#gonna need a pretty big bandaid but who knows! stranger things have happened

[mobgoblin]

maybe i’ve just been spending too much time on jjk twitter lately, but i finally went and reread chapter 236 and dang… why was i (mostly) convinced Gojo was dead???

first panel now reads as deliberate mischaracterization (maybe more accurate to his old self), and the rest feels like a purposeful opening up of “well, nanami accepted death and chose south, wonder what this other guy will do. you know, the eccentric guy whose main thing thus far has been promoting his students, and trying to secure a better future for them. Who could say?”

“well let’s put him at a trope-y afterlife crossroads (man, this airport stinks like extended metaphor) and find out”

idk Usher… prepare to walk back your spoilers?

[agentsoftie]

morning meetings

summary: on vacation spencer rekindles an old love which brought him greater joy then he remembered

authors note: wow, this is my first fic in a while. hopefully it’s good. but yeah. i got this idea today too so i’m so sorry if it’s hella cheesy. but yeah

warnings: none! pure fluff

word count & pairing: spencer r & fem reader : 1.9k

remember to like and reblog!

The wind was blowing exactly 15mph and Spencer Reid had just arrived in Seattle. His job, as a profiler, took him all across the US. And his mind took him everywhere else. Although Seattle was different, Seattle was special. See, when his mother and father were still together, they took him here every summer. Because every summer they would come here, just to eat at Marge’s Hideout.

Today although, he wasn’t there because of his job. He was there on vacation. Or any form of that for him.

After checking out of his hotel and going for a walk on the pier, there was only one thing on his mind, coffee. Coffee from Marge’s.

So he picked up biked and went along the trail. Not using GPS, not since he had an eidetic memory, but since he knew the path by heart. Every good memory he’s had in his childhood always took place here, in Seattle. More specifically, on Louise’s Trail that goes straight through the town, and leading right to Marge’s Hideout. Although full of cobblestones and vines, it truly felt like you were at peace. At least for him, it did.

He knew he was coming to a stop on his wobbling journey as soon as he smelt croissants and pancakes. Stumbling and tipping over on his bike as he tried to get off, someone opened the door. And in through the door, he heard a laugh. The same laugh he had heard almost every day in his early 20’s. It couldn’t be, could it.

Quickly floundering to the door while trying not to trip over his own shoes, he kept thinking to himself. Or more though, all the memories washed over him. All of the ridiculous, joyful, and heartbreaking moments washed over him.

Finally getting inside, he heard it again. The same laugh. The same laugh he had heard all those years back. “Y/N?” He spoke causing a woman with rich brown hair to turn around.

“Spence,” she breathed out.

They both looked at each other until she finally broke the silence.

“Hi.”

He went over to her seat. Trying to maintain an appropriate distance you would have with a stranger. Although she wasn’t a stranger. She was his last love. And his only love.

Y/N and Spencer had dated for 4 years. It was her first day of orientation when she met Spencer though. He was assisting the class she was in, and she couldn’t help herself but to ogle at his clumsiness and awkwardness. So, she asked him out for coffee, strictly platonic though.

Of course, at first, he was quite conflicted to take up her offer, but he did anyway. Because she seemed nice, and he would never not take up an offer if it involved coffee. So they went there. And then again. And again. And again, and again, and again, and again, and again, until he couldn’t take it anymore. So, he asked her out on a proper date. And after that, they both had fallen helplessly in love with each other. Although, after year 3 of them being together, things started to fall. He had gotten accepted into the BAU under Agent Hotchners authority, so he was barely he had moved to Virginia which meant long distance. At first, they thought they could do it, and they did, but that was until she had started finally her first year as an intern.

They started seeing each other less, and less, and less. And so they called it off. And although on the call, they kept everything reserved, it was all waterworks after. Y/N didn’t talk to anyone for a week and Spencer developed a drug addiction. Although at first, he thought it was because of what had happened with Tobias Hankel, he soon concluded that it was also powered by the breakup.

Of course, though, time passed. She started to see other people, and he started getting help. She started to really plan out the future, and he started to enjoy the moment, and live now, not in the past. She started to become him. And he started to become her.

“Ugh, how are you? Long time no see.” He said awkwardly as she kept on looking down.

“Good, good. How are you?” Her sweet angelic voice, which might have been silkier than before.

“Better.”

They both stayed in awkward silence for a couple of seconds which truly felt like decades.

“Here,” she said while moving to an empty booth, “sit.” And so he did. Him playing with his feet and her looking out the window until she suddenly asked a question. “So, are you still working at the BAU?”

“Yeah… Yep, still working there.”

“That’s nice.” She mumbled.

“How’s your work?” He asked, trying to start up a conversation as he pulled up a menu.

Suddenly something changed in her tone. She became more joyful. Happier. She straightened her back and moved the hair on her shoulder back. Spencer had noticed this. This was exactly what she would do when he asked about anything relating to what she was learning in college. She truly loved what she did, and for that, he was happy. “My work is great! I just got my first solo surgy, and that was fun! I mean, of course, it’s exhausting, but I truly love it. And Macey. You remember Macey right?”

Of course, he remembered Macey. Anyone who knew Y/N in college would remember Macey. They were the best of friends, absolutely inseparable. There wouldn’t be a time of the day where they weren’t together. All, except coffee time. Because that was strictly reserved for Spencer.

“Yeah, of course, I do. Who wouldn’t?” She simply laughed.

“Yeah, well she just got engaged!”

“Macey? Macey Williams? Married! She couldn’t keep a guy for more than 2 weeks.”

“I know! But a little after we broke up, she met this guy named Brian and they were just good together.”

It got a little quiet after she had mentioned the breakup. Spencer looked back down to his menu as if it was a foreign topic and Y/N frowned while grabbing a menu for herself.

Although her initial plan was to grab a coffee and go. Just like she always does, she decided to stick around today, knowing she wouldn’t get a moment like this again.

“So, what will you two lovely people want today?” The waiter chipped while walking up to them.

“Oh, I’ll have 2 buttermilk pancakes: blueberry. Scrambled eggs, and a coffee.”

“And I’ll be having a strawberry mango crepe, 2 croissants, and one coffee.”

“Great! Will that be all?” They both looked at each other then nonned. “Amazing, we will get your orders out as soon as possible!” And with that, she skipped away.

“So, besides work, anything fun happen to you?” Y/N questioned Spencer while toying with her bandaid.

“Well, I mean not much. I have an incredible team though! They are truly some of the most important people in my life. And my mother also of course. Although she hasn’t gotten better, I still write her a letter every day. And see her at least once every other month. And I’m a Godfather now!”

She always loved how excited he had gotten whenever he was talking about the BAU or his team. For such a messed up job, he truly loved it. And that’s all that really mattered.

She laughed, in pure and absolute joy. “Wow! That’s amazing,”

He laughed too. “It is! Isn’t it! What’s going on in your life? Besides works, please.”

“Well, besides work, I’m gonna say my life is going pretty well. You know, I have some friends, and I have this little town. My boyfriend and I broke up, but honestly, I’m glad we did. He was really holding me down. And I mean, without him ever breaking up, I would have never moved into this little paradise. Plus, I mean, it’s closer than my old home. But, I too am a godmother! My sister, Eleanor, don’t think you ever met her, but she had my niece. A true angel honestly. But yeah, my life has been going. Smooth and steady.”

“Well, I’m sorry that your boyfriend broke up with you, but his lost, right?”

“Well, it wasn’t mine, that’s for sure.”

Soon enough their food came, and conversations continued. A couple more coffees were ordered and so was another crepe. Spencer and Y/N sat in that booth for what felt like hours. Just listening to each other. Whether that be laughing or reminiscing about old memories. Spencer couldn’t help but look at her hair. How he was a sucker for that hair. Always was. And her laugh. Whenever she laughed, he smiles just a little more until it turned into a full-on grin. A grin full of happiness and joy. And for her, every time he would say anything remotely smart-assy, she would start laughing. Every single time. Because, no matter how much she used to love him, he couldn’t stand the fact that he knew everything. Except, of course when she needed to study for a test.

They soon though, had to carry on with their lives. Apart from each other. In a realm where they will never see the other again.

“Can I walk you to your car? I’m gonna bike around the city, and I don’t think I would feel safe knowing you were driving with me on the same road.” He teased.

“Ha ha okay, I get it. I suck at driving. But, to your case, I have, actually, gotten really good at driving.”

“Sure, sure. Whatever will you happy.” He teased her as she looked up at him and scoffed. Pulling out her keys from her clutch. “Well, this is my stop.”

“Alright. Well, then I better get going. It was marvelous seeing you again.”

Y/N now had a choice to make. 1: Go after the man she once loved and go on a date, knowing that the chances of a happy ending are few to none. Or 2: Leave this incident be and carry on with her life.

