#her father brought her to his job....being ceo of that company........... girl....

[hauntingblue]

Went to an architure lecture get together thing and like girl...... the dissonance

[winterchimez]

Eyes On Me | Lee Sangyeon

summary: Lee Sangyeon was determined that you were the right one for him, and he was going to make sure that you'll only have your eyes on him

pairing: ceo Sangyeon x employee f!reader

genre: suggestive

warnings: kissing, basically making out with your hot ceo 🤪

word count: 2,435

a/n: behold my very first fic for the loml ❤️ and yes this is written based on their jp track from their latest album! a huge shoutout to @sungbeam for helping me loads bcs ya gurl does not know how to write sexy 🧍🏻‍♀️ (ilysm beam 🩵)

It was a usual uneventful morning as the CEO of Lee Corporations sat in front of his desk, desperately trying his best to get to the hundreds of emails he had received for the day. 

Lee Sangyeon had been promoted to the head of the company, ever since his father retired from the industry 5 years ago. Frankly, it was never his choice to work in the business industry. 

Coming from a well-off family, it was difficult for the man himself to turn his back on his parents' high standards and expectations. Ever since his older sister was married off, he had no choice but to follow in the footsteps of his family’s business which has been passed down for generations. 

Adding insult to injury, that also meant that his parents were also in control of his love life. He has been set up multiple times in the past with a variety of different girls, from high school up to college, and eventually now in the work industry. None of them truly matched his values and desires and he always broke things off with them, the longest relationship only lasting about 2 years. 

Since he was already 27 years of age, his parents were desperately trying to get him to settle down for good. Hence, they found him yet another girl, who also came from yet another well-off family.

In fact, both families have been business partners for the past 2 decades. When their one and only daughter decided to work in Lee Corporations, eventually rising up to the ranks of being Sangyeon’s personal assistant, it was a win-win situation in both families’ eyes. 

A knock was heard on his front door, and he decided to shut down his computer screen, already knowing who it’ll be visiting at this hour.

“Come in.” 

Within seconds, the door swung open and a female dressed in a stylish, matching pencil skirt and blazer set brought in his favourite choice of coffee, iced americano, and placed it onto his desk.

Sangyeon stood up, and eventually made his way towards the female before both parties having their bodies pressed against one another, arms winding around each other’s bodies. 

“How was your day, babe?” 

“Just the usual, nothing much.”

The woman noticed how gaunt he looked. Clearly, he was pretty worn out due to the unending amount of crap he has to deal with being the CEO. 

Loosening his tie, she immediately threw it to the ground, before cupping both of Sangyeon’s cheeks as she decided to go in for a kiss.

“Let me take away all of your worries, babe.” 

As their lips met, the female snake both of her arms around his shoulder while Sangyeon wraps his around her waist. Both were having a passionate kiss, as one would like to say, tongues exploring each other’s mouth. 

As much as one would think that Sangyeon loves his fiancé, Rachel, who is also his personal assistant, what nobody knew was how he had his eyes on a completely different individual. 

Although physically occupied, Sangyeon happens to open up his eyes as he notices a familiar female employee that just made her way onto the floor to pass on some documents required to her superior. 

You began your journey here at Lee Corporations earlier this year when you were promoted from a small humble company on the outskirts of Seoul. Apparently, your superior in your former job had an acquaintance that informed him that the Lee Corporations were in dire need of more capable employees to join the team as they continue to expand their business.

Your former boss knew very well how you’ve always excelled at your job, and insisted that you applied. Hence, he immediately signed you up and you were packing your bags and leaving your home village for the heart of Seoul within the next couple of weeks. 

It was hard to leave everything behind, especially when you’ve lived almost your whole 25 years of life back in your quaint, little village. But you knew in order to support your family, you had to take on whatever job that had the best and highest pay. 

The first few months were tough, coming into a city filled with strangers. Hell, even joining one of the most prestigious companies in Seoul gave you little to no reassurance or confidence. But luckily, as time went on, you came to have found a comfortable place to be, as well as having the best co-workers surrounding you on a daily basis. 

