby. The look in her eyes made Evan feel like they could relate to her.

When Evan looked down at her, (Y/n) nodded and managed to unlock her viper grip on his arm to let him move. She would be okay if he let her go, just for a little while. She felt him lean her forward before he gently sat her back against the pillows so he could shakily move round to the end of the bed.

His fingers briefly skimmed across (Y/n)'s ankle and up the back of her leg before he took the medical scissors from the midwife and tried to stop himself from shaking. She held the cord up where she had clamped it off and Evan cut it just like he had done at least three times before when he was on shift. But this was so much more intense, this was his little boy.

As soon as the cord was cut, Evan was left shaking, barely breathing as he leant over the end of the bed. His eyes glued to their initial midwife as she stole the baby from the bed and moved over to the incubator in the corner of the room. Evan knew in a minute or two, once his boy was breathing, he would be taken from them.

They wouldn't get to hold him, cuddle him or even touch him before he would be shipped off to the neonatal unit and a doctor would be assessing him.

Shivers bolted up and down (Y/n)'s legs which had previously felt numb until she felt Evan's fingers curling around the back of her ankle. He gave a little tug before his wide eyes were staring at her with a mix of emotions she could decipher.

(Y/n) shook her head, silently asking him what was on his mind because although she could usually read her husband like a book, in this moment, she had no idea what was going through his head.

"He- he's got a birthmark too." Evan's voice was so calm and quiet that it almost didn't sound real.

(Y/n) watched the way Evan let go of her leg so he could pat his cheek, indicating where he had seen the little patch of discoloured skin on their baby's cheek. Before his head was turning back towards the midwife, watching her intently as he started to shake, fuelling back up with adrenaline.

Part of Evan had been worried in the beginning. He worried that their baby would get lost or mixed up and switched. That the midwife would forget which one was his little baby or they would put the wrong nametag around his ankle or his little wrist.

If they didn't get to see their baby first, Evan wondered how they would know which one was their little baby and worry that the midwives might forget too. But that mark was an indicator.

It meant that Evan didn't have to panic about following the midwife like a shadow or keep his baby within his sights at all times. He would know which tiny, fragile baby was his.

(Y/n) swallowed harshly as she watched the midwife scribble Baby Buckley onto a wrist tag, along with the date and time of his birth.

They didn't even have a name for him yet. They thought they had another three months to come up with their favourite, agreed upon names for a girl or a boy. Now he was here and they didn't know what to call him. He was just going to be Baby Buckley until they could think of something suitable.

His birth had come so early that none of them were prepared for him.

***

(Y/n) could feel tears welling up in her eyes when there was a soft knock on the door and she looked to see who was walking in. She nodded and motioned for them to step inside when she realised it was Bobby and Athena.

Her eyes traced them up and down before locking on the small black duffle bag in Bobby's hand that she vaguely recognised.

"How are you doing?"

She reached up and looked her arms around Bobby's neck when he leaned down to hug her. And she did her best to force away the tears before they soaked into his shirt, not that she thought he would mind at all if she began to cry again.

"I'm okay." She thought she was. She hoped she was. (Y/n) couldn't comprehend many thoughts, feelings or emotions other than feeling disconnected.

It felt like she had been disconnected from the world, from her baby and from every emotional part of herself. All she wanted to do was sit and cry or try to sleep and pretend none of this was happening. The selfish part of her mind wondered why this couldn't have happened to someone else. Why did it have to be her and Evan? What had they done to deserve this?

"We brought you both some clothes from home, we thought you might need a few things." Bobby set the bag down in the corner of the room before he sat down in the chair beside the bed.

His eyes watched his wife as she took (Y/n)'s hand and perched down beside her on the bed.

Since Evan joined the station, they had become surrogate parents to him, and when he married (Y/n), she became another child to them. They didn't want to see either of them going through something like this and if there was anything they could do to help, then they would.

"Where's Buck?" Athena took a quick glance in the corner of the room, but the adjoining bathroom was empty meaning Evan wasn't in there.

Something soft washed over (Y/n)'s face as she brushed away the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. She sniffed and tried to smile, giving Athena's hand a light squeeze as she sat up a bit straighter.

"He followed the midwife down to the neonatal unit last night… they uh, they couldn't get him to leave, so they had to let him stay. I think he spent the night in there."

(Y/n) had been more than a little surprised when the midwife came back to check on her late into the night and realised Evan wasn't with her. (Y/n) wasn't worried. She knew exactly where her husband had gone and why he hadn't come back yet. He was under the impression that if someone wasn't watching over their boy, something bad would happen to him.

Nothing they said would get Evan to move last night so after they gave up, one of the nurses had draped a blanket around him when he fell asleep next to the incubator.

He had come back to see (Y/n) this morning and make sure she was okay before heading back down. He knew (Y/n) would be down soon and neither of them would be moving very far away from their boy.

The only reason (Y/n) wasn't there now was because of all the IVs she had been on and the nurses monitoring her. They were making sure her liver function was picking back up, taking constant blood samples to check and to make sure her blood was returning to a healthy state and taking enough oxygen. Being separated from her baby really had made (Y/n) feel better, despite how it had ruined her, mentally.

"And how is the little guy?"

Bobby had shed a few tears early this morning when he had been in the middle of cooking breakfast and suddenly got a phone call from Evan. He hadn't expected to have Evan crying down the phone, saying (Y/n) had given birth already and now he had a little boy.

As soon as he told them, Athena and Bobby were getting ready to come down here and make sure both of them were okay.

Bobby knew Eddie and Chris would be coming down this afternoon after Chris finished school. And Hen and Karen said they would give it a few days before they came to visit, while Chimney and Maddie would be here almost every day at some point.

"He's okay, they got him stable on a ventilator and a feeding tube… they said he's stable at the moment."

It had been lovely that the nurses kept coming in every hour or so to give (Y/n) an update until she could go and see her little boy. They told her how well he was doing, how he settled almost straight away when they got him all hooked up to the ventilator and monitors. He seemed to be very settled and stable at the moment and that was all that they could ask for.

And (Y/n) was desperate to go down and see him.

Tiredness ebbed away in the corners of Evan's eyes and at the back of his mind, but he tried to push it to one side and ignore it.

His head tilted to one side and the first hint of a smile began to form on his lips when he looked down. His left arm curved and bent over the top of the incubator while he bent his left leg forward and stretched his other leg out behind him to keep himself supported. His upper body leaned forward and he leaned his head down until his nose was almost touching the plastic separating him from his little boy.

For what had to be the tenth time this morning, Evan carefully slid his right hand through the small circular opening in the side of the incubator.

His fingers skimmed across his little boy's chest, just a small, delicate touch that was barely there. Evan couldn't find it in himself to be comforted by the feeling of his little boy breathing steadily like this. Not when he knew it was the machine that was making him breathe.

As soon as that tube was removed from his nose and he was breathing on his own, Evan knew he would feel a lot better.

He leaned his cheek on his left arm and trailed his fingers higher until they brushed the newborn's cheek that was so soft but wrinkled that it made Evan shiver.

He wasn't sure he'd ever seen a premature baby this small or this close up in person. Sure, he'd seen a few pictures from friends or people on calls who said they'd experienced something like this. But Evan had never touched a baby so small and early on like this.

It was strange.

It was unnerving to think that if he put both hands in the incubator, his son would barely fit in the palm of his hands. He only weighed three pounds. Evan had never seen a baby so small and lightweight. He was like a doll.

"It'll be better when you're out of here, you know. That nurse said in a few days, maybe a week, we can hold you. I'm starting to get desperate," Evan managed a smile as he trailed his hand back down towards the newborn's hand that was clenched into a tiny fist.

He brushed his thumb against the back of his hand and tried to be careful as he delicately unfolded his fingers. Evan's fingertip barely fit against his son's palm but he refused to let go or flinch or squirm away. This was his boy, his baby, and he wanted some sort of contact.

Evan wanted him to know that someone was with him and watching over him.

He knew realistically that it didn't make much difference. This incubator was here to make his boy feel like he was back in the womb and to get him to grow and develop. He wasn't going to know or care if someone was watching over him or if his dad was keeping an eye on him or not. But it comforted Evan to know that someone was with his son. It comforted him to be able to touch his newborn and show him that he wasn't on his own.

He stroked his thumb against the back of his hand, noting how his son's skin was like sandpaper. A bit gritty, somewhat coarse and extremely fragile. If Evan applied too much pressure he might break his skin.

"But you have to stay in here for a while."

Evan didn't like this. He had imagined the moment he and (Y/n) had their baby, so many times. And not once did Evan consider the thought of having to have their baby prematurely like this. He thought once their boy was born, they would hold him straight away, get some pictures and just spend the day with him in their arms.

He didn't think he would be separated by a plastic box and wires and tubes or see his baby wear the smallest version of a nappy that the hospital had, specifically provided for premature babies.

Evan never thought about having to wait possibly weeks until his baby would be healthy and strong enough to breathe on his own and feed without a tube going straight into his stomach. He didn't think he would have to bide his time and wait until he could hold him for the first time.

And Evan knew for definite that until his boy was in his arms, he wasn't moving from this spot. Evan wasn't leaving this hospital for more than an hour to get something to eat or get a change of clothes. He was staying right here, watching over his boy.

"I can start telling people now, about you. I told grandad Bobby, and auntie Maddie this morning. And uncle Eddie. It's strange, being a dad, now that you're already here."

It still wasn't sinking in properly that this was real.

He couldn't quite get his head round the fact that he could now call himself a dad. He could tell people he had a baby boy. This little life right here, that wouldn't fit in his hands, was already alive and here.

Evan was responsible for this precious life that he was afraid he was going to lose.

This was his boy. This was the little person he was going to be cradling at night and settling to sleep and feeding and washing and dressing him up and taking him down to the station to proudly show him off. When he was better, of course.

"I wish I could take you out of this. I just wanna take you home with me and mummy." As he spoke, Evan's fingers twitched and pressed a little harder into the small fist he was cradling.

He was desperate. He felt like a bank robber plotting some great heist. He wanted to snatch his son and take him home and make a remedy to rectify all of this. If he could change things, he would. Evan would keep (Y/n) and their baby safe and take them home and change this so they had him when it was safe to do so. He wanted his little boy in his arms. He wanted him cuddled up into his chest and snuggled against his bare skin and held as close as he could get him.

Evan wanted his boy to know what a cuddle felt like. He wanted to be able to give him a kiss and hold him and let him know how much he was loved already.

"God, I- I haven't even got your crib ready yet." Tilting his head up, Evan moved his free hand and dragged it across his face and down his jaw.

He hadn't got anything set up.

They had barely started to buy clothes and blankets and bottles. And the crib was still flat-packed in the corner of the nursery that wasn't even painted or decorated yet. They hadn't done any of that. They thought they had another ten to fifteen weeks left before their baby would of made an appearance.

Statistically speaking, Evan knew he still had quite a few weeks left until he could take his baby home. He had four, maybe five or more weeks of visiting his boy in here. And when he and (Y/n) weren't here at the hospital, they were going to be decorating because being home without their baby would drive them insane.

Evan could see it now. By this time next week, the nursery would be finished and they would have everything ready in anticipation of taking this little bundle back home with them.

"You weren't meant to arrive this early, you know. I thought I had three months to get everything ready for you. I guess I'd better sort out the nursery soon, hm? Ready for when me and mummy bring you home."

He finally released the newborn's miniscule fist so he could drag his fingertips up and down his side like he was trying to tickle him.

Evan found it fascinating to look at the tiny nappy they put on his son. It didn't look right, being so small and compact and seeing such tiny legs sprouting out which only looked the length of Evan's index finger. And when his eyes trailed up to look at his son's small head, he was relieved that his boy now had a little lime green cap on to help keep him warm.

Evan didn't want anyone removing that cap. Not when he knew that was where the IV line had gone.

Evan had almost thrown up when he watched the nurse try and fail to find a suitable vein in his son's arms and she couldn't find one in his legs either which were like sand paper. She only found a good vein in the side of his head and Evan hated it. He hated seeing that needle puncture through his delicate skin and see the thin tube be taped to the side of his head so it wouldn't accidentally be torn out.

He was glad the cap covered the IV line which could only be seen popping out the end of the cap behind his tiny ear that was smaller than Evan's thumb.

"I'm not gonna leave you here alone, mister. I'll stay with you."

Just as he spoke, Evan felt a pair of arms circling around his waist and a familiar face pressing into his back just beneath his shoulder blades. His lips curved into a grin and he slowly slid his hand from the incubator so he could reach down and hold onto (Y/n)'s wrist.

"Hi baby, you okay?" He twisted his body so his left hip was pressing against the incubator, allowing him to weave his right arm around (Y/n)'s waist and tug her closer.

She happily tucked herself into his chest with her cheek pressing against his sternum so her eyes could focus on the incubator in front of them. The feeling of Evan's hand feathering up and down her hip and the feel of his lips against her temple faded out when (Y/n) looked at her little boy.

She hadn't managed to get a good look at him last night when he was born. But as she stared down at him, she realised Evan had been right this morning.

He was beautiful. He had a circular birth mark on his right cheek like a splotch of paint had been dropped onto him. His nose was tiny and rounded at the end, obscured only by the breathing tube taped into his nostril.

"Hm. How is he?"

"He's okay. The nurse will be back round soon to do some checks." Evan spoke against the top of (Y/n)'s head, breathing into her hair while he leaned back so she could slouch against his chest.

Tilting her head back, (Y/n) gently pressed her chin into Evan's chest so she could look up at him.

He had dark circles beneath his eyes and a hazy look in his pupils, showing off his desperate need for sleep. But the lazy smile on his lips was enough to make (Y/n)'s heart skip a beat and her stomach flood with adrenaline. She felt his hand move to run up and down her back while his left hand curled into a fist and propped his cheek up.

The way he slouched and grinned tiredly but endearingly made (Y/n) smile and attach her lips to his neck.

"You're gonna be living here for the next few weeks, aren't you?" Her words were soft and her tone was even softer, melting along the edges while she smiled against his skin and grazed her teeth dangerously close to his throat.

She could see it already. The nurses would all know Evan by next week. He would become part of the furniture, they would get used to him and weave around him to do their checks and daily tasks. They would have to stop Evan from intervening and trying to take over. They would be showing him how to change the tiny nappies and show him how they were feeding his boy and how they washed him while he was this small and tender.

Evan would become part of their routine, their staff team. Someone they couldn't avoid or get rid of, not until they discharged his son.

"Oh yes."

"Hm, good. Me too." (Y/n) nudged her nose against his jaw until Evan tilted his head down to meet her halfway in a kiss.

She kept her left arm looped around his torso but she stayed still and compliant as Evan held her right hand. He slowly moved her hand when their lips finally broke apart but stayed so close that (Y/n) could feel each breath he took like Evan was giving her his every ounce of oxygen.

Her eyes drifted to the side when Evan slid their joined hands through the small opening in the incubator and grazed her fingertips along their son's hand.

"Hear that? Me and mummy are staying here until we can take you home. We're not leaving without you."

#evan buckley #imagine #911 imagine #evan buckley x reader #pregnant! reader #evan buckley imagine #buck x reader #buck imagine #evan buck buckely #bobby nash

649 notes · View notes

gallusrostromegalus · 5 months ago

Text

Ta-Ashi Neko (Many-Legged Cat)

A fun little Yokai to live in AEIWAM's Spirit World. Warnings for: Long Post, Animal Death Mention, non-graphic discussion of Carnivory

---

Ta-Ashi Neko (多足猫) or Many legged Cat

The Ta-Ashi Neko is a Monstrous Cat that grows to enormous size and intelligence, and has multiple pairs of legs. It's more elongated and stoutly built than a domestic house-cat, with a thick and plush coat. While extremely rare, the Ta-Ashi that have been observed come in a variety of coat colors that also occur in Domestic Cats.