“Wait!” She called out. He immediately stopped. So she caught up with him. “Do you wanna, um, I don’t know, possibly just, maybe, go out? Whenever you’re next free on your stay?”

Unlike making such a big of a deal out of it like he did last time she asked him out for coffee, this time he immediately said, “Yes.”

“Really? That’s great,” she spoke in disbelief that he would say yes. “Well, when are you next free?”

“I’m free for the next week and a half.”

“Great see you on Wednesday!” She said whilst getting in her cars. But before she left, she asked him, “Wait, Spence, do you need my number? It hasn’t changed from the one you had so-”

“Nope! Edition memory, remember?”

“Who could forget.” She turned on her engine, and before heading out of the little town that was oh so special to him, she yelled something which he vaguely picked up. “Call me!”

And with that, Spencer set off. Aiming for the sunset on the once in a blue sunny day. And going to them there was only one thing he could think about, her number. Because, of course, he had the eidetic memory, so he was never going to forget. But that’s not the reason he remembered her phone. I never was, never will be.

tagging: @criminalmindsmoodrn, @marshmallowtraver, @himarisolace

[wolferals]

HURT

herman tømmeraas preference

*

*

-„get out of here! We dont want to see you anymore!“ you hostmom yelled in your face while you were pulling your suitcase through the hallway

-„OUT!“ she screamed and basically pushed you out of the house

-you stumbled backwards and your head hit the ground rather harshly

-it hurt

-your hand shot up to hold the wound on the back of your head

-your host mom didnt even care, she had slammed the door closed and left you there, bleeding

-and all that because of a misunderstanding

-your host sister (who‘s a dumbass bitch) had told her that you were constantly flirting with your host dad

-first of all gross, second of all you lived with them for taking care of a 5 year old girl

-why would you risk getting kicked out

-like now for instance

-after the realization hit you that you had a bleeding wound on your scull you sat up and looked around

-this neighborhood seemed lost, no one near to be seen

-of course there wasnt anyone around right in this exact moment of help needed

-so you slowly stood up, grabbed your suitcase and made your way to the house across the street to ask someone for help

-since you were bleeding, and not too light it took you some time to fully understand your situation

-but you eventually made it to the house and rang the doorbell

-literally a second later a dog shot around the corner and jumped up and down on your leg

-„hey.“ you greeted the fluffy little ball

-„Ellie!“ someone then shouted

-then this guy showed up

-tall, muscular, and damn handsome

-„hallo, hva gjør du her?“ he spoke and walked up to you to pull his dog away from your shaking body

-„sorry i dont speak norwegian. I fell.“ you explained and then showed him your hand covered in blood

-„oh fucking hell! Alright wait here, i‘ll get my keys to take you to the hospital.“

-without waiting for your response he ran inside, his dog right behind him

-it took him not even 30 seconds to come back out the front door you were standing in front of

-he had a towel in his hand

-„press this to the wound to make it stop bleeding“ he then told you and handed you the black towel

-„can you walk? Are you okay?“ he asked and grabbed your arm to help you around the house to his car

-once you were all settled he started the engine and drove you to the nearest hospital

-„what happened to you?“ he then asked and looked at you for a second

-„i was living with the Hansens. I was their au pair from (wherever you‘re from) but they kicked me out before because of some dumb misunderstanding.“ you told him

-„oh shit. So you got no place to go?“

-„i mean, i got this woman from the agency i traveled with who i could call, but she lives in Oslo, it might take her a while to get here or me to get to hers.“

-„thats fucking shit. What are you gonna do now?“ he asked seriously concerned

-„idk, first i need to get this fixed, i can worry about that later.“

-at the hospital they sewed my wound real quick while the guy, whose name i still dont know was waiting outside

-„it would be good for you to stay here overnight Ms y/l/n, just to make sure it heals the way it should.“ the doctor told you and handed you some disinfectant to clean your hands

-„okay.“ you just spoke and sat up straight

-„do you want us to get your boyfriend in here?“ she then asked making you smirk

-„he‘s not my boyfriend i dont even know him. He just helped me get here.“

-she nodded and then spoke:“Well be glad he did, you were bleeding heavily.“

-„anyway we‘re gonna get your room ready, just wait outside with your... friend.“

-you nodded and slowly walked out of the room

-„hey! Are you okay? Feeling better?“ the guy came up to you

-„yeah i am, thank you for driving me here ... whats your name actually?“ you sat down next to him

-„oh yeah right, I‘m Herman. What about you, stranger?“

-you laughed a little and then spoke:“My name‘s y/n. And thanks again.“

-„I have to stay overnight.“ you then added

-„Yeah i figured since it looked pretty bad.“

-you guys then sat there talking a bit until a nurse took you to your room

-Herman then gave you his number because he insisted on you calling him when he should pick you up the next day

-„you dont have to do this.“

-„no i actually do. You have no one here and im already involved here. I dont mind, really. Ill talk to my parents because I‘m staying with them in quarantine.“

-you thanked him again and then he left so you could get some rest

*next day*

-it was about 9am when you woke up in a strange location

-your head didnt hurt

-other than your back

-you were pretty sensitive when its about sleeping on other mattresses

-„oh good morning ms y/l/n. How are you feeling?“ the nurse came in right after you had sat up and grabbed your phone to check your texts

-you had told your family last night what happened and they just told you to either contact that agency woman or come home right away but you really liked norway

-and the only choice was to stay with Herman‘s family and maybe find a job?

-„I‘m okay. My head doesnt hurt anymore.“

-„Dizzy?“

-you shook your head at her

-„let me check your heart rate.“

-she then also checked on your temperature but it all seemed fine so she wanted to talk to the doctor about when you could leave the hospital

-you then got dressed from some clothes out of your suitcase, brushed your hair as good as you could with the big bandaid on the back of your head

-and obviously brushed your teeth

-when you were about to get back to bed you heard a knock at the door

-„come in.“

-„Hey how are you doing?“ Herman spoke smiling

-he had a small bouquet of flowers in his left hand

„I figured i needed to be a good person so i got you these.“ he said shyly

-„Thank you!“ you took them and looked at the flowers before putting them aside

-„i heard you‘re allowed to leave soon.“ he then said

-„oh really? Who told you?“

-he sat down on the end of your bed and answered:“I heard the nurses talking in the hallway

-„perfect. My back hurts terribly from last night. The mattress is shit.“

-„yeah i know, hospitals suck.“ he grinned

-„By the way, my mom would love to meet you.“

-„What why? She doesnt even know me.“ you laughed

-„I told her about your situation and she really doesnt mind having you stay with us.“ he smiled sweetly

-„you sure?“

-„of course.“

-you leaned forward to give him a hug as a thank you

-he smelled nice

-he had probably showered before he got there

-„thanks.“ you spoke again

-„stop thanking me. Of course.“ he softly stroked your back

-you then let go because you heard the door open

-„Good morning y/n, the results look good, your head seems fine so far. In my opinion there‘s nothing to worry about no. It wasnt quite a concussion so i think you can go home now.“ The doctor said and handed you some paperwork to sign

*

-out in the car Herman smiled at you

-„what?“ you looked away shyly

-„nothing. You‘re just different.“ he laughed

-„that‘s not a good thing.“

-„what? Of course it is. You‘re really interested as far as i can judge from the past 24 hours ive known you for.“

-„well...“ you were so shy you just looked out of the window hiding your face in your sleeve

-„cute.“ herman then murmured

-„ohh right.“ you joked and looked at him for a second

-„you are.“ he defended himself

-„sure.“ you grinned. „you have to know someone to judge.“

-he nodded and spoke:“i guess we‘ll get to know each other pretty damn good in the next time.“

-„pretty damn good.“ you repeated and got some tingles thinking about it

[questforpants]

𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒.

DUNGEONS AND DADDIES / EP 1 : A MAN AND A HANDSHAKE

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠. lines taken from an actual play d&d podcast, you can check out here 

I’m sorry, I laugh every time I hear it.

Uh, you might find a good use for those condoms on the course of this adventure.

If not in one way, then another.

You’re like our dad, the dad of dads.

I’m the dad of dads. I’m daddy daddy.

Yo, man, play it cool, dawg.

Ah, hey, yeah, what’s up man? How’s it goin’? Are you, uh, are you my ride?

Uh, yeah, uh, can you come here? Can we talk for a second? We’ll be right with you, young man! Can you get over here?

Rock and roll man.

Okay, uhhhh, yeah, no smoking in your car, I dig that. Alright man, your car, your rules.

On the scale from, like, 1 to 20, what kind of dankness are we looking at here, weed wise?

Uhhh, hey man, where’d you, uh, where’d you get that?

I’m very hungry and I kinda wanna fuck!

Uh, yeah man, I dig it. Well, uh, just tellin’ ya, this poindexter drivin’ the car over here doesn’t want you, uh—

He sounds like a fuckin’ narc.

You know what? I’m just gonna take that— why don’t we just put it in the mailbox for, uh, it’ll be our little secret.

We don’t want our mailman finding that, haha!

I feel like I’m fuckin’ bonding with my kid already!

Is this what fuckin’ being a parent is like? Because fuckin’ sign me up, this sounds great!

Hey, I hope you know, I ain’t no narc. I party occasionally too, it’s just, you know, in front of the kids…maybe someday we could, you know...anyways! That’s not important, I just don’t want you to think I’m-

“Yes! Yes! Yes! Power! Power! Power!”

I will make you a naked tree! A naked tree that I will then punch!

How would you like if someone ripped off your skin without consent?

I’m gonna need you guys to be real buddies and listen to Dad now, alright?

Challenge accepted, fatherrrrrrr!

Hey there, man, it’s just about being polite, you can tell a lot about a man from a handshake!

It was born from my brain!

I’m a little bit, uh, hazed out from the strength of the previous, aforementioned blunt.

We’re gonna be very respectful and we’re gonna be very positive, and then we’re gonna go out and we’re gonna have a wonderful time today. Can you say that, can you say we’re gonna go out and have a wonderful time today?

Yeah? What was the craziest thing you’ve ever done?

I burned down my first school!

[strained laughter] He didn’t burn down the /entire/ school, the fire damage was limited to one or two classrooms.

Okay, alright, who wants Grape-Nuts? I’ve got a baggy of grape nuts with me.

Well, I’m gonna be snacking on my Grape-Nuts and if anyone wants some, just let me know if you want some of these nuts and we’ll chow down.

Relationships are built on trust, that’s what you tell me. You should trust that we’re going to buckle up!

You know, I’m tryna’ let them make their own decisions, it’s called free-range parenting.

Well I guess somebody’s not getting their instant oatmeal.

Daddy? I mean, [name]? Is that you?

Listen...pal...I know that I haven’t been there for you. Because I wasn’t married to your wife, I mean to your mom, before your dad died. I’ve written several letters trying to emote on paper what I can’t always do in person and you know, I’m working on that.

[name?] [name], I was informed to tell you not to get in vans with strangers.

Don’t give a shit! 

That’s my little joke, I’m a teetotaler myself but I like to say “neat,” you know and it makes me feel neat.

No, it’s okay, safety is not a priority—

Alright, I’m puttin’ on 60s and 70s greatest hits as we go.

Don't worry, I know how much gas my van has, don't worry about it.

Pretty good place to drop. You just don’t know how to shoot people, but that’s fine.

  Okay now hold still and let me put these bandaids on. Okay, hold still!

Aw, I think I’m gonna throw up...the iodine

I can’t help but— do you remember that scene in Jurassic Park where Ellie Satler, the very attractive Laura Dern, is looking at the leaves and she notices that the leaves are different and that’s kinda the first clue that something strange is going on! 

I thought ‘cause you were dabbing, you were Fornite dabbing.

Oh, modifications, alright. Black market modifications.

Guys, it’s pretty weird out here.

See, I’m not quite sure if this is an LSD flashback or event, so I’m just gonna be a little vague here.

Do you just yell your own name when you’re excited?

That’s what I’m saying. I don’t trust these people.

Guys, which dad do you think has the biggest dingdong?

Woah there gentlemen, watch where you’re shooting that thing!

You’ve gotta be kiddin— [dying noise]

[name], I'm in the middle of battle. I'm wondering what I should do?

Uh, probably die. That sounds like something you would do.

Ooh! Hey diddle diddle!

[deep and angry] Sorry for the language.

I’ve never related more.

Yep! How does that feel?

Not possible, my man. Not a real number, not possible.

God damn it, I knew we shouldn’t have come back for the adults! I knew it!

[muttering] They’re twist-offs, they’re twist-offs…

[slurred] Give me one good reason not to gut ya like a pig right here….

[sighs] Guys, this is tough but I feel like we’re a team. I think we can do this if we all stick together.

“Just pretend you don’t see me feeling things.” 

[low] You’re ridin’ in back with me, kemosabe.

[quiet and scared] Ooh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no…

[extreme stammering] Uh, let’s talk about something else! I don’t know— it’s been a long day, uh, let’s talk about something else.

I feel like that’s pretty much the only thing I wanna talk about. You had vines shot out of you.

Do you still have the condoms?

You know, I think maybe something’s happening to me and I’m still trying to get my bearings on it, so I would really enjoy it if you guys respected my privacy and let me work through what’s going on on my own.

So I’m gonna go ahead and put 10 condoms on my fingers for the time being, just to make sure that nothing bad happens.

I don’t wanna make any more messes in here, so you can consider me condomed up.

Ha! It’s been awhile since I’ve had a laugh, I appreciate a good joke…

[yelling] I’m wearing the condoms!

Sorry, sorry I’m just a little sensitive about the changes that are happening to my body, so--

This is some Lord of the Rings shit right here, y’all.

He, generally, is known as one of the best cultivators of non-voluntary work in this part of the continent.

You’re using a lot of elitist language.

That’s an extremely offensive way to put what my master does…

Well, yeah, agree to disagree, but I feel like they’re probably more useful in the workforce.

Listen up, you big alpha jock piece of shit bozo!

I think I dig where you’re goin’, man, I think I got this.

Okay, I feel like you’re being pretty aggro on me right now, I knew I flew off the handle at you there but—

You’re right, I’m sorry man. It’s been a tough day for both of us.

I just don’t feel like this is a music kinda guy, I don’t feel like this guy pumps a lot of tuneskis.

No, no! He can’t take it back, he can’t take it back! I feel something!

I silence his dumb ass with a kiss!

Something tingles deep down inside of me and I feel love for the first time in a long time, when he puts his mouth on mine.

Snakes are natural predators, we had to put down our purebred Dachshund because he got bit by a snake. This is a game replicating that exact same experience… uh, it will make you so strong and powerful, it’ll make me cry… about my Dachshund.

Thank you, my Number One.

You may keep this receipt of the pact that we have made.

It’s constantly kinda screaming in horror. [very quiet and gentle] Aaah.

Woah, sorry, I slipped there. Been drinking a little bit—

Holy shit, that’s the best you got? This is so bad!

[whispered] What the fuck are you doing?

[yelling] Are you fucking kidding me!?

Hey, do we think that [name]’s handshake or his kiss is more trustworthy?

Oh, thanks everybody, sorry I introduced the kissing thing as something we have to maintain now as part of our cover. 

[stratus-skye07]

Different Is Beautiful | Minho

Requested: For the SHINee scenario request: Minho au where he works not as an idol but somewhere else in entertainment: behind the scenes/model, whatever fits your inspo. He falls for a foreigner who works as a translator. Maybe they meet by happenstance before actually working together where he gets to know her better? She’s attracted to him, but assumes he wouldn’t be since she is a foreigner. And ideally low on the angst. (No references of blushing since some of us darker readers don’t actually flush)

Genre: Fluff / Model AU

Word count: 3.9k

A lot of people are afraid of change but I truly welcome it. I’ve been studying to become a Korean translator. Four years of constant studying to earn my degree along with extra volunteer works to get a better handle on the language. Finally, I’m given the opportunity of a lifetime. I was given a job interview and the next thing I knew I was on a flight to South Korea to start my job.

I don’t start working until next week since I had to have time to settle in to my small apartment. It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with the city, especially my neighborhood. I found time to go out for jogs to relax me, along with listening to some Korean children songs. I like listen to them as a refresher from when I first started learning.

I’m jogging through the park in full concentration with no thoughts of the outside world when something hits my calves causing me to trip and land hard on the concrete floor. I sit up, taking my earphones out, I notice the scrap on the side of my knee along with concrete burns on my palms. Looking around, I find the thing that hit me was a soccer ball.

Suddenly, a man comes running towards me, “Are you okay?” He asks me in English.

I nod, “I’m fine. I’m a bit clumsy anyways so I’m used to falling all over the place.” I respond in Korean.

He raises his baseball hat to reveal more of his face which has me taking a second look to be sure I wasn’t fantasizing him. He’s extremely handsome. “Oh, you speak Korean really well.” He says with raised eyebrows.

I smile, “Thank you, I studied hard to learn so it’s always nice to hear that from a local.”

“I’m sorry for hitting you with the ball. I tend to get really competitive so I just launched it.” I chuckle nearly forgetting that I was sitting on the floor after embarrassingly falling.

“Don’t worry about it. I understand how it is.”

He extends his hand to me, “Here, let me help you up.”

I give him my hands, careful not to touch the friction burns on my palms. Pulling me up, I stand but instantly want to fall back down when the feeling of pain radiates from my ankle. I yelp, nearly falling over but the kind stranger manages to hold me to keep me from falling over.