No one is quite sure what causes a Ta-Ashi to form but rather than the product of Ta-Ashi Neko mating, new Ta-Ashi are born in domestic cat litters. When born, the Ta-Ashi resembles an ordinary kitten save that it has no legs at all, and sort of wiggles around for the first 11 years of it's life, during which it will feed itself by suckling from any animal EXCEPT cats.

On it's 11th birthday, it suddenly sprouts a pair of legs- Like human handedness, 90% of Ta-Ashi sprout their forelegs first, and 10% their hind legs. It can now crawl around more effectively (or in the case of the hind-leg ones, walk about), and continues to do so for 22 years, when it sprouts it's second pair of legs, and goes about looking like a normal, if unusually large and somewhat elongated house-cat.

33 years after that, it's third pair of legs sprout in the middle. 44 years after that, the 4th pair, 55 years after that the 5th pair, and so on. As it develops more legs, it also grows: a 3-pair Ta-Ashi is about the size of a large dog or Lynx, a 4-pair the size of a Lion or other Big Cat, a 5-pair the size of a Horse, and a 6-leg the size of a small bus. Foreleg Ta-Ashi will sprout their 4th pair between their fore and middle legs, then their fifth between the middle and hind legs, alternating thusly. Hindleg Ta-Ashi alternate as well, but start on the middle and hindleg gap.

If a Ta-Ashi manages to live to be 1,001 years old, it will have 13 pairs of legs, and become a full Kami.

The Ta-Ashi is exceptionally intelligent from birth, and by the time they have 2 pairs of legs, they fully understand human speech, but usually don't talk before their third legs grow in. A Ta-Ashi with over 5 pairs of legs is at least 231 years old, and of superhuman intelligence, if peculiar feline priorities.

They are incredibly stealthy, and it's believed older ones learn to become silent and invisible at will, but the Ta-Ashi's greatest weapon is it's speed. Even a 3-pair Ta-Ashi can outpace a Shingami's Shunpo, and as it ages, it only gets faster and better endurance. Hayai Tatakai, a 6-pair Ta-Ashi that lives in the distant districts of the Rukongai, is said to be able to make a complete circuit around the outermost borders of the Rukongai in just under a month.

Ta-Ashi are exceptionally rare, due to both their apparently niche spawning criteria, and the fact that humans have a bad habit of 'mercy killing' what they think are 'deformed' kittens. Even if a Ta-Ashi makes it to Adulthood (The onset of it's third pair of legs), it still faces major challenges: Humans will hunt them out of fear, or for Trophy Animals, and it's diet is peculiarly limited:

The Ta-Ashi eats Other Cats and the Occasional Hunter.

It's a mystery* WHY Ta-Ashi only eat other cats and seemingly random game hunters, even to the Ta-Ashi themselves. Hayai described his desire for feline flesh and not hunger per se, but as an act of rage. The mere scent of another cat would send him into an irrationally furious fugue which would not be assuaged until he had hunted down, killed, and devoured his nemesis. In fact, he rarely felt hungry at all, at least not since he'd been weaned, but on the rare occasions he did, his craving was for milk and cheese, not catmeat.

This has caused some speculation that the Ta-Ashi is not a Cat-spirit at all, but a sort of ironic Vengeful Spirit against cats- not only does it's compulsion to devour include house-cats, but also big cats, bakaneko, two-tailed cats, catfolk, and in one particularly catastrophic incident, a member of the Shihoin clan.

(*The Secret is that Ta-Ashi ARE an Ironic Vengeful Spirit- When the Beast God of the Wilderkin cursed the Shihoin to live among the humans for killing for sadistic pleasure instead of having respect for their prey, the Beast God also created the Ta-Ashi specifically to antagonize them. The Shihoin clan took, and continues to take, immense pride in their strength and speed, so the Beast God created a Feline Yokai that would be faster and stronger than any Shihoin could ever hope to be, and that would spawn anywhere Cats or Humans were hunting without respect for their prey. Even if they don't originally spawn there, Ta-Ashi Neko are drawn to places with an overabundance of cats, or where trophy hunting takes place. This has lead to the peculiar phenomenon that Ta-Ashi are found in either the ass-end of nowhere where some idiot has introduce house-cats or taken a hunting party, or smack in the middle of cities where poor pet and livestock husbandry abounds.)

Despite their fearsome appearance and distressing diet, Ta-Ashi are surprisingly gentle and playful spirits. The vast majority of people living within the territory of a Ta-Ashi never notice and are untroubled by it's presence. Some like to rush by as a sudden gust of wind to tease unwary travelers, or play with laundry left out in an unattended line. When not being actively hunted, some have even proved to be gentle and protective of human children, going so far as to return lost children to the nearest village. They are notably fond of all canines, especially dogs.

Because Ta-Ashi are so stealthy and reclusive until they know they can trust the local humans, the strongest indicators that a Ta-Ashi is in the area are:

A sudden surge in the local population of songbirds, reptiles and frogs (the mice are no longer being hunted either, but the snake population also massively rebounded)

Sudden changes in weather including more intense storms and windy days (the Ta-Ashi traveling about At Speed)

Strange miasmas of absolutely rancid sour odors with no discernible source, especially on remote stretches of road (the Ta-Ashi Marking the borders of its territory)

Some exorcists have attempted to divine the presence of Ta-Ashi Neko by interrogating other local Yokai, especially Tanuki and Kitsune, who can be plied with Sake. However, this method isn't very reliable- given that Kitsune and Tanuki are both canine spirits that are often harassed by Bakaneko or Yokai Trophy Hunters, and often favorite friends of Ta-Ashi, they usually choose to keep the presence of their Good Friend Leggy Boi a secret.

If a Ta-Ashi appears in your area, the best thing to do is keep your cat indoors- Ta-Ashi are extremely reluctant to go inside of any kind of human construction, and it also limits how far the scent of your cat travels. Also, you should be keeping your cat indoors anyway have you SEEN the foxes around here? Not even the Kitsune, the regular ones!

---

Yushiro Shihoin used to love visiting his Uncles Jushiro and Kaname and going Birdlistening (on account of Kaname being blind and Jushiro being utterly hopeless with the binoculars, they rarely saw the birds, but did have a good time listening to their songs) out in the Greenbelt of old Noble House Land Holdings in the middle of the city.

He came to visit in the mid 1970's after several years away at school at Jushiro's word of improved bird populations, only to feel an awful, intense paranoia that he was being stalked by something. Concerned about assassins, the two captains quickly retreated with him from the wilder parts of the Ukitake clan holdings to the main compound. He hasn't been back since, and soon after even visiting Auntie Soi Fon's heavily forested 2nd Division training grounds gave him a similarly awful case of Heebie-Jeebies.

Unbeknownst to nearly everyone, Mayuri Kurotsuichi had commissioned the capture of a live Ta-Ashi Neko for analysis. In 1973, bounty hunters arrived in the city with a three-leg Ta-Ashi who went ballistic at being exposed to even the faintest hint of Shihoin Reiatsu, broke out of the cage she was being kept in, and has been lurking in the Greenbelt and 2nd Division training grounds since.

Since her return to Soul Society in 2001, Yoruichi thinks that she ought to bond with her Surprise Baby Brother, and that a good way to do that would be for the two of them to sneak into the Kuchiki Compound in the middle of the Greenbelt and camp there while pranking Byakuya until caught.

Kazetsumi, as she calls herself, is over 110 years old now. Her fourth pair of legs has grown in nicely and she has spent the last 27 years learning every. square. inch. of her territory.

>:3c

#AEIWAM #An Elephant Is Warm And Mushy #Bleach #bleach fanfiction #Yushiro Shihouin #Yoruichi Shihouin #Yes I was watching My Neighbor Totoro #I was trying to deal with heatwave-related mental illness and it only sort of worked #ANYWAY #Catbus is the single most zoologically and ecologically bewildering creature of all time #Even Totoro himself makes sense in a broader anatomical and ecological context #CATBUS THO #Catbus ONLY makes sense in a metanarrative context and that compelled me to make it's Cousin #the giant many legged feline that makes sense within it's own universe #It came out... compelling

285 notes · View notes

orionremastered · 9 months ago

Note

Hybrid/shapeshifter golden tiger reader as a vigilante with batfam? I really love your writing :0

They're so PRETTY how did I not know they existed before???? Also I love shifter fics bc who doesn't

Masterlist

Part Two

Golden

Being a shifter is bad in this day and age, at least until the shifter is mature enough to shift on command. Before then, young shifters can shift with any strong emotion, especially negative ones like anger and fear.

Most shifters mature when they turn into adults, which means they're either taught to become temporary psychopaths or are homeschooled until they're mature enough.

You, like many shifters, were the latter. Now that you're in university and studying biology, living in your own apartment states away from your parents, you're free. So incredibly free.

Free to be you, free to talk to people who interest you, and free to fight the lowly criminals of Goth- wait, what?

It was an accident, you swear. You couldn't bear to hear that poor little girl's blood-curdling screams (you hadn't understood what the phrase meant before, but you sure do now) any longer, so you shifted and almost, but not quite, mauled the man to death.

"Pretty kitty!" she had called you, and from then on you vowed to look after the young kids of Gotham, especially when going to and coming from school as well as at night (if you weren't studying). Sometimes you simply lay in the bushes of a park and watched over the kids as they played on the playground.

They remained your main focus (though you did save others, you mostly watched over the young children) even when the press got wind of the golden tiger shifter vigilante. "Golden" is what they called you, and it was certainly better than other names the press had given vigilantes before.

The local bat population had gotten word of your existence beforehand and had tried to even just get a glimpse of you, but you were too quick. After the press got wind, they amped up their efforts.

You've decidedly had enough of your studying and walked out of your apartment, climbing into the window of an ashy-smelling abandoned building, the charcoal staining your fingers as you moved into the dark to shift.

One could guess what happened to the building, but it didn't have anything to do with a golden tiger climbing out its window on a cool early spring night, the snow thawing slower than usual. There weren't many people on the streets at this hour which you were glad for.

You take your normal route today, going through the less fortunate neighbourhoods where kids are most commonly found. Slushy snow drenches your paws in cold water as you leap onto the next roof and climb down the stairs on the side of the building.

There's a bundle of blankets placed gently into a plastic bucket. You nudge the bundle with your nose gently and when the wailing begins you huff. Another abandoned baby; it's the third one this month. A mother you can't afford a child or is scared for the child's safety when it comes to the father.

Your teeth close around the bucket and you begin carrying the baby to the hospital in Crime Alley, a long trek from where you picked the baby up.

You hear something. Whispers. Your ears rotate to find the source of the sound which would be impossible for a human to hear.

"That's the tiger?"

"No shit," the second voice hisses, much older than the first. "What else could it be? A cow?"

"Whatever," the first one replies. "What do we do? Think that's a baby?"

"Probably. I say we take the baby and bring it to the hospital."

You turn your head to where the sound is coming from, impeccable vision allowing you to see Robin and Red Hood perched on a building above you.

"What about the- how good is a tiger's hearing?"

You do trust these vigilantes but not more than you trust yourself. You flick your tail and continue walking, a few corners from the hospital. The sound of their grappling hooks as the vigilantes follow you are only able to annoy you.

There's the hospital, just at the end of the street. You take no more than two steps before Red Hood steps out in front of you. You aren't surprised as you could hear him the entire time.

"Can I have the baby?" He asks, hand outstretched as he gestures for you to hand it over.

Your eyes narrow and you turn to see Robin behind you.

"It'll be easier for me to get it to the hospital," he explains. "They won't react calmly to a tiger carrying a baby."

He had an unfortunately valid point. The other times where you'd brought a baby into a facility, people freaked out.

Reluctantly, you gently place the bucket on the cold pavement and step back, letting the vigilante pick it up.

As Red Hood takes the baby to the hospital, you turn fully to face Robin. He's short and you reach up to the start of his ribcage.

"You're not an easy tiger to locate," he says. "It takes a few idiots."

You make a sound akin to a laugh, turn your head and vanish into the alleyway beside you.

Robin curses himself for not getting to pat the tiger. He'll be damned if his siblings get to first.

#batfam #batfamily x reader #damian wayne x reader #jason todd x reader #dick grayson x reader #batfamily #tim drake x reader

810 notes · View notes

ameagrice · 8 days ago

Text

Capsize

percy jackson x fem reader

chapter thirty-eight | headlock

You sit up so suddenly that your forehead collides with someone else’s. Groaning, your hand on your head, you open your blurry eyes and blink until your vision returns to normal.

The sky is still bright. Someone’s used Percy’s burial shroud as a pillow for you, where it rests on the floor, balled up. Your head hurts, though you can’t be sure if it’s from smacking against someone else’s, or if it’s from passing out.

“Well,” someone chuckles with humour, “that’s one way to wake her up.” They extend a plastic bottle down to you, shaking it impatiently. Clarisse is standing above you, laughing. “Take it, then!”

You’re aware of water dripping down your face, but even more aware of the parched feeling in your throat. You remember you barely managed to get breakfast, never mind a proper drink. If you went and checked your levels now, they would scream dehydrated.

“Are you okay?” Annabeth crouches with concern, laying a hand on your shoulder. “You fell pretty hard.”

“Yeah.” You cough to clear your throat, dancing your eyes around the small group. “I feel…fine…”

He stands at the back, with his hands in his pockets, head ducked awkwardly. There’s Annabeth next to you, Clarisse in front, jabbing jokes (although, that look she’s trying to cover up might be worry), and then there’s him. Percy Jackson. He glows with health, and even looks a couple of inches taller than he did the last time you saw him. That might just be because you’d been cloaked in the dark tunnels though.

“You’re not dead.” You blurt, without thinking. “You’re not dead.”

“Great, right!” Clarisse slaps a hand hard on your aching head. You wince, leaning back. “I’ll grab us some food. You look ashy, and I’m starving after the show.”

Ouch. But food would be nice. You feel your stomach eating itself, and sigh.

“So,” Annabeth breaks the ice. “Percy isn’t…gone after all.“

“I feel like I’m in a bad dream,” you raise your eyebrows and shake your head slowly.

“This is a good thing…isn’t it?” Annabeth nervously looks between you and Percy. “This is…Percy’s breathing! Yay!”

“Where were you?” You ask. “I waited for you.”

“Oooookay,” Annabeth pats your shoulder. “Let’s get up. We can talk about this somewhere more comfortable.”

So you move to the Big House. The whole time, Percy can’t look you in the eye, always focussing on your shoulder, or just staring at his feet. He answers Annabeth only in short words and humming replies. It strikes you as weird because Percy’s a talker.

Inside, Chiron fixes you a glass of water and a snack, and tells you to sit on the couch before you fall over again.

Then the interrogation begins.

“Where have you been?” You demand, swinging your hand around so violently the water in the glass spills over on to the carpet with a thud. “We spent weeks thinking you were ten feet under and then you just show up like, what? Like you’re the guest of honour?”

Leaning on the arm of the chair opposite, Percy crosses and uncrosses his arms, mouth opening and closing when he thinks better of whatever he was about to say. Chiron, the silent observer, clears his throat.

“I’m sorry,” Percy mumbles, “I got lost.”