“Did you hurt your leg?”

I nod, “Yeah, I think I landed on it.”

The man helped me to a bench nearby to sit. To my surprise, he kneels down in front of me and starts examining my leg. Pinching and rotating different sections of my leg until he reaches my ankle.

“Ow,” I clench my jaw to suppress the painful feeling.

He has a pained look on his face as if it also hurt him too. “It looks like your ankle is sprained.”

“Of course, only I could have this kind of luck.” I say laughing through the pain.

The guy laughs setting my leg down, “It should be fine after some rest. It was my fault more than anything.”

I smile at him, “It’s okay. Thank you for your help though- um I don’t think I got your name.”

“It’s Minho.” He says extending his hand.

“I’m Y/N. It was nice meeting you even though I wished for it to be under better circumstances.” I push myself to get up from the bench, “I’d better get going before it starts to swell.”

I manage to get up from the bench but once I take the first step, I nearly fall over from the pain of walking on it. Luckily, Minho was quick enough to catch me before I was able to re-injured myself.

“You’re just gonna end up putting stress on your leg, let me help you get to where you need to go.”

I shake my head, “I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

“Then don’t ask. I’m offering.” Minho ran to his friends to let them know that he was going to be helping me home. When he came back he crouched down in front of me, “Get on.”

“Huh?”

He looks over his shoulder to smirk at me, “I’m not asking.”

I’m hesitant to get on his back with the subconscious feeling that I would be too heavy for him considering I’m not slim like the usual petite Korean girls in Seoul.

To my surprise, he lifts me with ease. I started clutching his shirt a bit tighter since I wasn’t prepared for him to actually carry me up on his back so easily. I also catch a smell of his cologne. Even though he was playing soccer, he still smelled out-of-the-shower fresh.

After awhile of walking, I suggested stopping at a minimarket on the way to give Minho a break from all the walking. He was sure that he was fine but I wanted to give him a breather before we continued on. He set me down in a chair near the store while he went inside.

When he returned, along with water, he had bought some first aid supplies like a pain relieving spray, antiseptic wipes, and a bandage. With all the supplies at hand, he continued to treat the scrapes on my knees then proceeded to take off my shoe and sock to bandage my ankle.

I feel a little burdened by having him do all this. Buying the supplies was fine but treating me was overkill.

I place my hand over his to stop him, “You honestly don’t have to go to such lengths for me. I could’ve done this when I got home.”

He gives me that charming smile before pushing my hand back to my lap, “It’s not a bother at all. I’m the one that caused all this so it would make me feel better if I could fix it anyway possible.”

With that being said, he continues to spray down my ankle then wraps it up almost precisely around so that it’s tight enough to compress the sprain. The look on his face is very hypnotizing since he was concentrating on my ankle the whole time.

I always thought guys like Minho only exist in the korean drama world but here he was doing all the things I’d never thought I would experience in real life.

Once Minho finished taping up the bandage, he sits down across from me as he extends his hand, “Now, give me your hands.”

I look at him in shock. I didn’t think he’d notice the friction burns on my palms but nothing seems to be missed by him.

He tilts his head, “Do you wanna argue about that too?”

Humored, I shake my head and give him my hands, palms up. Once he started focusing on dabbing the wipes, I started to feel nervous, he held onto my hand tightly. His hand was obviously larger than mine and it was basically enveloping mine as he was working on it.

He was in complete concentration that when he spoke again, it caught me off guard. “Have you lived in Korea long?”

I shake my head, “No, I arrived a few days ago.”

Looking up at me, he had a intrigued look on his face. “Only a few days? I’d believe you if you said you were here for a few years. You’re pronunciations are really good.”

I blush at the compliment, “Thanks, I’m actually here for work. I’m a translator, hence the trying hard to keep the pronunciations up.”

He stays quiet again before I boldly ask, “What do you do?”

Minho’s hand pauses for a second then answers, “Let’s just say I’m pretty famous around here.”

“Really?” I look at his face to see the corner of his mouth lifting up slight as if he’s trying to hold in a laugh, “I get it you’re trying to play a joke on the foreigner. That’s fine.”

He finally releases a chuckle before going back to applying the bandaids to the burns, “Well you’re all fixed up.”

I look at the bandaids on my palms and feel thankful that he’d take time out of his day to make sure I was okay. Even though it was his competitiveness that caused all this, most people would just apologize and be on their way. I was beginning to like this guy but I knew someone as sweet as him has to have a girlfriend already. Plus, I’m not as pretty as a majority of the women I’ve seen in Seoul being that my foreigner features are far different from theirs.

After a few minutes of talking comfortably, there were times where people, mostly girls, would stare at Minho. I can understand why considering his looks but it was almost excessive. Minho began to realize the same things since he started to lower his hat whenever a group of young girls would walk by. I began to get the feeling that he was getting uncomfortable with the extra attention.

He clears his throat, “It’s getting late. We should get going. You still need to rest your ankle if you’re gonna start working by next week.”

I agree with him as I take the plastic bag containing the remaining supplies over my shoulder before getting on his back again.

The rest of the walk wasn’t too bad since the neighborhood has less people roaming around. I started feeling disappointed that we were getting closer. Once Minho dropped me off that would be it. I would never see him again. I honestly doubt that anything like this would ever happen to me again.

The moment of truth arrives once we reach my apartment building. Minho put me down in front of the door. He turned to face me as I stare at his handsome features one more time before saying goodbye to him.

“Can you get to your apartment?”

I nod, “Yeah, there’s an elevator so I won’t struggle too much.”

“Take it easy so your ankle heals up well.”

I smile before bowing to him, “Thank you again for helping me out today. I really appreciate it.”

He returns the smile, “It’s no big deal and I’m sorry again for causing it all. Next time I’m playing I’ll be sure to think of you so I don’t hurt anyone else.”

Thinking of me? I like the sound of that.

Without warning, Minho turns around and starts walking down the sidewalk we just came up from.

“Wait, will I ever see you again?” I ask.

He gives me that heart melting smile one last time before saying, “I’m sure if fate allows it, we’ll see eachother again.” He waves at me before walking down the street until he’s completely out of sight.

I can only hope that fate was that good to me.

One Month Later…

From the first day of work until now, a month in, I’m finding it more difficult to start off as a newbie. As a new hire, you get thrown into the boring stuff that no one else really wants to do because it’s a slow topic or just not interesting.

I’m fighting the sleep this morning. A journalist company had an interview with a popular author so I was given the task to translate the writing from Korean to English. The interview is pretty boring considering the book that’s being talked about is not my cup of tea.

As of right now, my journey as a translator has yet to sail off to exciting lengths. In situations like these, I need a grand opportunity to get me up in the more exciting things like translating for corporate companies but for those kinds of chances it could take months.

I take a minute to stretch out my fingers from all the typing I’ve been doing. Playing around with my hands, I find myself looking at my palms.

It’s been a month since my luck encounter with Minho but every once and awhile I end up looking at my palms to remember how his hands felt touching mine. Apparently, fate was cruel to me since I still haven’t seen him again. I even went jogging in that same park for a chance in running into him but he never showed up again. Eventually, I just took my losses and gave up.

“Y/N.” My boss calls for me.

I stand and bow to him, “Yes, sir.”

He approaches me with an exciting look on his face, “It’s your lucky day.”

“Huh? Is it really?” The last time he said that he told me I was going to be translating this boring interview.

He nods, “You’ve heard of SM Entertainment, right?”

“Of course,” I gasp, “Am I going to meet EXO?”

“Nope,” The excitement slowly goes away, feeling like this wasn't going to be as lucky of a day as I thought. “Paris fashion week is starting soon and, of course, they’re going to be sending their top model to the event.”

“Sir, I don’t speak French.”

“I know that but they are requesting an English speaker and you’re the only one available to take the trip over.”

I nods, “I understand.”

He hands me a card, “Here’s all the information. You’re flight has already been scheduled so just be there and meet up with the people of SM. You’ll be translating for their top model so do well.”

No pressure.

“If you do well on this then maybe we can find you some more exciting work to do.”

The excitement starts pumping again as I grin widely, “Really? Thank you, sir. I’ll work hard.”

The nerves were at an all time high but this was the opportunity that I needed to prove myself worthy of better work than what I’ve been getting. I can do this. I know I can.

The time goes by quickly as I wait near the entrance of the airport. I contacted the people of SM, they told me to meet up with them by the door. Around the time they’re scheduled to be here, I notice a crowd of photographers begin to gather outside.

I peak out the side window near the door to see they were taking photos of someone, most likely a celebrity. The crowd begins to clear as the person they were following began to walk towards the entrance of the airport, I’m able to get a good look at them.

My heart begins to race as my jaw drops when I see him again. It’s Minho. I’m sure it’s him even though he’s dressed more fashionable than that day we met. He’s the top model that I have to translate for? I guess it makes sense since he certainly had the looks.

Everything about the day we met begins to make sense, the girls staring at him and his joke about being someone famous. With how much work I’ve been doing, I haven't had time to check out the top celebrities in Korea yet. Had I done that, I would’ve seen Minho’s photos everywhere.

“Excuse me,” I feel a light tap on my shoulder. “Are you Y/N, our translator?” I look at the man whose voice sounds like the one I spoke to on the phone.

I nod, “Yes, I am.”

“Thank you for being on time. I’m Minho’s manager. He’ll join us once he’s finished taking photos with the press.”

I nod again unable to form a proper response since my mind was still thinking about seeing Minho again. The nervousness starts to get to me as he finishes up posing for the cameras outside the airport. He bowed to each one of the photographers as he walks through the sliding doors where we came face to face again.

Once his eyes met mine, he raised his eyebrows with a surprised look on his face followed by a smile. His manager signaled him to come over. As his tall figure came closer, it began to set in that he was really in front of me again.

“Minho, this is Y/N. She’s going to be our translator during the trip.”

He extends his hand which I shakingly took, “Nice to meet you, Y/N.” He says.

The whole reencounter was nerve wracking but Minho didn’t go into the fact that we had met once before. We didn’t really talk to each other as we went through security check. It wasn’t until we were waiting to board the plane that he came up to me.

Minho sat down in the chair next to me. I pretended to not know he was there since I didn’t really know what to say to him. A month felt like a longer time since I saw him.

“Did your ankle heal up well?” He asks.

Finally turning to look at him, that same feeling I had when I watched him bandage my ankle up came back as I stare at his sincere face.

“Yeah, it’s fine. I was able to work like nothing after resting it.”

“That’s good to hear. I’m glad that you’re doing well at your new job since you’re the one that’s gonna be helping us out during the trip.”

“Well, I’m honored to be working with you. I kinda feel dumb that I didn’t know who you were when we first met.”

He chuckles, “Don’t be. I was more comfortable with you not knowing that I’m a model. That usually intimidates people, especially women. They tend to feel that they’re not pretty enough to being around a model.”

He’s not lying. Even when I didn’t know who he was, I kept thinking how someone as good looking as him would even bother doing the things he did for me that day.

On the plane, Minho and I were sitting apart from each other. He was with his manager talking about their schedule while I took side glances at him when he wasn’t looking. I thought back on how he said that if fate would allow it we would meet again. I start to wonder if this was actually fate or if it was just coincidence.

Twelve hours later, we were in Paris. There was a crowd of people waiting to see Minho. I wasn’t too surprised since he did his fair share of acting as well as modeling plus how could you ignore a face like his.

Once we were able to take some time to get settled in, it was time to go to work the following day. I stay close by Minho the entire time. It was my job to be near him and pay attention to the people that he was talking to. I didn’t complain though. He certainly knew how to dress to impress. When I first met him, he was in a t-shirt and shorts playing soccer and now he was dressed in an expensive suit looking so professional.

The way he communicated with people was interesting to me. He had this unique aura about him. There were nothing but compliments from him about other people that it felt heartwarming to see. His tone never sounded like he was trying to play nice. He was also sincere about it along with his sweet smile, there was no way anyone could ignore it.

There were also time where we were so close to each other that I could feel his body heat radiate against mine. It also made my mine react numerous times. I had to continue to set myself straight multiple times. I was a foreigner and he was Seoul’s most handsome model. The majority of people he was talking to were women and they were just as beautiful as him. How could I reach that level compared to him?

I was tired from the busy day. I never suspected that fashion shows actually involved so much talking. I always assumed it was about looking at all the clothes and having all the pretty people get together. A majority of the conversation were boring but I somehow managed to pull through and do a good job.

I’m in my hotel room, preparing for tomorrow’s event which will be just about the same as tonights. There’s a knock at the door. Not expecting anyone, I look through the peephole to find Minho standing in front of my door.

I rush over to grab my oversized sweatshirt since I was already in my pajamas which consists of a tank top and shorts which is way too revealing for company.

I open the door enough for me to poke my head out. Minho’s smile greets me.

“Hi, what are you doing here?” I ask.

He raises both his hands to show me a wine bottle in one and two glasses in the other, “I figured you could use a break and you’ve worked hard today.” I chuckle before opening the door to let him in.

I don’t know if it was the wine or because Minho and I had already gotten to know each other before but I was feeling relaxed and at ease. It felt like we’ve been friends so talking about anything was easy. We ended up playing truth or drink. We either told the truth or drank from our glasses.

“Minho, I don’t think I can drink anymore.”

“The bottle’s almost empty. Just a few more rounds.” He places his hand on his chin to lean on his knee as he prepares to ask the next questions, “What was your first impression of me?”

I go back to the day that I met him, “Obviously, I thought you were handsome. Then you started helping me in more way than I thought you would which made me think how thoughtful and caring you must be and that I’m jealous of your girlfriend.”

He laughs, “If I had one you would be.” Honestly, the fact that he was single made me excited to hear. “Your turn.”

A question comes to mind, a question that has been in the back of my mind ever since I met him in the park that day. “Why did you go to such great lengths that day? You could’ve stopped at apologizing but you treated me and took me home. Why?”

Minho leans in looking at me then his eyes began to lower to my lips, “I was mesmerized by you.”

I scoff, “How is that possible? I’m not as pretty as most of the women of Korea.”

He tilts his head, “Do you think being a foreigner makes you any less attractive? Whether you were Korean or not, you made my heart race. Watching you work today just proved that it wasn’t just in the moment for me. My question is, was it the same for you?”

Without hesitating I answer him honestly, “Yes.”

As soon as I tell him my answer, his lips crash over mine. Once the initial shock goes away, his hands reach up to cup my cheeks and pull me closer. I rest my hands over his chest as he pulled me into his lap. Pulling away to catch my breath, I look into Minho’s lust filled eyes wondering if this was really happening.

He shows me his signature sweet smile before speaking through ragged breaths, “You still have a question left.”

Looking at his handsome face, I ask, “Do you wanna stay the night?”

[porcupine-girl]

I have like 11,000 words written on the Jack’s baby AU. I’m going to keep posting bits on Tumblr - but note that these are not edited and likely will change before the fic is posted on AO3 (e.g. note that that first bit was in past tense and now I’ve gone and changed it all to present), and the entire thing won’t be on Tumblr (it’s gonna be at least 30K before it’s done, maybe longer.... maybe a lot longer). These are just previews for the hell of it.

So anyhow, about 2K under the cut!

Part 1

Most of the time, Jack doesn't seem to be thinking about the baby, so neither does Eric, even though he and Jack are spending more time together than ever. There's hockey, of course, and their food seminar with half the team. And just general living across the hall from each other. But now there are also trips to Annie's three or four times a week, just the two of them, and Jack's new habit of studying in the kitchen while Eric is baking, or in the library if Eric is going there, too.

It doesn't mean anything, of course. Even if… even if maybe something did happen between Jack and Kent Parson at some point. If the last guy Jack dated (or whatever) has two Stanley Cups, it's not like Eric is anywhere near in his league. Eric's just thankful they've become such close friends.

Eric happens across Camilla on campus once, and although she's bundled up he's pretty sure that as soon as she takes the parka off it would be pretty damn obvious that she's pregnant. He wonders if Jack has told anyone else on the team, and if not, what happens if one of them sees Camilla. Even if none of them have classes in the same building as her, and somehow never run into her in a dining hall or a library, soon it'll be too warm for the kind of coats that hide a pregnant belly.

About a month after the ultrasound, Jack comes into the kitchen just as Eric slides a pie into the oven. Ransom is the only other one there, hunched over his laptop at the table.

Jack eyes Ransom as he goes over to Eric, his backpack slung over one shoulder.

"Hey," Jack says when he gets right up next to Eric. He's still half-watching Ransom out of the corner of his eye. "Can I talk to you? About, um, something for… uh… class?"

"Sure, what's up?" Eric asks with a smile.

"Uh, upstairs?" Jack says, but apparently Ransom has just come out of his organic chemistry haze long enough to realize Jack is in the room.

"Jack! Dude, you will never guess who I ran into today!"

"Uh." Jack blinks stupidly. Eric feels like he should be saving Jack from this conversation, but he's not even sure why.

"I saw Camilla Collins at Jerry's." Oh. That's why. "Bro, did you know she's knocked up?"

"Oh. Uh."

Eric is close enough that he can hear the way Jack's breathing picks up a notch. He touches Jack's arm, but before he can say anything, Rans continues.

"I wonder who the dad is. I mean—sorry, is that insensitive? I don't know the etiquette when a bro's ex gets pregnant with some new guy's kid."