You splutter for words, throwing another tip of water on the carpet. Chiron buts in, pushing a mediating hand between the two of you. “Now, now. This is a shock for everybody, I know. Drink your water, dear. You’ve barely woken up.” As if that’s the reason you’re in shock.

“I’m sorry,” you sigh. “Just…you’ve been gone for weeks. What happened? You sent me away and then…”

At last, his vibrant eyes meet you. Freckles have come out, dark against his tan skin. Percy’s mouth twists, he looks away almost in guilt. Instantly, your stomach grows heavy, your eyes harden in suspicion.

“I caused the explosion at the mountain,” he starts, “that was my fault. There were too many of them there—monsters, I mean. I blew the place up, and I thought I’d died. But I woke up in the middle of nowhere, my skin was burned up, and everything was hurting. And, well, that was it. The island healed me up, Hephaestus dropped by to see how I was doing, sent me home when he was ready, and here I am.”

You grit your teeth. You don’t move. You don’t blink. Annabeth shifts on the back of the couch, taking the glass from you.

“And where was this ‘oh magical island?’?” You pry. “You Must. Have. An idea. Right?”

“I—I don’t know. I just woke up there. I think Hephaestus sent me there to get better.” Percy avoids you again. Chiron has grown very serious.

You sit forward violently. “Hephaestus who can’t acknowledge his own children, sent you to a magical island to get better,” you emphasise each and every letter, “out of the goodness of his heart—AFTER, might I add! AFTER you blew up his forge?”

Chiron snaps your name angrily. It might be the first time he’s shown any sort of anger towards you that you can remember.

“I know how it sounds,” he raises his hands in a placating manner. “Just hear me out before you go trying to kill me, please. It sounds ridiculous from an outsider’s point of view, but trust me on this. When he came back for me, Hephaestus, he told me that we can get through the maze.”

“Oh, you want to go back down?”

“What did he tell you?” Annabeth sets a hand on your shoulder, cutting you off from saying anything further. “What’s next?”

“Well he sort of told me that I already knew how to get through the maze. At the time I wasn’t sure what he meant. But now I do.”

“So what’s the answer.”

“We need a mortal. We need a mortal’s help for this,” he grimaces at the look on your face. You can’t explain what look it is, though. “Just like Theseus had Ariadne’s help originally.”

“I’m sorry,” you snort. “Are we forgetting whose quest this is? Why are you calling the shots?”

Chiron looked uncomfortable. “Did you have any particular mortal in mind, Percy?”

“Yeah, I do, actually,” he laughs lightly. “She’s called Rachel. She lives in New York. A while back I ran into her a couple of times, she has enough Sight to help us with this.”

You see red. “This is my quest. We all understand that don’t we? I was quite literally chosen for this. Why are we giving away this to some random girl in the city?!”

“I understand how you’re feeling,” Chiron manages, “This is your quest. But you need help.”

“Oh, and this random girl is supposed to help?” You flat your hands. “Please! Can’t you see how bizarre this is! It’s wrong! It’s cowardly! It’s—”

“Hard to admit we need a mortal’s help,” Percy cuts in gently, frowning. “But it’s true.”

Falling silent, you drop back into the chair, suddenly tired. Raising your gaze from the carpet, Percy is still looking at you, with a little bit of sorrow in the guilt. He looks away, and Annabeth pats your shoulder.

“Want me to leave you to talk about it?” She says. You can feel yourself falling away very quickly from the current scene, the situation becoming that of background noise, like you’re in a bubble. “I’ll go check on Clarisse?”

“If you could, please, Annabeth…”

So she does. Which leaves yourself, Percy and Chiron to talk things over.

“We can talk later about your—choices, Percy,” Chiron coughs. He addresses you briefly. “But this is your choice, if you should go on with the quest, my dear. Your choice only. As only Percy has returned thus far, I will allow you to choose another person to accompany you the rest of the way, should you choose to go.”

Your head snaps up. The line between your eyebrows appears again, so close to turning permanent. “What?”

The air stills. Chiron side-eyes Percy briefly. “Three people is right for a quest. You first chose Grover and Percy. Since Grover has, circumstantially, chosen to leave for the time being on his own journey to find the god Pan, it is only Percy, and yourself, now,” he says somewhat disagreeably, like even he can’t comprehend how the situation has turned to this.

“Wonderful,” you snap, “that’s—that’s brilliant. Supposed we’ll have to have Rachel Dare’s help then, won’t we?”

‘Three’s a crowd’ sits on your tongue. You don’t have the guts to say it just now. Percy tips his head down, and waves of immaculate hair tumble with the movement. You find yourself transfixed on it, and not in a good way. You don’t need a mirror to understand the firm, and angry look on your face. Something scratches in your stomach, bothering you deeply. On the arm rests, your hands clench at the material. You don’t blink. Don’t even move. What did Chiron say? Something about Percy’s choices. Percy’s choices…

Had he chosen this?

You eye the silver line in his hair. Was this, weeks of torment and starving and hunger for something not edible but emotional all Percy’s choice? Were you but a knock-on effect in the sea that was Percy’s choices? Had he really chosen your sleepless nights and hungry stomach and teary eyes over something he refused to disclose? Without so much as a sorry?

Percy’s choices led you here. They always had, of course. Because now you’re thinking about it, it was Percy who chose to sit next to you in class, to enter your life. It was Percy you were with when you found out you’d only known half a life, the other beginning at Camp. It was Percy who took you out of the equation for his first quest, and Percy who, by Chiron’s choice of words, made a choice that caused him to disappear for weeks on end. He came back, why? Had he come home only because you were the afterthought filling him with guilt? Is that the look in his eyes and on his face? Is it eating him up inside?

Yes, you hope.

You hope it is.

The most awful part of you hopes it is hurting as much as it hurt you to think he was dead and buried somewhere you’d never reach again.

“Let us not burn a hole in Percy’s forehead,” Chiron jokes with mirth and worry, reaching forward to unfurl your fist. “You should get something to eat. The girls will be waiting for you. I have to talk to Percy.”

Not even a sorry, you think, getting to your feet again. He doesn’t look up, not even when you open the door. Not even a sorry.

You don’t find Annabeth or Clarisse. You go back to your cabin, have a total nervous meltdown, cry a lot, and fall asleep in your bed, tired, until nightfall, when the others fall in after dinner. Nobody’s surprised at all to see you curled up in bed, but a few people were nice enough to bring back a good plate of food and a bottle of water.

Sometime around midnight, when everyone is asleep, you climb out of bed and pull on a sweater over your pyjamas, pulling on the hood strings as you step out and close the door silently behind. It’s not a good idea being out after lights out—the harpies go insane, and the creatures in the forest come out with confidence. But there’s something magic in the way their bioluminescence creates pockets of light in the trees, and the sound reminds you of movies. If you look past the potential danger those little creatures possess, it’s really beautiful.

But they’re not what you’re looking for right now.

The lights are out in every cabin but one, whose very essence seems alive now the only inhabitant is home. The light coming through the curtains is warm and dull but there, like the beating heart of the building. At the door, you hesitate. Is it worth talking to Percy? Has he bothered with you? But you’re here now so you may as well.

You knock three times and take a step back, waiting. Percy drops something inside, and before you know it the door opens. He’s still wearing today’s outfit of shorts, t-shirt and jacket, but you don’t feel embarrassed of standing before him in your old pyjamas and Hollister sweater. Percy blinks like a deer in the headlights, his mouth opening and closing but not saying anything.

You inhale deeply. “Imgladyourenotdead!”

He comes back to normalcy. “What?”

Exhaling, “I’m glad you’re not dead.”

“Oh,” he pauses. “Me, too. I mean I’m glad you’re, like, here. Not that I’m not glad I’m not dead. Which I am glad about, but—”

You break out into a smile, which causes Percy to relax. His shoulders grew softer and deflate, and a dopy smile replaces his deer look. He steps back and opens the door wider, inviting you in. You accept his offer.

There are pieces of paper strewn all over the floor by Percy’s crumpled up bed sheets, hanging half off the bed. You can’t quite make out what the papers say, the majority of them balled up or ripped to shreds. A water bottle lays leaking on the floor; that must have been what he’d dropped. Greek letters on one of them, but you’re not close enough to read it. You’d learned in high school that Percy was dyslexic, and never figured it was a big deal. For Percy, coming to Camp and realising his brain was hardwired for Greek and Ancient Greek over English; everything made sense. He still struggled with it at times, but you’d noticed the improvements.

“I’m sorry,” you squeeze out. Apologies have never been easy for you. “About earlier. Being so angry. I was just…shocked. You know, we really thought you were gone forever. Thought I’d have to wait a couple decades to see you again Downstairs.”

Percy hums. “I’m sorry. I really am. I didn’t mean for, well, all of this. I tried to get back. It was just out of my control.”

You turn from the papers, walking backwards until you sit on Percy’s bed, listening intently. “Where did you go?”

He opens his mouth, but looks away, and pauses. “I don’t know. Some island. Like I said, Hephaestus sent me there. He didn’t explain much to me. I just woke up there. The island healed me.” His words are heavy and meaningful, and you can almost convince yourself he’s telling the truth. But you know he isn’t. You know Percy.

You only nod, slowly, watching him nervously look away.

“You look…” he trails.

“Like a sack’a bones?” You laugh through your nose. When Percy goes to protest you simply shake your head. “It’s not a lie, Percy. I was worried sick. Literally. I didn’t want to believe you were dead.”

Your honesty sends him awkward. Percy’s cheeks flush red, and he rubs the back of his neck with his hand. “I’m sorry.” He might be awkward, but he’s honest.

You face forwards, Percy sitting next to you. The bed drips.

“I had the strangest dreams out there.”

“Oh yeah?”

He chuckles quietly. “Yeah. Um—you went missing, and I couldn’t find you at all. It was like you’d been wiped off the earth, or, more like you never even existed. Nobody remembered you. You came home in the end, took a while though. We travelled half the country to find you. More of a nightmare, really…” his words make you feel uneasy.

“Maybe your brain was just reflecting real life. To be thrown on some unknown island alone for weeks like that?” Something peeks out of the pocket in Percy’s shirt. “…had to…mess with your head. What’s that?” You nod to the little sprig.

Percy’s eyes turn to saucers. He coughs, recovering quickly, and raises shaky fingers to pull the tiny plant from the pocket. Its roots are skinny and frail, but the flower they lead to is bright white. The petals are perfectly rounded, five total. They’re dotted with almost see-through circles.

“It’s beautiful,” you reach out to brush your finger on one of its petals. It almost looks like it’s glowing, but with the light from Percy’s nightshade it’s hard to tell. “You found it on the island?”

He swallows hard. “Yeah.” And says no more.

You sit until late into the night and early morning watching the flower glow gently. You see the sky begin to turn orange, signally dawn is coming, and finally retreat to your own cabin for some sleep. For once in what feels like forever, you feel nothing but comfort, slipping under the covers as your cabin turns a warm shade of orange and yellow as the sun comes up, quiet and basking in the knowledge that everyone is, finally, safe.

It’s late afternoon when someone wakes you up. Apparently it was a unanimous decision to leave you alone until time got on. By the time you’re up, dressed and ready for the day to head over to Sally Jackson’s home in Manhattan, it’s almost three o’clock in the afternoon. You eat a steady supply of toast and jam, down a cup of apple juice, and take a bottle of water in your bag for the ride.

Chiron waits for Percy and yourself by the camp border. He doesn’t look particularly pleased that you’re both leaving, but you don’t care. There isn’t much to be done about your current situation, so you carry on.

You feel rejuvenated today, almost bouncing in place, waiting for Percy to finish packing his bag on the grass. Is it the good sleep? Or the weight off your shoulders now Percy is home and breathing?

“No detours,” Chiron instructs, pointedly looking at you. You hold up your hands in surrender. “No wandering. I’d like this to be a straightforward journey, today. Too many things have been going wrong; this trip has to be straightforward.”

“That’s us told,” You pipe up, tilting your head.

Percy elbows your leg.

Chiron only smiles, tensely. You get the feeling there’s something they’re not telling you, but let it drop, for now.

Percy’s mom is absolutely ecstatic to see her son again, for obvious reasons. Her cheeks drench with tears as she holds him to her, rocking side to side in place at the front door. As much as Percy will try and hide it, you know his teary look is legit, and not the result of some dust in his eyes. Sally lets him go and steps out of the way, letting you into the apartment. She doesn’t miss you, though you’re not anticipating her considering you as well. She grabs you by the arm when you pass her, and just about suffocates you in her embrace. You’re not going to say no—it’s nice to just be held and loved by a mom. The older girls at camp are a godsend for trials and tribulations you might be facing, and they’re sisterly, but not motherly, so it isn’t quite the same. You could get high on the feeling of being loved on.

Sally Jackson smells like Elizabeth Arden’s green tea perfume, and a mix of something sweet, and laundry powder. The apartment smells strongly of baking, and when you round the hallway to the living room adjoining the kitchen, you see plates upon plates of cookies and cakes.

“Damn, Sally,” you breathe. “You’ve been busy.”

“Mom!” Percy complains. “What are you going to do with all of this!”

“You’re going to eat it!” She instructs with a laugh, wiping her eyes and briskly walking past the two of you. She pushes you both to sit on the couch, and you do without complaint. Sally returns with a plate of chocolate chip, and raisin, cookies in one hand and a plate with two strawberry-frosted cupcakes in the other. She sets them down on the table, and then turns around with a quiet, ‘oh, forget it’ and leans around to squeeze you both into a bear hug. Percy’s cheek presses against yours, boiling hot to the touch, embarrassed. You simply melt against Sally and return her hug, going as far as throwing one arm around her and one around her son.

“I told them you’d be alright,” she muffles into her son’s hair.

“Here I am,” he drones, bored-sounding. You know for a fact it’s all pretend; Percy’s a mom’s boy.

“Tell me everything,” she demands, pulling back. “I want to know every little detail.”

You let Percy tell her what’s happened, having your input only when he forgets certain things, like him tripping over a crack in the tunnels, or nearly falling down a mine shaft that opened up out of nowhere. You had caught him only by the strap of his backpack, before it broke off in your hand.

Sally takes a deep breath in when you’re finished with the stories. She slaps a hand on her knee, blinking. “Well, now I know how the Alcatraz incident happened. But at least you’re safe.”

Percy coughs awkwardly. “Yep! That pretty much covers the whole…thing.”

“I wish Paul were here right now. He wanted to talk to you, Percy, about what happened at the school. He wants to get things straight again.”

“What did you tell him?”

You settle back into the couch with a frosted cupcake, accepting that you have no place in this conversation. You busy yourself with the magazine lying discarded where Sally must have sat before you rang the doorbell. It’s open on pages eleven and twelve: THIS YEAR’S HOTTEST ACTORS. That, you can get with.

“What could I say?” Reasons Sally. “He knows there’s something different about you. But he fully believes you’re a good person. He doesn’t know what’s going on, but he’s willing to try to understand. He has to give the school a reason though—he’s the one who got you admitted there. It’s a little bit difficult, because you ran away after the fire broke out.”

Percy exhales heavily. “I’ll tell him properly after we’ve finished this quest. I want him to know.” Percy, willing to open up to somebody after the horror that was living with Gabe.

“You’d do that?” Says Sally.

Percy shrugs. “Well, yeah, but he’ll think we’re crazy.”

“He thinks that already,” she chuckles.

“Then we have nothing to lose!”

“So, what happens now?”

Silence encases the room for a second or two.

“Percy has a plan,” you blurt, and shovel cupcake in your mouth.

“I’m thinking, if we go off of the old myths and legends, we could use a mortal who has the Sight to help us. I know this girl who was at the school induction day, she might be willing to give us a hand.”

Sally nodded slowly. “It might work. You need her to find a path or something?”

Percy hums. “Exactly that.”

“I think it’ll work. Just be careful, all of you. I know you think you’re invincible—”

Percy groans. “Mom!”

“You think you’re invincible!” She repeats louder. “But you’re only nearly sixteen! You’re still babies, alright? Now, go use the phone in the hall. You’ll be fine for a few minutes.”

Percy went out to use the phone, while Sally launched you into another hug, and then demanded you put your feet up for five minutes and watch the television. The Ellen Degeneres show is playing, and you let yourself get comfortable, listening to Sally humming in the kitchen and Percy’s mumbling on the phone. He enters the room and looks your way straight away.

“Half an hour,” he says, “Rachel’s meeting us in Times Square.”

Sally said goodbye at the door with a thick voice and tears in her eyes, and made the two of you promise to drop by on the weekend. You wished you could swear that yes, you would absolutely come around for more cakes and iced coffee, but unfortunately, the world hated you and all you stood for, even though you were barely sixteen and troubled to hell. Percy’s face shone with not just health but pure happiness from being around his mom; by the time you walked into Times Square, that facial expression turned weary.

“Where are we meeting her?”

You didn’t have to wonder for long. Seconds later, Percy pulled you to stop in front of a living statue group, each member showing in shades of gold, green or silver from head to toe. At first you struggled to understand why on earth Percy thought this display would be cool to look at, and then you realised the display was Rachel Elizabeth Dare.

You roll your eyes so hard it hurts. “What. A. Loser.”

“Hey!” Hissed Percy, genuinely upset. “Could you stop it! For five minutes?” He snaps.

You blink, stunned. Percy doesn’t get angry at you, like, ever. Have you really been that irritating that he’s snapped at last? You’re annoyed at life recently, struggling like hell to understand if it’s because of hormones, the quest, or your situation. Or all three factors combined. Most likely, that is it. But how do you explain that to Percy, who is not just your best friend suddenly pissed off at you, but he’s a boy, and he’ll never understand that you don’t want Rachel’s help not just because this is your quest, but the fact that it’s Rachel, and you know from a girl’s point of view, how she feels about Percy. You can just tell. And just maybe you’re jealous.

Still, mulling over this, you get even more annoyed at Percy trying to save Rachel’s feelings. A kid walked up from the taxi stand, tucking away half a sandwich in foil into a bag beside the stand the kids stood on together. When he got into position, Rachel dropped hers with a smile so creepy when it was covered in gold.

“Hey, Percy!” She grinned, completely ignoring you. She climbed down from the stand, and swiped her own bag from behind a sign, pulling the straps over her shoulders to go. Was it your comment? She accidentally-on-purpose pushed you aside, linking her arm with Percy’s. Definitely your comment. “Great timing. Let’s get coffee.”

You followed behind the pair on the path among throngs of tourists and people trying to get to work. Since it was Saturday, the place was absolutely buzzing, and if you actually cared about being hit by a car, you’d have been more mindful of the state of the roads. You stop outside a coffee shop labelled JAVA MOOSE, the interior decorated with a large stuffed moose head on the wall above a couple of round tables and tub chairs, with light wood and orange-yellow light fixtures hanging over the tables.

Rachel takes a seat heavily in one of the tub chairs. You follow suite. Nobody seems to care or spare a second look at the girl coloured gold, or that she’s staining the seats with her paint. A barista behind the counter laughs loudly at something a customer points out. You sit opposite Rachel, Percy falling in next to you.

“I’m guessing you don’t want to talk about my art project,” says Rachel. “So, you’re a half-blood too? Like Percy?”

“Announce it to the world, why don’t you?”

Rachel shrugged. “Okay.” She stood up, then, on top of the chair and everything, and cupped her hands around her mouth. “Hey! Everybody! These two aren’t even human! They’re half Greek god! And they’re sitting waiting for monsters!”

You cringe. “Well, when you put it like that…but sit down, seriously. You can’t just shout things like that.”

“But why not?” Rachel blinks innocently. “It’s New York. Nobody cares.”

“Can we all get along for a few minutes?” Asks Percy, throwing in a placating hand over the table. “Please? Look, Rachel, it’s the same as I told you before on the phone. We need your help navigating the maze. The last few times haven’t gone so great. Which is why we’re here. Asking you for help. You have this thing called Sight, only certain mortals have it and it pretty much enables you to see parts of our world that you wouldn’t without it.”

“You want me to help you get through some maze that I’ve never been down.”

“Yes. You can see through the Mist, like the mortal Ariadne in the old tales. The Labyrinth won’t confuse you as much as it’s been confusing us.”

Rachel took in a deep breath. “And if you’re wrong about this?”

“We’ll be lost. Either way it’s dangerous so it evens out.”

“I could die. That’s what you’re telling me. Dead, dead and deader.”

“I thought you said monsters don’t care about mortals?” She probed. It makes you wonder how much Percy has already told her about your world. “Your sword…”

“Celestial bronze doesn’t harm mortals! And monsters would mostly ignore you. At most they’ll get a hint that you’re a little different but not entirely. You’ll blend in.”

Rachel looked between the two of you, but mostly Percy. “Alright. I’m in.”

“First thing,” Percy winced. “We need your help finding an entrance into the maze. There’s one in camp but it’s off limits to mortals. You wouldn’t even be able to cross the border.”

“What does this entrance look like?”

“Could be anything at all. A boulder. A run-down storefront. Some wall,” you chip in. “It’d have the mark of Daedalus on it. The Greek L. Delta.”

For once, there seemed to be a shared understanding between everyone at the table. Rachel dipped her finger in a puddle of water at the edge of the table and drew the Delta sign out.

“Like this?”

“Like that. You know Greek?”

She hummed as if you’d said something really funny. “Lol. No. Just follow me to the Marriott Hotel. I’ve got to show you something I think you’ll really like.”

“And that is?”

“I think there’s an entrance to the Labyrinth in the basement.”

wowcher, I was gone a while. any thoughts on our characters this chapter?

taglist:

@bl6o6dy @embersparklz @rottenstyx

@rory-cakes @i-am-scared-and-useless-bisexual

@marshmallow12435 @lantsovheiress @distinguishedmakerpandapatrol

@twsssmlmaa @gayandfairycore @padsfirewhisky

@emu281 @charlesswife @jessiegerl

@tojismassivemantiddies @xx-all-purpose-nerd-xx @nothankyou138

@obxstiles @mxltifxnd0m @cxcilla @itzjustj-1000

@sp00kcanwrite @randomesthings @fratbrochrisgf

@prongsflower @bugszi @tired-jaz @mitsuriscannongf @i-love-books-and-the-bible @dusk-reaper

72 notes · View notes

hannahbarberra162 · 3 months ago

Text

Heat Transfer, Chapter 2

On Ao3

The other chapter

You're on the ship and you weren't eaten...yet. Who knows what these humans want from you?

Here's a video of what Baby was trying to do on the pipes

You came to consciousness slowly in a metal cell within a wooden room. The metal bars were widely spaced but still brought a chill to the air. It smelled musty, like it didn’t get cleaned or aired out much, making you scrunch your nose. The cell was almost empty, with only yourself and a few blankets inside. Even with the meager blankets, you were still freezing. Rings were built into the wall of the cell, but nothing attached to them. There was some water in a container available to you, but you were too cold to drink right now.

Looking beyond the bars, the room didn’t have much in it either. There was a bench built into the opposite wall, but other than that there wasn’t anything to indicate anyone lived here. Maybe this was where they kept their live prey. The Harpy hadn’t eaten you yet, but maybe it wanted a live meal instead of a passed out one. You were at a huge disadvantage, but you weren’t going to let the Harpy win that easily. You were a warrior by blood, and you’d fight to the death.

You figured you were on the large boat you’d seen by your island but you weren’t sure how much time had passed. You were groggy and slow, unable to think as well as you normally would. You curled up as small as you could, covering yourself up with every available material. Just the top of your head poked out of the bundle you’d made of yourself. It was slightly better, but not enough.

After a while, Fireman came into the room with more blankets in his arms. You watched him with anger as he approached you, but you didn’t move. Not yet. Let him get close and you’d save your energy to strike at him. But the Fireman seemed to have enough sense to put the blankets on the ground and push them through the bars of the cage with a rod he brought with him. He crouched down to your level, giving you a frown. He started talking to you again, pleadingly, but you still didn’t know what he was saying. He made a pantomime of a small box and gestured to himself, as if you would now understand what he meant. You narrowed your eyes, flicking the tip of your tail in annoyance. You didn’t take the blankets. He pushed them even closer towards you with the rod. You turned your head away from him, almost completely hidden by the blankets. He sighed and stood up, you heard footsteps and the door open and shut.

You did take the blankets after he’d gone, but you were still cold. You’d have to wait until the daytime to make any kind of significant movement. The blankets smelled strange, like many different people. One smelled like Fireman, you detected the ashy scent. Another smelled like the wildflowers that bloomed in the spring on your island. It was pleasant, you moved that one up by your face. You weren’t sure what the message behind the blankets was, but you were glad for their meager warmth.

It was nearly dawn when the door opened again, but this time you perked up immediately, your tongue flicking out to taste the air. Fireman was back, and he brought cooked meat with him. You knew they were feeding you to fatten you up for the Harpy, but you needed your strength if you wanted to inflict damage on the creature before it devoured you. Perhaps you could still die an honorable death. Fireman held out the food in front of him on a plate, near the iron bars. You moved closer to him, bringing your blankets along, but he pulled it back before you could get close enough to the meat. You could feel the heat radiating off of him, making you want to curl around him again.

“Ace,” he said, pointing to himself. After he pointed to himself, he handed you a piece of the meat. You snatched it from him and ate it, licking your hand afterwards. “Ace,” he said, repeating the motion towards himself. He fed you another piece of meat, getting even closer to you. Ok, his name was Ace. He did it a third time before you got annoyed. You were hungry and not in the mood for games. You wanted the whole animal, not just these slivers. Maybe he just wanted you to say it?

“Acccccceee,” you said back to him. The word was foreign on your tongue, but you could approximate the sound. He raised the corners of his mouth, baring his teeth to you. Normally when animals did that, it was a sign of aggression. But you had a feeling he was pleased with you, his eyes were almost shut from how he was baring his teeth. He yelled out an exclamation and you held out your hand for meat. He gave you another morsel.

“Acccceeee,” you said again, pointing at him and then asking for more. He spoke to you in a sing-song voice, pleased with you again, and handed you another piece. You wouldn’t mind learning human if it got you whatever this animal was. Ace didn’t smell like the meat, you didn’t think he cooked it. Maybe you could get to Meatman again.

“Accee,” you said a third time, holding out your hand. But this time he didn’t give you anything, to your annoyance. “Ace,” he said again, pointing to himself. Then he pointed to you. He did it again, pointing to himself and saying his own name and then pointing to you. Oh, he wanted to know your name. You didn’t think he’d be able to say your Naga name, he lacked the tongue dexterity. So you told him the nickname your sisters called you. You pointed to yourself and said “Bayybee.” It was a little weird saying it, it wasn’t like you’d ever said your own nickname before. You repeated it again, and held out your hand expectantly for a bit of meat. Ace cheered, causing you to shift backwards. But you still remained close to the bars, you were still hungry and you saw he had more meat.

You cut to the chase. You pointed to Ace and said “Ace,” then to yourself and said “Baby.” He clapped for you, saying something to you that ended with your name. It seemed like he asked you a question, rubbing his jaw, but you didn’t care because he put the rest of the meat through the bars. You finally unhinged your jaw for a warm meal.

Ace POV

Ace felt more pity for you now that he knew your ‘name.’ No one had named you, you just knew of yourself as a baby. You were a little lost Sea Naga, left to fend for yourself on some island. It was a cute name though, Ace thought. He would just call you Baby, since that’s what you were used to. It was a little unnerving watching you unhinge your jaw to eat, but Ace wasn’t in a position to talk about dining etiquette. And frankly, it reminded him of Luffy, which made him smile.

It was the early morning, the ship was about to set sail. Ace felt bad putting you in the Moby’s jail, but there wasn’t anywhere else for you to go right now. He and Deuce were going to make a crate for you, to be put into Ace’s room. Ace knew you needed more heat than the jail was providing you, and he could keep you warm. But right now he didn’t want you roaming the ship or being left unattended. The rest of the crew didn’t know about you yet, and he didn’t want you to be scared. Or worse, hurt. He watched you lick your hands, promising to himself to feed you as much as you needed. You were so thin and devoured anything you’d gotten from them in a flash.

Ace had gone back to your cave in the few hours you’d been passed out. He had seen some of your meager belongings and thought you might feel more comfortable with some of your items. He had left your knife and the baskets in the cave, you wouldn’t need those anymore. He did bring a couple of furs and some bones you’d used for decoration. He’d put them in your crate when they were done building it to make you feel more comfortable when you were in there. He wanted to remain with you when the boat started moving, he knew you wouldn’t be familiar with the sensation.

Sure enough, when the anchor was raised and the ship began sailing, your long ears twitched and you looked around wildly, as if searching for the cause within the room. Ace wanted to reassure you by holding you, but he didn’t think you’d want him near you right now, you looked angry. He couldn’t stay for long, as the Second Commander, he had to lead some navigation efforts for the Moby now that they set sail. So he sat near the bars of the cell, gently heating the room to rid it of the morning chill. You grew more and more agitated and as the air warmed, you started slithering around the cell, perhaps looking for a way out.

Ace knew you only wanted to go back to your island because it was familiar, not because it was a wonderful place for you to live. You’d soon realize they wanted to help you, to nurture you, not to hurt you. He sighed and stood up, he had to get to work. He’d be back later for you, after he and Deuce built the crate. He wasn’t sure yet how he’d transfer you yet, he might ask Marco or Thatch to drug you. He didn’t want to have to force you to do anything, that would not give you the right impression of them.

He’d spoken to Pops about you, how he’d found a baby Sea Naga and wanted to keep you. Pops was mildly interested, allowing you to remain on board as long as you didn’t prove to be a problem.

“Have you ever seen a Sea Naga before Pops?” Ace asked while sitting on the yonko’s shoulder, kicking his feet.

“About twenty five or so years ago I encountered a Sea Bitch -” Ace frowned. He would have to get Pops to drop that name, he didn’t want you hearing it.

“- she was absolutely magnificent. Strong, cunning, ruthless, nearly got me with her spear. Finally I was able to pin her down on the deck, but it took a lot to do it.” Pops had a wicked gleam in his eye as he spoke, he must have enjoyed the fight. Ace took in the information but it didn’t seem like Pops knew a lot about them, just what he’d seen. He was going to ask Marco or Izou to look for information in the library on Sea Naga. Maybe they’d be able to find something useful.

The morning passed slowly, Ace wanted to be done with his work and go back to you. He was worried you’d be scared and lonely, he wanted to reassure you. Finally, by mid morning, he was able to take a break. He stopped by the kitchen to pick up more roasted chicken for you. Thatch had been cooking meat non-stop, hoping to fatten you up, saying it depressed him to see you so thin. Ace wasn’t complaining, he’d gotten to eat a lot of meat before getting caught. But he knew the majority was for his little Baby. Opening the door to the jail, he called to you that he brought meat but was met with a sight of …nothing. The cell was empty with blankets strewn on the floor. Fuck.