"Jack," Eric says, quietly enough that Ransom shouldn't be able to hear from across the room. "It's not gonna be a secret forever, you know that. She's showing, people are gonna know. Might as well rip the bandaid off."

"But I don't know what I'm doing yet!" Jack blurts out, staring down at Eric with huge eyes.

Eric frowns, ignoring Ransom's "What?"

"What'd'you mean? Just tell 'em. These things happen, no one's gonna think less of you."

"Oh, shit," Ransom says. Jack throws him a panicked glance, then looks at Eric as he backs toward the kitchen door.

"Please," Jack says, and Eric wouldn't deny him anything with that look on his face. "You tell him, and then I need to talk to you. Upstairs."

And then Jack turns and runs toward the stairwell.

"Uhhhhh." Ransom looks from the spot where Jack just disappeared to Eric, eyebrows high. "Does that mean what I think it means?"

Eric sighs. "They hooked up once. One time, back in September. Camilla's having the baby, but then putting her up for adoption. Jack's been going with her to her doctor's appointments, but they're not like, back together or anything."

"Who's not back together?" Holster asks as he strolls through the kitchen door.

"Shit," Eric mutters, but Ransom beats him before he can say anything else.

"Dude, Jack knocked up Camilla Collins!"

Holster actually drops the book he was carrying, although Eric suspects he did it for effect rather than it being an actual accident.

"Holy fuck."

"Okay, everybody stop right now!" Eric shouts, holding his hands up. "Both of you. Do not, and I mean absolutely do not, breathe another word of this to a single other person, including Shitty or any other member of this team. This is Jack's story to share or not share. I'm gonna go upstairs and talk to him, and convince him that he'd better tell Shitty and Lardo now you two know, but it does not go any further than this room unless you know it's someone Jack's already told, is that clear?"

"Yeah, man," Ransom says.

"Swear on my 30 Rock blu-rays," Holster says, crossing his heart.

"Okay," Eric says as he heads toward the hallway. "Ransom, tell him what I told you, and when that timer goes off, one of you two had better get that pie out of the oven or so help me…"

When he gets to Jack's room, Jack is on his bed, back against the wall. His knees are pulled up, with his arms crossed over them, and his face is buried in his arms.

"Hey," Eric says softly as he comes in and closes the door. "Sorry, Holster came in while I was talking to Ransom, so they both know. They swore they won't tell anyone else, but…"

"I know." Jack's voice is muffled, as he hasn't lifted his head yet. "Shitty and Lardo should hear it from me."

"Yeah." Eric sits down gingerly on the edge of Jack's bed. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

He's pretty sure by this point that it's not actually about class, and he's right. Jack finally sits up, revealing a blue binder in his lap.

"These are the potential parents," Jack says, handing the binder to Eric.

"Oh," Eric says, taking the binder and staring at the cover. "Oh, gosh. Have you looked through them? Has Camilla? Is there anyone you're leaning towards?"

Jack sighs and scrubs his hands over his face.

"WhatifIkepther?"

Eric couldn't have heard that right.

"What was that?"

Jack, to Eric's surprise, doesn't look panicky. He looks nervous, but there's also something of the steel in his eyes that Eric's seen so many times on the ice.

"The baby. Just because Camilla doesn't want her, doesn't mean I can't keep her. She's my daughter, too."

Eric opens his mouth, then closes it. He carefully sets the binder aside, then scoots up to sit next to Jack, pressing their shoulders together.

"Have you talked to Camilla about that?"

"I asked how it would work, just hypothetically, and she said she'd sign away her parental rights, just like if we give her up for adoption. I wouldn't get, you know, child support or anything, but I wouldn't need it. If I ever, y'know… married… someone else, they could adopt the baby. Or, I guess, probably kid by then. I doubt anyone's going to want to date me, let alone marry me, for the next couple of years if I do that."

Eric bumps him with his shoulder. "Oh, please. You're gonna be a rich, handsome professional athlete. You'll have women lining up, even if it means taking on a baby."

He didn't miss that Jack had kept things gender-neutral, but even if Jack isn't straight, it's not like he can go having an out-of-wedlock child and then marrying a guy in his first two years in the NHL. He shouldn't be doing either one, of course, but definitely not both together.

"But that's beside the point, Jack. Are you serious about this? Or is this just some what-if that's been floating through your head?"

Jack shrugs. "I've been thinking about it since the ultrasound," he admits. "I don't quite know how serious I am yet, but… Honestly, I wish Camilla had had an abortion, but that's not up to me. If this baby is going to be born, I just—I don't know how I can trust strangers with her. Not when her life might be so… so complicated, just because of me. My genes."

"Your life's gonna be pretty complicated, too," Eric says softly. "Especially this next year. How many single dads are there in the NHL? Especially rookies with newborns? Jack, I know you care about this baby, but I care about you, and I don't want to see you sacrificing your health and your wellbeing when I'm sure there are people out there who would make wonderful parents for her."

"I know." Jack closes his eyes and leans his head back against the wall. Eric gazes at him, watches his adam's apple bob as he swallows.

He tries not to think about the worst that could happen if Jack can't handle a newborn and the pressure of the NHL all at once.

"Have you talked to anyone else about this?" Eric finally asks.

Jack shakes his head. "Like I said, I asked Camilla a few questions, but I didn't make it sound like I was serious. I know I should talk to my parents about it, but…"

"But nobody wants to tell their parents they're having a baby from a one night stand?" Eric asks, relieved when Jack smiles.

"Yeah, something like that. But obviously, if I did keep her, I couldn't exactly hide it from them. And if I'm going to even consider it, I need to get their advice first, find out what they'd be willing to help out with, that sort of thing. I'd hire a nanny, obviously, but as much as I travel, I don't want the baby being completely raised by someone who's getting paid to do it. I might as well let someone adopt her if that's the best I can give her."

"Well, don't you forget," Eric says, "I'm not saying you should do it, but if you did, that baby would be born into a big family with a whole slew of uncles and at least one aunt. We'll have your back, Jack. No matter what. I don't know how much any of us could do, especially if you wind up across the country or something, but I think I speak for the whole team when I say we'd sure as hell try."

"Thanks, Bittle." Jack smiles again, and there's a warmth in his eyes that Eric tries to ignore. He picks up the binder instead.

"But have you looked through this?" he asks. "Who knows, maybe there's the perfect couple right there. Maybe they'd even let you stay in her life somehow, so you can help her through those rough spots without taking it all on yourself."

Jack's mouth slants as he looks at the binder as if it has already betrayed him.

"They all seem the same to me," he says with a shrug. "I mean, maybe it's because Camilla's the one that worked with the adoption agency to narrow it down, but there are ten families, and they're all white, heterosexual, upper-middle-class couples who are both doctors or lawyers or things like that. I don't see any reason to think any of them would be any better or worse than the next. I'm sure they'd all be perfectly good if the baby were going to have Camilla's genes mixed with, I don't know, Holster's or Shitty's. They'd all love a smart, athletic, neurotypical kid to pieces and give her the best of everything. But I have no reason to think any of them could handle it if they wind up with a little me."

Eric sighs. He presses the binder into Jack's lap as he gets up.

"I think you need to take one more look through that, and make sure you're giving them all a fair chance," he says. "And I think you need to call your mother, and text Shitty and Lardo and tell them you need to talk to them."

Jack nods, sighing. "Haus meeting? Plus Lards? Maybe after dinner tonight?"

"Sounds like a plan," Eric says. "I can pass the word around about that if you want me to, but I am not calling your mother."

Jack laughs. "Fair enough."

[littleindigochildx]

power outage ✨ [task 10]

Savanna and Timothy were playing out in the barn when the power went out. At first, they didn’t think much of it. Fuses blew in there all the time, but it caught them both my surprise. “I can’t see.” Savvy said in an anxious voice. She was up in the hayloft coloring. “Hang on. I’ll flip the breaker. DC showed me how.” Timmy replied. He located the box and flipped the main breaker a couple of times… Nothing. “It’s not workin’!” He yelled out so Savanna could hear him. “I’m gonna come get ya, Savvy. Don’t be scared. I won’t let anythin’ bad happen.” The eight year old promised. He knew that Savanna had developed a recent fear of the dark and as her big brother, it was his job to take care of her.

“Where did all the light go?” Savvy asked when Timothy finally reached her. The barn had an emergency tote that contained blankets, flashlights, batteries, water, canned food, candles, and a ton of waterproof matches. Victoria never knew when she was going to need it, so she wanted to be prepared for anything. Timmy found the flashlights with ease and handed Savanna one as he helped her climb down from the loft. “I think the power went out. I don’t see any lights on inside neither. Help me bring this box inside ta mom.” The tote was too big for him to carry alone, but with Savanna’s help they were able to push it up to the back of the house. It wasn’t completely dark just yet, but dark clouds were rolling in and the winds were picking up. There was definitely a storm coming.