Your POV

After Ace had sufficiently warmed the room and you’d eaten a hot meal, it was time to move. It was nearly day time, you could use the warmth you’d gotten to hide away from Ace and the Harpy. You needed to get off the ship before it sailed too far away from your island. If it was still close, you could probably make it back to the island even in the frigid water. All you needed to do was find a way down to the water undetected after you determined where the island was. Or, you needed to survive for a few weeks. You’d last seen Typha about a month ago, so someone was going to stop at the island looking for you within the next month or two. And you couldn’t wait for them to come find you.

Escaping would be a little trickier than you first thought. You’d figured out quickly that the cell had been made for someone much larger than yourself. With your winter weight, you were able to squeeze your human half through the bars and your tail followed suit. Once you were out of the cage, you slithered across the wooden floor. It was colder than you anticipated, but you could make it. Turning the knob like you’d seen Ace do, the door opened into the narrow hallway. No one was there, but you could hear many footsteps coming from above. Humans were on the move, you needed to be careful. You weren’t sure where anything was, including any windows.

You moved down the hall, trying to find something that might help you. It was dark with many doors. You couldn’t understand the order of anything. You didn’t really understand the purpose of many of the rooms, but you didn’t stop to ponder the strangeness of humans. As you reached the end of the hall, you heard steps coming closer, so you went into the closest room.

Quietly shutting the door, you glanced around in confusion. You weren’t exactly sure what the purpose of the room was. It had a porcelain and metal fixture, like a little chair with water at the bottom. There was a window and you looked out it hopefully, but could only see the ship slicing through the sea.

There was another adjoining fixture with knobs. The other knob opened the door, what did this one do? You turned one carefully and water came out of the spigot. Incredible! Maybe humans had some good ideas. You touched the water and realized it was getting warmer. The water couldn’t come from nowhere, you heard it moving. Touching behind the fixture, you detected the water was moving behind the wall.

Prying the piece of wall off the frame, you saw a hollow area with tubes running up and down. One of them was warm and led further down into the ship. You smiled.

Ace POV

Ace was so fucked. He’d promised Marco over and over that you wouldn’t escape, that you’d be totally secured, and that he would take care of you. And he’d already lost you. Ace had enlisted the help of Thatch and Deuce to try to look for you inconspicuously on the ship so no one would notice anything was wrong. Although, Ace had a suspicion that if someone else found you, he would find out quickly with some strong language or…screams maybe.

They’d been searching for over an hour and hadn’t made any progress in finding Baby. Ace was getting worried that you’d found a way off the ship into the frigid waters below or that you’d gotten hurt somewhere on board. He tried to get Stephan or Kotatsu to help find you by smell but Stephan wasn’t smart enough to understand what he wanted and Kotatsu wasn’t interested. Ace was going to have to swallow his pride and ask Marco for help. Ace took a deep breath before entering Marco’s office.

“Marco,” Ace began by giving his best puppy face to the First Commander, who was busy in his office looking over patient reports. It worked sometimes.

“No, yoi.” Marco didn’t even look up.

“I haven’t asked for anything yet!” Ace huffed, but then remembered he would shortly be asking for a favor. “What if I came up just to say hello?”

“You didn’t. It’s something to do with that Naga. I already told you that I wasn’t going to help you with it -”

“Her,” Ace interrupted.

“With her yoi.” Ace made his eyes as big as he could and bowed his head slightly.

“Please?” Marco looked up from his paperwork and cocked his eyebrow. Ace kept the smile he felt inside from showing on his face, he knew Marco would help. He used his manners so rarely that when he did it made an impression.

“Fine. But then you’ll have to do what I originally suggested. I don’t want this to become a regular occurrence or a problem.” Ace sighed at Marco’s words, a contrite look on his face.

“Thank you. And I’ll admit, you were right,” Ace said to a smug looking Marco. If there was one thing Marco liked to be told, it was that he was right. “We can’t find her, I think she’s still on the ship. The bars were too far apart for her and she squeezed through. Can you please use your phoenix form to smell for her, you have a more sensitive -”

“I already figured out what you want from me yoi. She’s not going to be happy when she sees me, I’ll get something ready.” Marco stood up from his old office chair, stretching his arms.

“Yeah, why is that?” Ace said, scratching the back of his head. He knew you didn’t like when Marco carried you off, but you didn’t like him before that, almost on first sight.

“Ace, what is my Zoan form?” Marco asked patiently but condescendingly, like he was talking to an idiot.

“Um, a bird?” Ace wasn’t sure where Marco was going with this.

“And what do predatory birds eat?”

“Small animals, fish, other birds, snakes…oh.” Ah. It now made sense why you didn’t like Marco. He just hadn’t connected all the dots yet. Well, when he figured how to communicate with you, he’d tell you Marco wasn’t going to eat you. Until then he’d keep the two of you apart. After Marco found you, that is.

“I don’t take it personally. Let’s find that snake yoi.” Marco shifted completely, the Phoenix already on the hunt.

Your POV

You were angry and upset at being kidnapped but you’d be lying if you said you didn’t like it down here. You were somewhere deep in the bowels of the ship, curled around various tubes with warm water running through them. You’d slithered through the hollow walls trying to find the source of the hot water, eventually ending at some kind of machine. Your sisters had described the strange things humans had made, but never something like this. You figured it was designed to bring hot water to various locations, but for you it was practically a new cave. It was dark and warm and dry and you absolutely loved it. You would have to figure out what to do around food and water, but you’d worry about that later.

You heard humans getting closer, but that didn’t bother you. They’d been coming and going all morning while you warmed yourself. You distantly heard Ace talking, but you ignored it. He was the one who took you, after all. Flicking your tongue out, your eyes darted to the closest hatch. You smelled the Harpy and it was coming nearer. You stayed put, hoping the Harpy was moving through the ship like all the other humans had. You could hear it talking to other humans, probably telling them how it wanted you to be cooked. They stopped in front of the hatch and you raised up. You looked above you - climbing up was much harder than climbing down, but you had to try.

You released your tail from where it was wrapped around a particularly large pipe and reached for the wooden frame above your head. Since you could constrict, you could climb up the pipes, it just took a while. You pulled yourself further up the pipe with your hands then started constricting the top of your tail right below you. You were in the process of bringing up the rest of your tail when the hatch opened, light pouring into the dark space.

The Harpy spoke to the other gathered humans and you reared back to strike. A human hand reached in and you bit it before they could react. You weren’t sure whose it was, but you heard a pained yelp so you knew you’d hit your target. You resumed trying to climb upwards through the narrow shaft above you.

Unfortunately, the Harpy reached in and grabbed your tail quickly, faster than you imagined possible. You felt a prick in your tail, similar to a thorn sticking to you. You hissed loudly, but the Harpy released you just as quickly, speaking to the humans again. You seized the chance, trying to move upward again. No one reached for you, you were confused by what was happening. You felt…calmer, actually. Tired, too. You stopped trying to climb upward, content to relax once more on the pipes.

Ace POV

“How long do the effects last?” Ace asked, cradling Baby in his arms. Once you fell asleep, he’d pulled you out from on top of the water boiler. He was kicking himself for not looking there sooner, of course you’d go to the warmest part of the ship. Even in your sleep you were trying to wrap around his body, it was cute. He felt bad for what he was going to have to do, but there weren’t any alternatives. You’d bitten Thatch again and that was one time too many. Thatch was annoyed at himself for getting bitten again, but not at you. His arm swung uselessly while he walked.

“Probably about three hours for her, maybe more,” Marco replied. “She’s smaller than the men I usually dose it for, but I’m not sure about her Naga physiology, so I didn’t change the doseage. She’ll be fine yoi. Thatch, I think you’re going to have to wait it out again. I can’t find any agents to counteract the venom yet.” Thatch groaned.

“You just don’t appreciate your arm until it’s gone,” the chef lamented. “I’d just gotten all the sensation back in my right arm too. Ace, I'm blaming you if dinner sucks.”

“I’m sure Baby is sorry, she’s just scared” Ace offered, not worried about the food for once.

Ace was glad Thatch wasn’t holding a grudge, he knew some people on board who would have demanded you be thrown off the ship. Not that he would let that happen, but it would cause tension on board.

“You’re calling her ‘Baby’? Not very original yoi,” Marco chimed in.

“No, she told me that’s her name. I taught her to say ‘Ace,’ and she told me her name is ‘Baby.’ I don’t think she has a real name. I thought I would keep it the same since it’s what she’s used to.” Marco hummed.

“I’m not sure she’s actually a baby. She seems too intelligent for a child, too aware of her own limits. I think a child would have dived into the sea and tried to swim back.”

“Then why is she so small? That’s not normal I think,” Ace asked.

Marco shrugged, “we’ll have to find out yoi. I’m just saying she might not be as young as you think.” Ace thanked his fellow Commander for his assistance, promising this wouldn’t happen again. Ace brought you back to the holding cell of the Moby, where you’d been before. Since the day was spent looking for you, he hadn’t had time to start your crate. He’d do it tonight, while you were hopefully asleep.

Ace put your body on the nest of blankets he’d reassembled for you. The tip of your tail tried to wind around his arm, keeping him close, but he pulled it off carefully. Walking to the far wall of the cell, he brought a chain ending in a large shackle over to your limp form. He locked it around your neck carefully, pulling your hair out from under the collar.

“Sorry, Baby. I can’t have you escaping or biting anyone again. I’m sorry.” He rubbed his thumb over your brow apologetically. He wished you understood why he was doing these things.

“Sorry for this too,” he whispered, pulling a muzzle out of his back pocket. It was hastily made, Blamenco helped him make something usable for the short term. Ace placed it over your mouth and jaw, tightening the straps behind your head. Once in place, he locked it as well. Marco told Ace in no uncertain terms that you couldn’t keep biting crew members, especially before he found a way to reverse the effects of the venom. Ace knew things would smooth out in the future, once you got comfortable. But for now…..he looked at you sleeping soundly and pulled a blanket over you. He had work to do.

Your POV

You woke up back where you started. Your throat was dry and scratchy, you wanted to unhinge your jaw to stretch it. Trying to move your mouth, you brought your hands in a panic to your face as you realized you couldn't move your jaw. There was something strapped on it, keeping it shut. Your fingers frantically sought a way to take it off, but it was stuck on your face. You tried shaking it off, and felt an unfamiliar weight pulling on you. There was a collar around your neck, chaining you to the wall. It gave you enough slack to move in the cell, but not much else. You tried yanking it off the wall, but you weren’t strong enough to break it. You were filled with panic and dread as you realized you were trapped. For good.

Sea Naga didn’t cry. Only weak humans cried. Your sisters told you that many times. So if there were small drops of water that fell on the blankets as you prepared to meet your fate, you didn't notice them.

#heat transfer #sea naga #whitebeard crew #portgas d ace #portgas ace x you #thatch one piece #marco op #platonic yandere for now #tw kidnapping #angst #fire fist ace

77 notes · View notes

peachsukii · 5 months ago

Note

Hihi, Peach!

I totally don't know if you're even taking asks, and you can ignore this if I you need to but! I had such a horrible, terrible day and I was hoping you could write something small to make me feel better about everything.. 😅

So, seven hours ago, I was a bright blonde but I needed a touch up so I went into the salon and payed 100 dollars for some upkeep.. I sat patiently for nearly six and a half hours, only to turn out with white/bleachy ashy roots and dark brown hair...... So not what I wanted! I sobbed in that stylists chair until my hair dryer and she just brushed ut off. Everyone has been telling me that it looks fine but compared ro the bright, beachy blonde that I came in with, I feel blatantly ugly now.. ☹️

Could you maybe write a super quick drabble or something about how Bakugo would try to comfort? If not, I totally get it! I adore your work so much.

Have the best day, lovely! 💕💕

Awww I'm so sorry to hear that :( There's nothing worse than getting the opposite of what you want, and paid for, done! I hope you don't mind that I use this little prompt for a Softie Sunday piece. <3

₊✩‧₊ ⎯ picture perfect 『 ♡ Bakugo x reader 』

content // age 22, fluff. reader & bakugo live together, he dyes your hair for you. :) 『 #reis softie sundays + softie sundays archive 』

Bakugo's sitting on the couch of your shared apartment, invested in his book while the TV buzzes in the background. He hears your key turn in the door and peaks over the pages toward the foyer, patiently waiting for you to reveal your new hair. You've been gone for over half the day - he assumed you'd be a few hours, but not...all day. Maybe you went with something completely different than usual?

When the door opens, you scuttle inside with your head hung low, a baseball cap covering your hair. Bakugo could somewhat see your hair sticking out from underneath. Why the hell were you hiding it?

"Didn't ya just get your hair done?" he calls from the living room. "What's with the hat?"

"I don't wanna talk about it," you say quietly, taking off your shoes and retreating to the bedroom. Without hesitation, Bakugo tosses his book onto the cushion and quickly perks up to follow you back to your joint bedroom. He leans on the doorframe, curiously watching you pace back and forth in front of the mirror.

"Somethin' wrong?" he asks, arms crossed over his chest. You slowly reach up to take off your hat, untucking your hair and letting it fall naturally.

"I hate my hair."

Bakugo gives you a once over, confused as to why you'd be upset. "S'nice. You're always pretty to me, sweetheart. What's wrong with it?"

"Over six hours and it came out the opposite of what I wanted. They stripped out my blonde color and replaced it with...this." You pull a strand of hair forward as example, showing off the new brownish color.

"I could fix it for ya," he proposes while walking over to you, fluffing your hair gently in his hands. "Used'ta bleach Red's hair for him back in school."

You sniffle and lean against his shoulder. "I'd like that."

He never ceases to surprise you.

Within the hour, Bakugo's back home with all the needed materials to fix your hair - toner, bleach, and gloss. Over the next few hours, he's tending to your hair to help bring it back to what you wanted, extremely focused on doing a perfect job. By the time you're all finished, it's way past his normal bedtime. You can tell by the look in his eyes that he's exhausted, but you're his number one priority - sleep can wait until Bakugo knows you're happy.

Once he's done drying your hair, he brushes it out for you before letting you look in the mirror, admiring his work. For an at home job, it's not half bad. He spins you around and playfully pushes you toward the bathroom mirror, smirking proudly when he catches your initial reaction.

"Wha'cha think?"

You're in awe. How the hell did he do this?!

"Katsuki...it's perfect!" you exclaim while flipping your hair around to see the subtle dimension of color shifting. "Exactly what I wanted. Thank you!"

He hugs you from behind and leaves a soft kiss on your cheek.

"Ya look gorgeous no matter what," he reminds you as he squeezes you tightly. "But I gotta say, I did a damn good job. Now let's get'ta bed already, I'm beat."

When you wake up the next morning, Bakugo compliments your appearance a multitude of times while the two of you are getting ready for work, reminding you just how beautiful you are to him in any light.

I hope this made you smile! <3

all tags; @kirishimaeijiromyman @strwbrrykthv @slayfics

@maddietries @starieqq @liluvtojineteyam

@jays-adventure3 @simp-plague @napbatata @queenpiranhadon

#☆.reis inbox #bakugo x reader #bakugou x reader #soft bakugou #my hero academia x reader #bakugo fluff #bakugou fluff #reis softie sundays

117 notes · View notes

welcometogrouchland · 2 years ago

Text

Honestly we see a bit of it in the epilogue (what with his hair being less ashy, his eye bags being gone, etc) but Hunter probably got such a glow-up after moving in with Darius. Like he'd already been doing better at Camila's house than he'd been at the castle (eating more, sleeping more, etc) but Darius is a full on spa girlie. He's taking Hunter with him to get a facial and the kid exits that place GLOWING. Without the dead bird magic this time. His stress induced acne? Gone. His eye bags? Gone. His scars? No longer dry and itchy.

Darius buys him expensive shampoo and conditioner to use (he'd been using shower gel on his hair back at Camila's house. She didn't know. When Willow tries to run her hands through it, it crunches slightly. He thinks this is normal) and honestly? The one good thing he got from Caleb was the Wittebane Gorgeous Hair Genes. His stupid little mullet flows in the wind.

When Hunter first moves in, he's grown out of most of his human realm clothes and there's very few shops/tailors open at the time, so he's borrowing all of Darius' old stuff which, while admittedly vintage, is still wayyy more classy than anything Hunter would've picked for himself. Once he has alternate options he definitely reverts back to his personal sense of style (and if he gets the a-okay from Darius he modifies the old clothes with personal bits of patchwork and embroidery) but there's a period of six months after WaD where Hunter is just consistently the best dressed of the hexsquad at any given moment. Gus and Amity are QUAKING in their boots

#ramblings of a lunatic #the owl house #toh #hunter toh #hunter deamonne #darius deamonne #dadrius #severe lack of self-care focused dadrius content so I'm filling the void with shitposts #someone must've written a one-shot about them going to the spa. right???#either way i should've been asleep ages ago. i have an evil day ahead of me tomorrow. pray for me

817 notes · View notes

thebvbbletea · 6 months ago

Text

Only Boo! is truly the series that you never thought it would be THAT good, but turns out it was so so so so much better than your expectation.

All of the scene between Kang & Moo are so cute, funny & romantic at the same time. It was cringe, but hey, doesn't everyone's first love are all cringy?

Tae & Yos relationship sometimes frustated me, but I love friends to lovers trope so much, so I'm so happy that they also have their own happy ending.

It was so refreshing to see how Only Boo! tackled about the dating ban issue on idol's life. People should remember that idol is a human too. They also have heart and they deserve to have a normal life.

Keen & Ashi might be failed to debut in Project Alpha, but I'm so glad they found their own way and they have prove themselves not just as amazing singer & dancer, but also as a great actor. Especially Keen. I could see every single his emotion through his eyes & face expression. This is the first time he become a main character, but his acting are so amazing. So does Sea, Aun, Milk, Book & Louis. All of them are amazing actors & actress and everyone's doing amazing job on playing their characters.

I know people are sick of school comedy-romance, but you guys should give Only Boo! a shot and watch how amazing this series is.

#only boo the series #only boo!#only boo #seakeen #sea dechchart #keen suvijak #ashi peerakan #aun napat #milk pansa #book kasidet #louis thanawin

23 notes · View notes

mantisgodsart · 11 months ago

Text

THE WORLD'S MOST DATING POLL

As Kabbu's birthday rolls around, the internet turns pink, and people talk about "love" and "romance" and other things like that. Very ironic, considering the man is aroace, but in accordance with the season, we have assembled some very viable bachelors to... date, probably. Dating profiles below the cut, but you can choose from cliff notes if you want, we guess, this is just so the post isn't ABSURDLY long.

Bau (short for Bauplan) - They/any - Dune Cricket - 18-21 (varies based on fic, generally tied to Vi's age) - Bi/pan

When it comes to a date, you can't do better than Bau! Though dune crickets are normally more than a bit antisocial (and cannibalistic), Bau is an exception! Terminally friendly, great at parties, and unendingly loyal - they'll do anything for a friend, and if you can get friendly with them, they'll be more than happy to date if you ever pop the question! You'll have to compete with other friends, of course - not to mention other partners, and their criminal entanglements as a Bandit that often operates as an intimidation detail but really, is it that much of a downside?

Jask - He/they - Ashy gray lady beetle - Late 20s - Gray-ace

If you want level-headed, Jask is your bug! A bandit medic with years of expence under his belt, Jask is well experienced with taking care even the most dangerous of bugs - his boss, for example. Sure, he's a bit busy with patients - but there's a tender heart hiding under that tough exterior. You just have to stick around for... what, five months? Ten?

...more?

...you'll figure it out, we're sure.

Zoza - Whatever the bandits come up with that isn't immediately veto'd (usually she/her) - Damselfly - 70+ - None of your business

The Bandits' second-in-command, a feisty old damselfly with more than a few tricks up her sleeve. She's a bit old to be dating around like you young'uns, but this old woman can still be a loving partner - prove you can contribute to the Bandits, prove that you're strong enough to not die horribly on your first outing, and manage to build enough of a rapport with her despite her many, many vital duties, and you might have a chance... if you're into grandmothers, of course.

(...is GILF a thing? GMILF? Hold on, we need to do some research...)

Marigold - She/her - Death's Head Hawk Moth - 30s - Married to her job

The most eligable bachelor on this list by far, judging by how people have reacted to her! Marigold is a charmsmith with a good, stable job, a good, stable personality, and only a little bit of active torture going on in her basement! We, uhh... aren't entirely sure how you're planning on getting her out of her lab and into the dating scene, seeing as she hasn't really been anywhere near the zone of "dating" since she was... what, sixteen? But we're sure you can figure it out.

Agapanthus - Variable (genderfluid) - Orchid mantis - Older than you'd think - Pan

A waiter(and sometimes waitress) at Club Maenad, this mantis knows exactly how to show you a good time. Charming and attractive, even if they've been banned from bartending for the forseeable future, and flexible for nearly anything you might need in a partner, if you slip in the right compliments between rounds, you might very well have a shot! Just... keep in mind the waiver you signed at the door, and please remember that this is a bar for parasitoids and bugs of species prone to eating their mates.

ZM-32 - It/they - Io moth/cordyceps - 100+ - Fungus

Bugaria's most eligable bachelor! Everyone wants a piece of this, and for good reason! It'll be fierce competition, but maybe, just maybe, if you can evade the deadly lasers and circumvent the persistent hatred for the living that tormented it and its colony for years on end... you could win its heart.

Chips - He/they - Two-striped grasshopper - ??? - Has Better Things To Worry About

Green is in this year - and so are grasshoppers. This one is dateable! Probably. Just be sure to cosy up with him before his gambling debts do, or he might get eaten by a large praying mantis before you get the chance.

ZB-162 - It/its - Cordyceps symbiote - 100+ - Switchboard Operator

...are you into responsible bugs? Are you into fungi? Do you enjoy dating people who are preoccupied with regulating and operating the communication network used by an entire cordyceps colony? Well, ZB-162 might be the bug for you? Though, uhh, often occupied with its job, ZB-162 is a fine specimen of the cordyceps species, and certainly very attractive if you... if you...

...okay, we won't lie to you, this one's a bit of a fixer-upper. Not sure how you're going to drag them away from the communication channels long enough for

The Wraith - ??? - ???????????? - Reported active since Elizant 1's reign - ???????????

Mysterious figure from the Ant Kingdom's criminal underbelly. Married, but you can still shoot your shot, we guess...???

Marble - she/they - Wasp - late 20s - It's In There

…didn't this one get blown up? We're pretty sure this one got blown up. If you pick this one, you have to take mandatory bomb safety courses, we think.

Unit of Radioactive Decay - They/it - Iterator - First activated in late Gen 1 era - Aroace

This is... a building, but you can still give it a try, we guess? Honestly, we have no clue how you found this one. We're pretty sure it's not even a bug.

L2tM & Enot - Any u can call us anything u want bb <3 - Former iterator & karmic wyrm slugcats - Gen 1 & ageless wouldnt u like to know - yes

Why are you two here?! Get out of our fucking poll!!!

50 notes · View notes

megalony · 6 months ago

Text

Please, Hurry Up- Part 2

This is the second part of my new Tommy x Eddie x Buck x Reader imagine, thank you all for the amazing feedback on the first part. I hope you will all like this next one.

@zoeybennett @mrspeacem1nusone @zephyrmonkey @estella-novella @eleventhdoctorsangel @kniselle @senjoritanana

@shauna-carsley @dottierose @cfdhouse51 @darkfemme1 @rainechase45 @ml572 @jessie-lynn28 @lolalolsstuff @jupiter1700 @ashdoctor @an-aliens-ghost @lunaroserites @houseoftwistedspirits @itshamleth @loveyouamory

@loverbeesblog

Buddie Masterlist

Part 1

Summary: All of their friends and family turn up to their baby shower, but so do Evan's parents. And things don't go quite to plan.

Enjoy.

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

"Looking good."

Tilting her head to one side, (Y/n) let a smile trickle across her lips when her eyes landed on Chris. He paused midway through rushing down the hall and a cheesy grin curved over his lips and put creases in his eyes.

He looked himself up and down before beaming his smile at (Y/n). She didn't know where he got his bundle of energy from. All of them knew Chris hadn't slept much last night, he had been riding high on adrenaline, much the same as Evan had been. They were all excited and flooded with anticipation for today. It was the baby shower.

Chris loved any excuse for a party, he didn't care when or where it was or why they were celebrating. He just loved to have everyone gathered together and the music and the atmosphere always brought out the best in him. Parties were his scene, and Eddie had a big family so Chris was forever invited to birthdays and anniversaries and weddings.

Today was better though, this was something for him to celebrate. This was an event Chris could join in with and not just be additional family. This was for his baby brother or sister.

"You want help?" Chris held his hand out somewhat expectingly towards (Y/n) and his smile melted her heart.

"Thank you sweetheart," She didn't technically need his help right now, but it was too sweet an offer to turn down.

(Y/n) let Chris take her hand while she pressed her other palm against the wall to steady herself. She still couldn't put a lot of weight on her left foot, even a week after her fall. The swelling had finally started to go down, but her foot wasn't a normal colour and she was walking with a limp and forever tilting towards the right like she was about to fall over.

He gave her hand a squeeze and took the lead down the hall, making sure to walk slow so (Y/n) could keep up with him.

She had to walk on her tiptoe mostly when she put any weight on her left foot and her knee was forever bent forward rather than being held straight. It made her feel like a flamingo with the way she constantly stood and leaned and held one leg up. But this was the only way (Y/n) could balance and walk unaided, and she wasn't going to use crutches.

The pair of them headed down the hall and made their way into the kitchen, pausing on the threshold to watch the scene in front of them.

Neither of them could make out what Evan was preparing, but it smelled good. He was leant over the counter, seemingly doing five jobs at once. He unwrapped clingfilm from silver trays, set cakes down onto plates and spun round to move some mini bites from a hot tray whilst trying not to burn his fingers.

And then there was Eddie, about to reach out for a plate until Evan slapped his hand away without casting one glance over at him.

(Y/n) sank her teeth down in her lower lip to morph her smile when Eddie's upper lip curled and he rolled his eyes.

"I can arrange a few cakes on a plate, you know." He quipped sassily, but all he got in response was a deadpan look from Evan who looked unamused. "What, you don't trust me to carry them all the way to the table?"

"What's the rule?"

A quiet 'ooh' tumbled past (Y/n)'s lips and she gently nudged Chris, encouraging him to head off into the living room. She knew he was waiting for Eddie's parents to arrive and the moment they turned up, Chris would be at the front door to greet them.

Her arms folded over her bump and she leaned against the doorway, her head tilted against the door while her eyes focused on her boys. Evan finally straightened up and turned to face Eddie who had his hands on his hips and an unhappy expression on his face.

"I cook, Tommy cleans and you…" A hint of a smile graced Evan's lips while one hand gripped the counter and the other planted on his hip, waiting for Eddie to finish the little rule they had come up with.

"Stay out the kitchen." Eddie finished in a grumble, quirking one brow with his jaw jutting from side to side.

He was no chef, they all agreed on that, and it was a good thing that Tommy, (Y/n) and Evan were all good in the kitchen. It meant Eddie never had to cook, something Chris was also relieved about, and right now Evan was in his element. He didn't need Eddie to help try and move the food into the dining room, he just wanted to be left to his own devices in here.

Evan caught Eddie's chin in his grip and nudged his head back so he could have a kiss. His hand trailed down Eddie's neck, fluttered across his collar bone and finally rested on his chest, giving him a little shove until he sighed and backed up towards the dining room.

He didn't know what to do with himself. Evan and Maddie had been doing the food preparation, Tommy had tidied up and put a few minimal decorations up wherever Maddie told him to. All Eddie seemed to do was get dressed and wait for orders that weren't coming.

"Baby, tell him to let me help." Eddie reached his arms out for (Y/n) when she slowly hobbled into the kitchen. He held her by the waist and reeled her into his chest.

He pecked her temple and started to glide his hands up and down her waist and over the small of her back. Their chests leaned together and Eddie tilted her back like they were in a dance, but just as he peppered a kiss to her lips, his brows furrowed and he tilted his head down.

"Where's your boot?" His hands gave her hips a squeeze and he rose a brow, the firm line of his lips telling her not to bother trying to play this off.

"In the bedroom."

"You're meant to walk in it, not sleep in it, go put it on." Evan wafted the tea towel in the direction of the hallway but when he snook a glance across at her, (Y/n) frowned.

"I'm not hobbling around in that for a party, besides, I don't have to wear it all the time."

She flopped her head forward onto Eddie's shoulder and looped her arms around his neck, dragging her fingers over the short hairs at the back of his neck which made him tremor against her. The boot strapped around her foot and ankle and it went up towards the back of her knee. It didn't exactly match the outfit (Y/n) had on.

She had settled for a thin lace black top with dark tone butterflies sewn across the material. Matched with a pair of knee-length black leggings and her sandals. Heels weren't an option with her messed up ankle and the baby bump weighing her down. The boot didn't go with her outfit and (Y/n) didn't have to have it on every second of the day. She could take it off for a while to let her foot rest and she had worn it this morning while she did a few odd jobs around the house.

(Y/n) didn't want it on if they were going to be having friends over and taking pictures, she wanted to look good, not bandaged up.

"If you don't wear it you'll mess up your ankle, you're already walking around on it too much."

"Evan…"

"Go sit down until everyone arrives. And you put that boot on later." There wasn't much room for discussion in Eddie's tone and (Y/n) found herself nodding along instantly. She would wear it later when her foot started to ache, when it hurt to hobble (Y/n) knew she needed the support before she did any further damage.

She felt Eddie press a kiss to her temple and his hands lingered on her hips until she was out of reach, slowly heading through to the living room to sit with Chris.

***

When he felt an arm curve around the back of his shoulders, Eddie let himself relax back until his shoulders hit a firm chest and he felt a familiar pair of lips against the back of his head. He smiled at the hand that draped over his collar bone and the feeling of those fingers tracing random patterns over the top of his crisp white button up shirt.

A smile danced across his lips and he tilted his head back so he could look up at Tommy who curved around him like a jacket.

Tommy pressed a kiss to his cheek and leaned his temple against Eddie's for a few seconds while the music blasted through the garden and filtered through the air.

"All good?" He murmured softly, grazing his teeth across Eddie's ear which had him shivering and gripping his beer bottle tighter.

Eddie found the will to hum and nod his head when he realised he hadn't given Tommy an answer.

Everyone looked happy so far. Chris was filtering around the garden, finding different people to talk to and riding high on the adrenaline. He had spent quite a lot of time with Eddie's parents the moment they arrived, showing them his room and the nursery which he had helped decorate. Chris had finally let his grandparents have a moment to themselves before he undoubtedly would go back to them.

Evan was stood across the garden with Bobby, the pair of them looking like they were exchanging secrets nobody else would be able to hear. And they could both see (Y/n) stood with Maddie and Karen, laughing about something neither of them could hear or make out.