“Mommy! There is no more light in the barn.” Savanna said when she spotted Victoria in the kitchen. She was already lighting candles to put around the house. She knew she would need to be careful about their placement so Savvy and Timmy (or even one of the dogs) didn’t accidentally knock one over and burn the house down. “I don’t like this.” Savvy admitted. “Is it gonna be out forever?” She wrapped her arms around Victoria’s leg. It wasn’t typical of Savanna to be scared like this, but something changed in her the last time she went to David’s. Victoria still hadn’t gotten down to the root of it. “It’s just a storm, baby.” Vic smoothed her youngest’s hair down. “You’re safe in here, I promise.” Vic knew she would need to come up with a distraction for the little girl, so she gave her a job. “Why don’t you take your flashlight and collect all the batteries in the house? We’re going to need them.” Victoria didn’t know how long the power was going to be out, but she knew this storm was going to be a doozy. The lightning strike that took out the power for the entire town also took out cell phone towers. She couldn’t get through to anyone and Declan still wasn’t home which made her nervous.

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Savanna took Timmy with her to collect batteries. They took them out of toys, remotes, drawers… Anything they could find that contained batteries. “Look what I found.” Timmy pulled out some string lights that were battery powered. They had a box of AA batteries which is exactly what they needed to give the lights some juice. “We can use these. They should make everythin’ kinda bright.” Timmy wrapped them up as best he could and followed Savanna back to the living room. “We got all the batteries, mommy.” The six year old placed them on the coffee table. “Is this enough?” She arched a brow. Victoria didn’t have time to reply before a large clap of thunder shook the house. Savanna covered her ears with her hands as she flinched. She loved the rain, but she didn’t care for thunderstorms. She never had. “Mommy!” She screamed before Vic pulled her in close. She reached for Timothy too, although he seemed more okay with the storm than his sister.

“If we don’t have power, does that mean Dottie and Ransom don’t either? An Aunt Clara?” Timmy asked. He wished they were all together but Vic had no way of contacting them. She could only assume they were in the same boat. “I think so.” She looked out the window. For 6pm in July, it was awfully dark. Usually the sun didn’t begin to set until 9 or 9:30. “Where’s DC? I want DC ta be here…” Savvy pouted. Victoria checked her phone out of habit. She tried reaching out to him, Clara, Ransom, and Dottie just in case cell service came back, but it didn’t appear that her messages reached them. Not yet anyway. “He should be home soon, butterfly.” Vic replied in what she hoped was a convincing tone. She wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince more... Her six year old daughter or herself, but if he didn’t show up soon she would have no choice but to put the kids in the car and go looking for him.

“Does the mind flayer have him?” Savvy trembled. Victoria had no idea what her daughter was talking about. “Who, baby?” She questioned. Timmy looked up from a toy he had to explain. “The mind flayer. It’s from a show. Savvy thinks he’s real.” The eight year old spoke. “Dad let us watch Stranger Things…” He added. It clearly wasn’t a show for young kids. David thought it would be too scary for them, but they insisted it wasn’t. Timmy wasn’t afraid. He knew it was just a television show, but Savvy had nightmares about it almost every night for the last two weeks. “Savvy wanted ta watch it even though I knew it was gonna be too scary...” Savanna scowled. “It’s not too scary!” She interrupted her brother. “The mind flayer is out there.” She looked out the window. ��An he has DC…” The little brunette whispered.

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The sky was a dark shade of grey and without any lights from the town bouncing off the clouds, they gave off this eerie feeling. The thunder continued to boom overhead while lightning streaked across the sky. The rain was coming down in sheets. Anyone who stood outside for more than a second would be completely drenched. Victoria was doing the best she could to distract the kids, but with low lighting and no power at all, it proved harder than she expected. Even arts and crafts were a challenge because they couldn’t see very well. “Are you hungry?” She finally asked. There were plenty of options to choose from that didn’t require an oven or a microwave. Everything in the fridge was fair game. They needed to eat it before it went bad. “Can we have ice cream?”Timmy asked. “Cause it’ll melt if we don’t eat it.” He was too smart for his own good sometimes and Vic chuckled as she thought about it. Ice cream for dinner wasn’t her first choice, but it wasn’t like this happened often. In fact… It never happened. “Just this once.” The brunette agreed before she disappeared into the kitchen for the carton and some spoons. There was no need for bowls tonight. Whatever they couldn’t eat would be thrown out.

“Do ya think the power is gonna come back soon?” Savanna asked as she held Teddy close to her chest. She covered herself and the plush bear with the butterfly throw she and Victoria made over the winter. It had been her go-to blanket ever since. She wouldn’t sleep without it. “I duno if it’s gonna come back t’nite, but me an’ mommy will keep ya safe, Sav. Ya have nothin’ ta’ worry ‘bout.” No sooner did the words leave his mouth before the front door burst open and a shadowy figure stood before them. Savanna and Timothy both screamed bloody murder. “It’s the demogorgon!” The six year old shouted as she grabbed the first thing she could get her hands on to throw at the intruder. The television remote bounced off his head and shattered on the floor. “What in the Hell?” Declan said before a string of curse words were mumbled under his breath. Victoria came running in with a kitchen knife in her hand. “You stay away from them!” She yelled. Her heart was racing so fast she thought she was going to throw up. It wasn’t until he spoke again that she realized they weren’t in any actual danger. “Jesus Christ, Vic… Put the knife down. It’s me.” DC held his hands up in surrender. “It’s just me.”He winced as his fingers touched his head. Savvy hit him pretty good with the remote. Enough to break the skin and make him bleed. He turned to the little girl as he stepped into the light so she could see him. “Good aim, kid.” He laughed softly. He couldn’t be mad at her even though it hurt like Hell. She was scared and he couldn’t blame her.

“I was gonna ask if everyone was okay here, but from the looks’a it… Ya seem ta have things under control.” He chuckled again. Victoria brought a wet paper towel and a bandaid over to clean up his wound. “It’s wild out there, Vic. Trees are down everywhere. Transformers are blown. The whole town is without power.” Timmy raised a brow at the comment. “Transformer? Like Bumblebee? Or Optimus Prime?” He asked which made Victoria laugh and shake her head. “Not that kind of transformer, baby.” She told him before directing her attention back to Declan. “I tried to call you but I couldn’t get through. We were worried about you.” Their conversation was cut short by a tugging at the hem of her shirt. “Mom, I thought ya said we can have ice cream.” Timmy looked up at her with big doe eyes. She knew he wouldn’t let her forget. He never did when it came to food, especially one of his favorites. “Declan? Would you like some ice cream for dinner?” Vic asked to which he nodded. He wouldn’t turn down sweets. His sweet tooth was almost as bad as the kids. “Be right back.” The brunette said as she went back to the kitchen for the ice cream she took out of the freezer and four spoons.

“DC…” Savvy’s voice was soft. The sky was getting darker by the second and the trees in the distance looked like shadow monsters when they were backlit by lightning. “Are ya suuuuure you’re not’a demogorgon?” She asked cautiously. He rubbed his beard in confusion. “A demo-what?” He questioned. “This storm has ya pretty shaken up, huh?” He could see it on her face. He knew she was scared. He had been living there long enough to know how she reacted to thunderstorms. More often than not he’d wake up to her tucked in at Victoria’s side because that was the only way she’d go back to sleep. “I’ve got’an idea. Let me change in’ta somethin’ dry and I’ll show ya.” DC told the kids. He ruffled Timmy’s hair as he headed for the stairs. “Yer in charge ‘til I get back. It’s a man’s job ‘ta keep the ladies safe. I’m countin’ on ya.” Timmy took that very seriously and he promised to keep them safe as another clap of thunder sent Savvy diving under the blankets.

Timmy, Savanna, and Victoria were having ice cream for dinner when Declan returned in some dry clothes. He brought pillows and blankets with him… As many as he could find. He’d need Vic to distract the kids so he could get them set up. “DC!” Savvy held out a spoon for him to take. “We saved some ice cream for ya. You can sit right here next ta me an’ mommy.” The items in his hand didn’t go unnoticed. “What’s all that for?” The little brunette asked. Declan cracked a smile. “It’s a surprise.” He explained.

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When everyone had their fill of ice cream, Declan tossed the rest. He suggested to Vic that she take the kids into her studio to color for a little while. He wouldn’t tell her what he had up his sleeve either. “No peakin’ now.” He warned.

It took roughly a half an hour for Declan to construct a blanket fort that would fit all of them comfortably. He used the battery powered lights Timmy found with the Christmas decorations to line the ceiling of their storm shelter. He also had a couple of camping lanterns (so everything wasn’t so dark) and Sterno (that wasn’t lit yet) to cook hot dogs and marshmallows over like they were actually camping.