When (Y/n) clocked the boys looking her way, her smile seemed to melt and something flashed across her eyes like a shooting star. She leaned her head at an angle, keeping the eye contact for a few seconds.

And both of them grinned when she balanced on her right leg so she could lift up her left leg just a little. Showing off the boot Evan had graciously helped her get on ten minutes ago. She had been in pain quicker than any of them thought and she gave in almost immediately, asking Evan to help her get it on.

It didn't go with the outfit and it was annoying, (Y/n) thumped when she walked and she felt like she was making indents in the grass when she walked out in the garden. But the support stopped her from leaning too far to the right and she could put a bit more weight down on her left foot without too much flaring pain licking up her leg. When they were going to take photos, (Y/n) was taking the boot off.

Tommy grinned against Eddie's cheek but when he heard the hinges on the back gate creak, he looked over to the left.

"Babe…" His hand patted down on Eddie's chest until he twisted to look across at the gate.

They had told everyone to come through into the garden and the gate had been left open for anyone else to walk in. But they hadn't expected Evan's parents to walk through the gate.

"I thought he said he didn't invite them." Tommy kept his voice quiet and tried to fake a smile to keep the atmosphere going. They didn't need to make a scene, Evan's parents might be here giving an olive branch their way. They might not make any remarks or upset any of them, they might just show some support tonight.

"Yeah… Buck, more guests." Eddie ticked his head to the side, almost clocking his head into Tommy's nose while he raised his glass to catch their boyfriend's attention. Those were his guests and he could go and greet them and start the introductions. Eddie and Tommy were staying well away and they knew (Y/n) would keep away too.

The smile on Evan's face faded the moment he looked away from Bobby.

Why were his parents here?

He could feel his shoulders quaking and pulling up near his neck and his eyes immediately scanned around the garden until he was locking gazes with his big sister. They were both under the impression that their parents wouldn't be coming today.

Evan had told them last week about the baby. He had finally gotten through to his mum on the phone and he tried to keep his tone level and his voice calm as he explained that (Y/n) was pregnant and he was going to have another kid. Since he, Tommy and (Y/n) all considered Chris their kid too.

He had been surprised when his mother sounded happy, he had been waiting for her to chide him and tell him how many mistakes he was making with his life. He thought she would ask who's baby it actually was or tell him to walk away from the relationship like she tried to do last time they were in town. But his mum had been shockingly happy, she congratulated him and said this was 'wonderful news' and she didn't sound sarcastic.

Evan casually brought it into conversation that (Y/n) was nearly seven months along and so Maddie was throwing a baby shower. But his parents never asked if they could come and they never said they would make the trip down for the party.

He hadn't expected them, and by the look on Maddie's face, she hadn't expected them to turn up either.

He placed his beer bottle down on the nearest surface, patted Bobby's shoulder and took the deepest, most calming breath possible before he steered himself in their direction.

He wasn't ready for this.

They were bound to say something. They would give funny looks or make little comments and the last time his mum had been around (Y/n), she hadn't been kind. Eddie had quickly steered (Y/n) away last time before she started a fight.

"Hey, you came."

Shock rattled through Evan and he froze when his mum reached out to hug him. He wasn't used to hugs. They were always short and awkward, they never felt like hugging a parent, it always felt like hugging a distant aunt he never knew he had. Maddie was the one who hugged Evan like the world depended on it. She hugged him like she loved the bones of him, those were the hugs he was used to.

The only time his parents properly hugged him without feeling forced was after he had the fire truck crush his leg and they came down to see how he was recovering from his operations.

His arms cautiously curved around his mum and he let her drag him down to her due to the height difference. His eyes widened and he quietly gasped when she kissed his cheek.

"Oh, honey of course we came. This is our first grandchild, after all." She gave his biceps a tight squeeze and crinkled her nose as she smiled up at him.

His brows rose in surprise and he felt his dad pat his shoulder before he moved to set a bag down along with the other presents everyone had placed on the table near the back door. Evan dreaded to think what the present was, his parents weren't great at gifts, at least for Evan. And this wasn't for him, this was for his baby. It wasn't like they actually knew Evan on a deeper level or knew any of his partners properly so he didn't dare think what they had brought.

But it was the thought that counts and they were trying, Evan was willing to try too.

"Do you want to come and get a drink?" Evan tried not to cringe when his mum held his elbow. He wasn't used to physical contact with her and right now she was stood closer to him than she had in years.

Was this all he had to do to get his parents to accept his relationship? If he'd of known extending their family and having a baby would have brought out the acceptance in his parents, Evan would have done this sooner.

"Evan, we're so happy for you." Margaret patted Evan's arm before she let go in exchange for the drink he handed to her. He knew neither of his parents would drink, and he had no idea if they were staying in town for the night or if they were going straight back home after this. He didn't really want them to stick around, but the effort was encouraging.

"You… you are?" He looked between them, raising a brow across at Maddie when she watched Phillip pat his shoulder.

"Of course we are, you're finally settling down."

Evan nodded, somewhat pleased with his dad's words and guided them towards (Y/n) and Maddie just as Karen drifted off to find Hen and Chimney. He walked behind them, curving an arm around (Y/n)'s waist so he could kiss the top of her head and hand her another drink.

"You came," Maddie wrapped her mum up in a quick hug and kissed her dad before she stood at (Y/n)'s side again. She could feel the nervousness radiating off of her.

(Y/n) didn't know what to say. She didn't know how to act when last time she had been ready to throw fists with how rude and disrespectful Margaret had been towards all three of her partners. She took jibes at Eddie and Tommy and started putting Evan down like she always did, and (Y/n) wouldn't stand for that.

Right now, though, Margaret was smiling and she looked the calmest (Y/n) had ever seen her. It was unnerving.

"Evan, you never said on the phone, do you know what you're having? Boy or girl?" Margaret looked down towards (Y/n)'s bump and for a moment it looked like she was about to reach out, but she thought better of it and stayed put next to Phillip instead.

(Y/n) danced her fingers across her stomach and looked up at Evan, letting him take the lead on this.

"No, we're leaving it a surprise."

Maddie had begged them to find out. She asked for them to get the midwife to write it down so they could do a little reveal today at the party, but all of them disagreed. They liked the thought of keeping everyone in suspense and guessing. They wanted to wait until the birth to find out, like it was supposed to be. And Tommy had started taking bets with his friends down at the 217 and Harbour.

After a few minutes of polite chat that turned (Y/n)'s brain to mush and sent her head spinning, she slouched back against Evan's chest and tilted her head back to look up at him. Her lips curved up and she tried not to squirm when she felt his cold fingertips sliding beneath her top to feather across her bump. He knew she was ticklish, it was why he was biting down a smirk and deliberately not looking at her.

It was good to see him talking to his parents calmly for a change and not having to hold back his words or his true feelings. They weren't putting him down, they were making an effort and it was a good start.

(Y/n) gave his wrist a gentle squeeze and tilted her head to pepper a few kisses against his throat, feeling him shiver beneath her wet lips.

He kissed her temple in retaliation and leaned his head close so she could whisper in his ear.

"The baby wants some cake." Her words tickled the shell of his ear and she squeezed his hand again before she pulled out of his arms. She didn't know who Hen got to make the cake, but the baby loved it and (Y/n) needed to get some more before it was demolished. Tommy had already had two slices, Eddie was on his third and Chris kept going back for more. There wouldn't be much left soon.

She could feel Evan's hands lingering on her waist until he had to let go before he toppled over. His touch left shivers in his wake and (Y/n) found herself grinning as she slowly hobbled over to the buffet table.

The height of the boot set her off balance and it didn't feel right to wear one high heel shoe to try and level it out and (Y/n) couldn't balance in one heel and one flat strapped boot. Her weight was constantly leaning to the right to keep as much weight off her left ankle as possible and as much as the boot made her feel secure and helped her walk, the pressure didn't do much good when the swelling was only just going down.

When her right foot caught and bent at an odd angle, her hands shot out for the table to steady herself. She felt a pair of hands quickly grab her elbow and her waist, reeling her back up before she went down on her knees or crashed into the table and sent it flying.

"You okay there?"

Embarrassment tainted (Y/n)'s face as she looked up over her shoulder to find Bobby stood behind her with a calm expression and a tender look in his eyes.

"Hm, thank you." She dipped her eyes down and tried to straighten up so Bobby didn't have to keep hold of her. That was why she didn't want to wear the boot, it didn't look right and it set her off balance with every step. At least she hadn't gone down like a sack of potatoes and made a right fool of herself in front of everyone.

"No problem, so, how are you?" Bobby nodded when (Y/n) pointed to the cake, silently asking if he wanted another slice since she was cutting some for herself.

She put a slice on his plate, one on hers and plated another bit up so she could go and find Chris in a minute and hand him some before it all disappeared. Her right hip leant up against the table and she kept a steady hand on the edge, just to make sure she didn't set herself off balance again.

"I'm doing better… this things more hassle than it's worth, though." Her gaze cast down to the boot and her head ticked to the side. She took a sweeping glance around the garden, just to make sure none of the boys had caught her subtle trip.

If they saw they would be flying over to make sure she was alright and Evan wouldn't let her take the boot off if he saw she had tripped. But she was going to discretely hide it soon so she could walk a bit better and feel a little more normal.

"At least your a better patient than Buck, I tell you if he does any more damage to that leg I'm not babysitting him again."

A chuckle rumbled through Bobby's chest and caused (Y/n)'s chest to flutter with a quiet laugh. She agreed. They had all been pulling their hair out when Evan had his accident with the fire truck.

The operations weren't so bad, it was the recovery. Trying to tell Evan to take it easy was like talking to a brick wall expecting an answer. (Y/n) had been helping him get washed and get in and out of the bath without getting his cast wet. Tommy and Eddie had been helping him move about the house since he wasn't great on crutches.

They all had to stay with him at some point or another so he didn't try and overdo it. Bobby and Maddie had been round to help calm him down and prevent him from trying to do too many physio exercises or push himself too far in his recovery. He had been the best and the worst patient in the world, all at once.

"Hopefully the only person needing babysitting will be this one." (Y/n) didn't dare think about any of her boys having any accidents. She didn't want to consider Evan getting any worse with his leg or having another injury. She didn't need to think about Eddie getting shot again or Tommy coming off shift with a busted shoulder.

The only one (Y/n) wanted to think about babysitting was their impending arrival. And Bobby seemed to be on the same train of thought because his expression softened and his eyes cast down to her bump.

"Well in that case, me and Athena are always available."

"You might regret saying that in a few months," (Y/n) gave Bobby's shoulder a squeeze before she picked up the paper plates and weaved past him. Heading in the direction of Chris while Bobby turned to drift over to Athena and May who were sat basking in the sun.

(Y/n) took a deep breath when her eyes landed on Chris and she realised who he was talking to. Eddie's parents. She hadn't had a proper conversation with them since they arrived today. Eddie had talked to them for a long while before the party officially got in swing and Evan had exchanged pleasantries with them.

But (Y/n) hadn't gotten round to speaking to them yet, she never knew what to say or how to act. Eddie's mother had given her the riot act when they first met and made it clear she didn't like Eddie being in a multiple relationship like this, as if it was somehow (Y/n)'s fault. As if she had enchanted all three men under her spell, like this was all her doing.

Things had settled down between them since then, but they had mixed emotions about the baby. Eddie had made them promise to try and get along with his partners today, he told them in no uncertain terms that he didn't want a fight or an argument happening today and they agreed. They said they would try to get along.

"Here baby, I saved you some." She held the plate out to Chris, watching his eyes light up as he took it from her with a wide smile.

She let herself slump against the back of the garden chair Chris was perched on and watched the way he swung his legs back and forth. His head was nodding along to the music and he instantly dived in to take a big bite out of the blue and blushing pink sponge cake.

A quiet "Thanks mum," murmured between mouthfuls of cake and he rested his head against (Y/n)'s arm when she patted his shoulder.

"And you, you look lovely today." Eddie's mum motioned her hand towards (Y/n) with a genuine smile that caught her off guard. She wasn't usually one for dishing out compliments, especially not to (Y/n).

What had Eddie said to her this morning?

"Oh, thank you." Her eyes cast down to her outfit that she hadn't been too sure about this morning until Tommy had been unable to look anywhere else and had his hands roaming all over her. "Chris said you're staying in town for a few days, do you have anything planned?"

Chris had been more than overjoyed that they were staying for a few days, he didn't have that much family here in LA so to have his grandparents here was a lovely surprise.

"I think we've all been conscripted into the zoo tomorrow, something about Buck giving us a tour round?" She looked a little unsure about the details, but the way she laughed at the end of her sentence made (Y/n)'s heart take flight from her chest.

She watched the elder woman brush her long hair over her shoulder and tilt back so casually in her chair, as if they had all been friends for years. She was making an effort, a true effort. And by the sounds of it, all of them would be spending the day together tomorrow. A way to become closer and intergrate into a bigger family.

"You're in for a treat." (Y/n) leaned down so she could kiss the top of Chris's head when he started to giggle.

Going to the zoo was Evan's thing to do with Chris, and going to the cinema was something Tommy and Chris both enjoyed. Just like Eddie and Tommy preferred to go to boxing and wrestling matches together, something Evan and (Y/n) weren't so keen on. They all had their little things together, but the beach, arcades and theme parks were things they all loved to do together as a family.

Tomorrow sounded like it was going to be a good day.

Once the conversation started to change and taper off into a new direction, (Y/n) politely excused herself. She put her empty plate on the side table, unsure where to drift off to now but she knew she was ready to sit down for a while.

Shivers tore up and down her arms when she felt a familiar pair of lips attach to the side of her neck. She could feel Tommy's teeth nip and graze over her skin and a slight scratch when he bit down softly. His chest moulded up into her back, curving around her and leaning down to be level with her.

"Here," He draped his right arm around her waist, holding his hand out in front of her where he was holding two plastic cups between his fingers.

She gratefully took one but her chest tightened and her back jolted against Tommy's chest when a frozen cold beer bottle suddenly pressed into the left side of her abdomen. Droplets of juice splashed around the rim of her cup and drizzled down her hand like the first flickers of rain and electric shocks coursed up and down her side and down through her arm.

"Tommy!" She hissed through a quirked smile, trying to wriggle away but he pressed the bottle closer until the condensation was soaking into her shirt and her stomach was shuddering at the cold temperature.

The bottle moved around to the middle of her bump and she could feel Tommy's fingers dragging along, creating patterns over her shivering skin which had him laughing into her neck. He bit down just enough to leave a scratch against the side of her throat, quickly soothing the touch with his tongue before he reeled his head back.

He peppered a few tender, lasting kisses up and down her throat and leaned round so he was hovering over her shoulder, lips puckered, expecting a kiss.

"Stop trying to wake them up," (Y/n)'s voice came out quieter than a whisper and her words were gentle, spoken into Tommy's mouth as she was already kissing him before she was finished speaking. She knew what he was trying to do, he was trying to get some movement or a kick out of the baby.

"You feeling okay?" He finally shifted the bottle away from her stomach, pulling her lower lip between his teeth with a growl when (Y/n) dragged her finger down the side of his sharp jawline.

"We're good."

He hummed in response, nodding before finally unravelling himself from around her, leaving (Y/n) suddenly cold and hollow as she watched him head over to Evan, presumably who the other drink was for.

Her eyes couldn't seem to pull away from her boys as she took a sip of her drink and feathered her free hand absentmindedly across her bump. She didn't realise she was smiling until Evan caught her eye and winked in her direction.

But her gaze swiftly turned to the right, glancing in the direction of the Buckleys, gathered next to Maddie.

"What're they doing here?" Margaret motioned her glass in Eddie's direction who was now stood chatting to his parents. He was stood behind Chris's chair, both arms wrapped around his son's shoulders and his lips attached to the top of Chris's curls.

(Y/n) took a few steps closer, unsure what Margaret was talking about, but she could feel ice cold dread clawing down the back of her neck and down her spine as Margaret's expression seemed to change. The placid smile she wore earlier was nowhere to be seen. Her lips were parted and curved down oddly at the corners with her upper lip and nose crinkling in what (Y/n) could only describe as horror.

The way she narrowed her eyes had (Y/n) shuddering and realising that she was looking across at Evan. More specifically, at the way Tommy was draped around Evan like a blanket.

Tommy had his arm around Evan's torso, hand flat on his stomach, chest up against Evan's back and he kept kissing the side of his head in between drinks.

"Did you think they'd be at work?" Maddie tilted her head to one side, unsure why her mum was so spooked and uneasy all of a sudden. Had Evan not explained things properly? Had he only mentioned the baby shower in passing and not given all the details? After all, they hadn't expected their parents to actually turn up today.

"He- he's still with them?"

Anxiety clawed at the back of (Y/n)'s throat and she could feel the baby kicking, waking up with the bursts of adrenaline (Y/n) was getting. Her stomach churned and she was sure that cake she ate was going to make a reappearance.

What was going on? What did Margaret think was happening here? (Y/n) knew it had been too good to be true that they had been so accepting and loving towards Evan when they turned up today. She knew there had to be some reason or miscommunication going on.

"What?" She tried not to let her voice tremble as she walked over to stand beside Maddie, staying as close to her as possible with enough distance between herself and Evan's parents.

"Evan told us you were pregnant, we assumed that meant you'd gotten out of this stage. How can you start a family with this unconventional mess? They shouldn't be here-"

"They're our partners, where else would they be?" A defensive tone took over (Y/n)'s voice and her shoulders straightened and squared up, but her hand stayed on her stomach almost protectively.

So they truly had misunderstood. They thought Evan and (Y/n) had suddenly come out of their relationship with Tommy and Eddie. They thought the baby was just Evan's and that they were starting fresh together without their other two partners. How could they think that Evan would break up with the boys and not tell them? How could they think he would break up with the boys but not (Y/n)?

Evan was constantly telling them how happy he was now. Maddie was always trying to tell them to be inclusive because she knew her brother was the happiest he had ever been. She knew he was loved and cared for and he was who he always wanted to be when he was with his family.

"Well who's baby is it?"

The snappy tone in Phillip's voice took (Y/n) by surprise and she leaned back, taking a step away when his hand moved dangerously close to her stomach. She bit back a groan, hiding the cringe that tore through her when she stepped back on her bad foot and put a bit more weight on it than she was used to recently.

She could feel Maddie's hand moving to grip her arm for comfort and security while she lifted her head, eagerly trying to catch either her brother or Tommy's attention. They were going to need help with this conversation.

"Theirs." (Y/n) surprised herself with the confidence in her voice even though her heart was hammering away in her chest and her head was fogging up.

It was their baby. Paternity didn't matter when there were four people in this relationship and all three of the boys were agreed from the beginning that they were going to raise this baby together, as theirs. Just like they were all bringing Chris up together.

"Please don't do this-" Maddie sighed, pursing her lips when her mum shot her an awful glare and huffed as if Maddie should be chiding and degrading (Y/n) too.

This was a party, a happy occasion and Maddie wanted this to go smoothly. Evan never celebrated his birthday as a child, their parents were too cold and uncaring to give him a special birthday or throw him a party. Maddie always tried to throw little parties for him, but after he left college and moved away, she knew he still didn't celebrate his birthday.

Even now, he was reluctant to have a party or have people acknowledge his birthday and it killed his sister. So to throw a party that was still somewhat for him was all she wanted to do. She wanted to do a party that included Evan and revolved around him and his partners. This was a happy occasion. Everyone was so excited for this baby, Maddie didn't want her parents walking in here and ruining today.

"So you don't know who's child you're having? What are you going to tell them? What are you going to tell people? How fair is it to get Evan to raise a child that probably isn't even his?"

"Hey! That's enough." Evan's voice growled and cut through the music, breaking apart the previously calm atmosphere that seemed to quake around him.

He found himself standing in front of his parents, putting himself in front of (Y/n) and his sister like a shield of armour. The way his shoulders rose and straightened made it seem like he was growing and expanding on the spot and the deep breath he sucked in had his chest rising too.

A bubble of dread swelled up in the pit of (Y/n)'s stomach and she found herself backing away before she could think better of it. She didn't want to stand here and have Evan's parents looking at her like that, she'd had enough of those looks from her own family and from people at work. She wouldn't stand and be stared at or talked to like that in her own home.

(Y/n) aimed for the back door but she didn't get that far before a tense chest moved in her line of sight and hands found her shoulders.

Eddie swerved in front of her, grabbing (Y/n) before she stumbled into his chest. Her head stayed tilted down towards the floor and Eddie kissed the back of her head while one hand moved to curve around her waist instead. He didn't want her to disappear inside, this was their home and no one had the right to make her feel uncomfortable or like she had to walk away.

His thumb glided up and down her hip while his other hand cupped the back of her neck. He slowly walked her back towards their partners who were stood together like a brick wall that no one would be able to break through.

He breathed into her hair, trying to stay calm and stop himself from bounding over there to say something to defend all three of his partners. But he knew he didn't have to. No matter how desperately he wanted to, Evan seemed to have this situation under control. Eddie had spoken to his own parents this morning, this was Evan's ground to cover.

His eyes stayed focused on Evan who looked like he was ready to explode. His hands were balled into fists at his sides, his shoulders were almost touching his jaw and he was visibly shaking and vibrating on the spot.

Even the feel of Tommy's arm around his waist and the feel of his hand squeezing his hip didn't do much to calm Evan down.

"Evan, you can't do this. A relationship as strange as this is one thing, but bringing a child into the equation-"

"You really wanna stand there and lecture me about being a parent, after the way you raised me?" They had no ground to stand on when it came to being a parent. Evan had learned to pick himself up and dust himself down on his own. He learned to go to his big sister to patch him up and give him advice and guide him in the right direction.

He got life lessons and skills and more importantly, a sense of love and belonging from Bobby. Nothing useful came of being around his parents and they couldn't try and lecture him on a subject they had failed so miserably at.

"If you can't accept my family and my choices, then you shouldn't be here. My happiness is more valuable than your opinion."

His voice was quiet enough not to shout aloud for the rest of the neighbourhood to hear, but just on the edge of a louder tone that the rest of his friends and family in the garden would be able to hear.

If they couldn't let themselves be happy for Evan, then he needed them to leave because he was happy and at the best place in his life. He wasn't broken or lost or confused or searching for something that came with reckless consequences. Evan had three adoring partners, a stepson he cherished more than life itself and a baby on the way.

This was a time to celebrate, not a time for his parents to try and put him down like they always did.

"That means you can leave now. Don't let the gate hit you on the way out." Tommy leaned his chin over Evan's shoulder and pointed towards the gate, shaking his beer bottle to further his point. They couldn't stay, they weren't welcome any more after causing a scene and no one was going to miss them if they left.

Evan didn't realise he was shaking until he felt Tommy's hand gliding up and down his waist to try and calm him down and bring him back to the present.

His lips curved into a shaky smile and he dipped his head down to the right when he felt (Y/n) push up behind him. Her lips attached to his arm and her hands found his hips, staying mostly hidden behind him but not wavering in the way she held him, keeping them both grounded and secure. And he could feel Eddie stood on his other side, meshing up against him and Tommy.

As soon as the gate swung shut with a horrid, creaking groan, a wave of relief washed over all four of them and the atmosphere shifted again.

The music playing in the background seemed to become louder and come back into focus. All eyes were in their direction, but all they could see were encouraging looks, soft glances and tender smiles.

"Come on, time for presents."

#evan buckley #911 imagine #imagine #eddie diaz x reader #evan buckley x reader #pregnant! reader #evan buckley imagine #buck x reader #buck imagine #eddie diaz imagine #eddie x tommy #eddie x reader #eddie x buck #buck x eddie #tommy kinard imagine #tommy kinard x reader

353 notes · View notes

cyber1987 · 4 months ago

Text

FINALLY ITS HERE!! My New attempt at fan fiction :D My new series named

"Birds can still learn from the bats"

Enjoy this prologue and please bear in mind that i haven't written in a while and English isn't my first language

Cw: none in this chapter

In ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/57946378/chapters/147510817

Thank you @skele-bunny for your help in the making of this!

Prologue: Calm of a normal life

Long ago up in heaven there was an angel whose love shined brighter than the stars above. Her kindness for the poor lost souls was known from far and wide even the little demons in hell longed for an ounce of pure love. And so she shared it with them.

Yet she still had time to love something else over the many others she took under her wings, a small angel whom she cared for deeply, her own son. Soon enough the child would take more of her, it was only natural! But you see her love wasn't something one could forget easily, Its absence was noticeable.

And many indeed noticed. Envy is a poisonous thing truly and the ghoulish creatures embraced its sinful teachings, after all why should one angel receive so much?

They were quick to spread that seed of envy in heaven, dark whispers to drive others to do their bidding until one fateful night someone fell to the temptation, he stole what was so dear to her, he took her child and subsequently fell from the heavens dragging the poor little one down with him.

Her sorrow was felt from the brightest corner of heaven to the darkest pits in hell. Her anguish was the only thing that made the demons run with their tails between their legs.

Yet it was too late...to this day her little one is nowhere to be found, her own broken heart filled up with unbridled rage that cannot be quelled. What the demons and that fallen angel took was far too precious one can only wonder what she'll do when her heart can't take the pain anymore.

Hell will tremble before her if it means her son gets to come home.

♢-🔥-♢

Dewdrop was a ghoul of many talents, charismatic and a little shit by profession, but he by satan isn't a patient ghoul. Everyone knows this, his flame can spark to life in an instant and it’ll be everyone's problem and yet that seems like a reasonable risk to the two terrors that are playing with his tail and hair.

Both Phantom and Aurora still acted like kits and lord knows they have the energy of one, but he's still tolerating the claws digging into his tail of the playful bites to his hair “You two are going to give me grays before i turn 40.” the ghoul grumbled while pushing Aurora away from him.

“Aw but we love playing with you!” Phantom chirped from behind him before rubbing his cheek against Dewdrop’s back, a loud purr rumbled from the younger ghoul “yes but i like my tail without any bite marks and my hair to still be intact before noon”

Dew huffed, smoke coming out from his nostrils. “Aw don't be like that Dewy, we promise we won't be rough on ya.” Aurora chirped while laying across the older’s lap, her puffy cat-like tail swishing around in contentment . “Yeah yeah you always say that you little devil” Dew replied before shoving both ghouls off him making Aurora screech and Phantom whine at the sudden lack of warmth.

“I'm done being your personal jungle gym for the day can't you go bother Aether or something?” A small whine in protest “Come on shoo i have better shit to do.” Dew heard Aurora huff before leaving the den, probably off to bother Mountain or another poor soul but the baby bat remained, looking at him rather intensely.

“What is it? Do I look funny?” Dewdrop looked at the other taking a good look at the ghoul for a bit, Phantom shared the typical ashy gray skin of any ghoul but his was spotted by pale lilac splotches all over his body, some even went up to his hairline making his fluffy dark hair to have streaks of white all over it.

But most importantly his wings, they resembled those of a bat, black inside with white specks that resembled stars. The only odd thing was the small patch of feathers at the base of them. Phantom said it was his air ghoul genes and Dew wasn't really one to judge elemental fuckery.

His eyes though were definitely something, one was purple and it shimmered like the starry night sky and the other was a pale silver and it shined like pale moonlight. “I think you’re lonely.” The young ghoul replied “You feel lonely.”

Dew scoffed while rolling his eyes “I told you to not use your powers on others, you're still getting the hang of them.” Phantom looked offended, his wings flapping and his tail lashing unhappily “I'm getting the hang of ‘em! I swear, Aether said I'm making good progress!”

Dew still wasn't convinced “Accidents involving quintessence magic are more common than we would like, i'm just warning you, if it goes wrong it will backfire on you.”

Dew could feel his tail lashing, he was worried Phantom was still new on topside, a magical injury can be lethal on new summons, their bodies still recovering and getting used to topside “Just be careful okay?” Dew sighed walking away from the other ghoul “Go off and don't bother me” and with that he left, his mind settled into one ghoul.

The walk there was silent, no siblings out as many huddled off into their rooms to avoid the colder temperatures in the halls, winter can be such a blessing at times. His step perked up when he saw the familiar door of the infirmary’s office, his tail wagging a little.

He didn't even have to knock before it opened, letting the familiar scent of sage flood out towards him “Hey Aether..” The fire ghoul purred while the larger quint smiled at the sight of him “Hey firefly, what brings you out here today?” Aether moved to him inside.

“I'm just looking for some peace, the two kits got their paws on me. Fucking mites they are” He flopped onto the couch, his body instantly relaxing against the cushions. “I had to shove them off me Aeth, they need something better to release that energy” The fire ghoul groaned while his mate walked around the office doing Satan knows what.

“Have you thought of maybe actually playing and roughhousing with them, love?” He grunted while

Looking at Aether whom is checking some files “Expecting them to be quiet as a water ghoul is kinda foolish of you Dewdrop”

“How dare you, why does it have to be me anyway.” His tail thumped against the armrest “Why can't Swiss or Cirrus deal with them when they're feeling extra kit-ish” Aether only chuckled while shaking his head clearly amused “Because they like you firefly. You were there when they were torn out of the pit alongside the whole pack, and you were the first ghoul whom they smelled.”

Aether left the files in his desk before sitting next to Dew, letting the other immediately snuggle against him “They're still young and adapting, let them have some sense of security with you. I'm sure they'll open up to the others in no time” He paused looking down at the other ghoul with tender eyes “And leave you in peace.”

Dew wasn't expecting the sudden disappointment at the idea but he ignored it “I hope so. For now though you are stuck with me.” He purred while snuggling against Aether who chuckled at the others advances, Dew wondered if this is how the new summons felt when bothering him.

“I told Phantom he should be more careful with his magic.” Aether hummed signaling him to continue “He wasn't happy. He said that you told him he was making good progress, I want to know your opinion.” Dew looked up to his mate who looked deep in thought “He is alongside Aurora but they still have much to learn.” His tail thumped against the cushion.

“Why did you tell him that?” Dew sighed looking up to the ceiling “He used them on me. He said I'm 'lonely’ and I mean I guess I wanted to come hangout with you.”The fire ghoul huffed “Still I told him to knock it off, it's still dangerous especially to the caster or the recipient, if magic backfires on him or someone else…i don't want to imagine how bad it could be.”

Aether gave him a small nod in agreement “Im sure if that ever happens we will be there to help him, but even so you should give the kid some credit, him and Aurora are progressing well and im sure they will be great magic users, just give it time”

Dew only frowned, looking unsure “I hope you are right Aeth.”

#ghost bc #ghost ghouls #ghost the band #nameless ghouls #the band ghost #phantom ghoul #aether ghoul #dewdrop ghoul #Other ghouls mentioned #aurora ghoulette #ghost fanfiction #ghost bc fanfic

19 notes · View notes