Once he was finished he went to get Vic and the kids. He watched them for a moment, smiling at how happy Victoria was when she spent time with her babies. It was like looking at a whole new person. Quitting nursing had been the best thing for her. He was glad she was finally doing something that made her happy. “Who’s ready to see their surprise?” Declan asked. Timmy was the first to jump up, but Savvy was a close second. “Well, come on then.” He ushered them to the living room.

“Mommy, look at this ginormous fort!” Savanna said excitedly. The smile on her children’s faces made Victoria’s heart swell. This was a new side of Declan… A side that she enjoyed very much. He was so good to Timmy and Savanna and it was obvious they adored him. “How’d I do?” DC asked the kids. “This is sooooo cool.” Timmy replied. “Mommy, there’s room for you an DC...an’ look!He got’a movie for us ‘ta watch.” Thankfully the kids had iPads that were fully charged and there were downloaded movies to keep them entertained until bedtime.

What started out as a scary evening was shaping up to be a pretty good night. The storm still raged outside, but the thunder seemed to be getting further away. Riding it out was all they could do. The only thing that would have made the night more perfect was if Ransom and Dottie were there too. “DC got the light back.”Savvy grinned. “He scared away the mind flayer so it's not so scary anymore."

[oliver-in-retrograde]

4, 7, 16, 17, 24, 37, 43, 55

Wow I am actually really charmed someone asked anonymously, i dig the intrigue aha~I’m just gonna jump in and be incredibly honest.4. Who do you want out of your life the most? It’s kind of sad/funny really; the thing I want most out of life is to keep being/making friends with people who are incredibly nice, honest and that I trust completely. Ultimately, I want some financial security (I grew up poor and money is always a constant worry, but I’m also not very frugal) I want to buy my mom a house, and not have to worry so much about what we can afford. But even the friend thing takes precedence over that. It takes precedence over a dream job. I want complete and ultimate platonic love, always. I don’t personally have any investment in religion, but I am devout in friendship. I am the most home not in a place, but with a person and I’m very selective about where I plant my heart. I believe in true love, but I’ve only been in real love once and right now, I don’t see how a non-platonic love could ever compare to the platonic love I feel for my friends. I want to keep this love. (Ah I thought this said “what do you want most out of life”- two of my closest friends surpass everyone else except my mom, so I want to keep them. I trust them completely, with anything and everything, with my life.) 7. Who do you wish you could be honest with? Ah.. that is a difficult question. I have had this come up in a conversation recently. Part of growing up is seeing the facade shatter away and becoming aware of all the faults of your parents. My mom has been the one constant in my mildly traumatic life and we’ve both picked up certain tendencies and I am beginning to navigate away from them/grow while she is still stagnating. I am naturally a very honest person, even to a fault, and somehow very secretive. But if I am being honest… I wish things could be simpler. Sometimes I really just need my mom to have a bandaid for my cuts or a late night drive when I can’t sleep (which we still do), but I talk to her better driving than I do in the same room. Almost like a profile with music playing the background and time eating the road feels like it’s eating the miles between us. I’m tired of being a stranger in my own home, but we keep pretending I’m not. Sometimes I’m not, but the times that I am are heavier. Like a lead bar tied to a hundred helium balloons. I wish I could be honest with her, and have it not turn into a fight. 16. Describe your personal hell. I think about this often actually. I’m terrified of space and drowning, which are all a metaphor I have realized for both loneliness and a loss of my senses. Both are cold, dark voids with maximum potential for pain, either by density of pressure or something attacking me. That same density of pressure will cut off the ability to breathe, or touch (there’d be nothing but oppressive weight and no way to really orient oneself so the brain would essentially shut off and send signals that it feels nothing but emptiness), the silence would be deafening, sight would be endless darkness. That is my personal hell, which I guess ultimately is just dying alone. 17. What’s a hopeless dream you’re still holding on to? Falling in love with my “true love”. Which relates back to you first question. I can’t fathom someone knowing me as well as my friends and then also having romantic things ensue. I think, and have been told, I’m more in love with the idea of being in love. But that was a few years ago. Of all of them, falling in love is the one I hold the most loosely in my hand, still next to my ribcage, but I can’t quite bring myself to believe it will happen. I still have a lot to learn about what love is, I am learning.24. What’s the bravest you’ve ever felt? Oh gosh… would you believe me if I said I didn’t know? I don’t really consider myself a brave person. I think maybe applying to college, as dull as that this, that was a very big step for me. And one of my best friends encouraged me heavily to get me to, so this feels a bit like cheating aha~ But I’m glad he did, and that I did. I’m more grateful than he likely realizes. 37. What’s your relationship with religion like? ah how interesting lol, well I went to church with my mom a lot until I was around 7? When dad really voided from my life, despite the divorce 3 years earlier. I think there were a few more years of spontaneous church visits, but my mom stopped going for a few reasons. Actually it’s only recently I’ve realized how important religion is to her. I really like mythology, and I view religion like mythology. I believe in a higher power, I believe the universe provides us turning points, and I believe in something like god as a way to describe a feeling of immense awe, inspiration and a very euphoric feeling. I think back to something Evie from V for Vendetta says “God is in the rain.” Except I feel that way about music typically. So, I guess it’s complicated. I believe humans put too much stock in religion, we are capable of so much greatness, whether it’s good or bad, ultimately are the decisions/circumstances we make/must face. But I only believe in that feeling of “god” I mentioned. The way a human voice can carry a note is incredible to me, I can’t sing, and I never really wanted to learn myself. I was far more impressed by how other people could. But a refrain, the chorus of a choir, a resounding note that cuts through the space between the matter of my bones. That for me, is a godly moment, but not a moment I believe in God as an actual guy in the sky who gave his only son to save us from our sins and all that. As for paganism, that does appeal in a base way, my friend is a loose pagan, and I like how he responds to nature, I like that that same mindset speaks of my mother’s lost heritage and that appeals to me in a way the Godly religions never could. I have to answer 43 and 55 later alas I have to go get my eyes prodded and poked for contact lenses. But I’ll respond to these when I get back. I’m enjoying myself :3 43. Describe the kind of life you wish you’d been born into. Whoa this is actually a complex question... I think I’m actually ok with this life. I mean it’d be really cool to have been born an elf in a time of peace in LOTR, but I wonder if I’d be a good fighter in that life cuz I’m not in this one XD. I guess I just wish my moms life had allowed her more success both for her own fulfillment and for us to be even slightly more financially secure. But again that’s probably a pretty boring read. If my life hadn’t gone the way it is has, I wouldn’t be who I am, and I mostly like who I am. As for the things I don’t like about myself, well I like to hope I can change them. I wish really good vr was a thing, like where I could download my consciousness into a computer and just live a whole bunch of lives. I want to be an elf, I want to live a few different kind of lives in Victorian/Edwardian England, and about a hundred other things. I wish I’d been born in an alternate reality where after the last bad breakup/escape, my mom had succeeded in something, and I hadn’t been bullied so atrociously that she really had to be on standby in case something happened. I wish I had applied myself instead of shutting down and been taught the tools to navigate my mental health/trauma. *is actually incredibly boring* I wish I’d learned to fence (like with the rapiers) and speak multiple languages, I wish I could rock climb, that I wasn’t afraid of heights, I wish I’d been exposed to different cultures-like really immersed at a young age.  I wish I had the funds to throw myself into things like travelling to other countries and learning new things, and I wish I wasn’t afraid to try new things because I am always trying to calculate a potential pain guage and the risk factors. I wish I could leave my mom and travel/try living alone (if I even had the funds for that) and know she wasn’t going to starve/be homeless. Ultimately...I wish I’d been born with more freedom, taught more confidence and survival and lived my life with an equal amount of fun and purpose in a more green place, if not an actual forest, with an actually good and functional societal system. I was I was more wise and less quick to anger, I wish I had the potential now to be a good leader. The kind of king who marches on the front line with his army, but is fair and just and I guess beloved, because I would want my people to trust and love me and I would want to do everything to make sure they were safe and happy. So.. I wish I had been born into a life where I have more control.55. Have you ever taken revenge on someone? Hmm...I have considered it many times, but beyond calling a girl who tormented me in elementary school the “b” word, no I haven’t. I really wish I had called more people out on their bullying though, and learned to walk out loudly instead of slinking away between classes or like a kicked dog. I wish I had gotten into at least one physical fight (preferably before high school) I always wanted to do one of those coup de grace ones where there’s spray paint all over the halls of the school and just angry black marker scrawls of everything wrong they had done/said (basically an angsty art installation I guess), but I never had the guts or skills to pull something like that off. I’ve always been horrified at the mere thought of getting into trouble, so that deterred a lot, sadly most of which would have been me standing up for myself.