In fact, it was you who caught the attention of the one and only, CEO of Lee Corporation.

There was something so intriguing about you, even the man himself couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was. The way you’re always so focused on your job, the way you smiled and giggled whenever you were talking to your co-workers, even the way you munched on your favourite bagel that you always got from the local bakery down by the street. 

You had everything a man wants: long silk light brown hair that always seemed so perfect no matter how you styled it, a pretty smile that would melt the hearts of the people around you, and a perfect sculpture, both facial and body-wise, that captivates the CEO himself. 

Lee Sangyeon was strongly attracted to you. He himself would like to say that he’s practically drowned in love, like a sailor to a siren if you will. Ever since you introduced yourself to him on your first day at work, something had felt strange to him, to the point he constantly get these little butterflies in his stomach since that day, even until now whenever he laid his eyes upon you.

At this point, his entire universe might as well revolve around you, but it was definitely not easy to come clean to his and his fiancé's parents about this since wedding preparations were already on their way. And to think of how both businesses would suffer if there were to be a scandal that comes to light because of a third party that is involved.

But what they failed to note was how persistent Sangyeon can be. When he lays his eyes upon something he truly loves, he’s prepared, by all means, to do what he must to get what he wants, even if it meant using his status to do so. 

A party was going to be held tonight at the Swiss Grand Hotel, one of the most well-known luxury hotels in Seoul. A lightbulb dings in his mind, knowing how he is going to make full use of this entire event that was going to take place tonight.

He was determined to let the world know that you were his.

You arrived with a cocktail dress you somehow managed to borrow from one of your co-workers. There was no way you were going to buy a new dress in the heart of Seoul when you were already struggling to pay your monthly rent. 

But the dress you chose for the night was still elegant and appropriate, which painted you in a totally different light. The Y/N you knew of who grew up in the village would’ve never thought to be able to wear such fancy attire, let alone attend one of the most prominent figures in Seoul high society's party in the city. However, you thought it was good for a change, and you were definitely going to savour this whole night of finally being able to let loose and enjoy it to the fullest.

As you entered the venue, sure enough, the entire room was decorated to be as extravagantly as possible. Gold confetti balloons were scattered throughout the entire room, and an all-you-can-eat buffet and bar were stationed on the far side of the room for all employees of the company to devour as much as they would like. 

“Rich people things,” one of your co-workers whispered to you in the ear, and you couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. 

You tried your best to blend in as much as you could, clearly, you were still unfamiliar with this kind of environment. You had a bit of a bite and a drink down at the bar, before the lights in the room started to dim, indicating that it was time for a dance between employees.

You weren’t much of a party girl, so you decided to watch from afar, by the door, with a glass of champagne in hand. 

That was until you felt someone grab your wrists and pulled you out of the room, dragging you down the dimly lit hallways and eventually into a dark, empty room. 

You were terrified, to say the least. Were you about to get kidnapped while in the midst of a company party? Whoever this was and what their intentions may be, you definitely did not want to know.

Before you could let out a scream, a palm was placed over your mouth, followed by a hush sound coming from the individual himself. 

“Shhh.. Y/N. It’s all okay.”

Wait a minute. You recognised that voice. 

That deep husky voice could only belong to one person, and you were hoping that it wasn’t the person you had in mind. 

You opened up your eyes and sure enough, you found your boss leaning into you while your back was pressed up against the wall. 

Holy smokes, this is Mr. Lee! 

You were panicking, thinking of the multitude of things that you might have done wrong at work so far to trigger your boss enough to take you into a private room to talk things out. That is, until your boss was the one who broke the silence. 

“Listen, Y/N. I know this may seem crazy and all, but you have no idea how much I’ve waited for this day to come.”

Wait. What on earth? 

“I can’t tell you how much you make me go insane, and how desperately I have waited for this day to come to truly make you mine.” 

No. This has to be a mistake-

You begin to talk through your muffled voice, which caused the man to let go of his palm that was still covering your mouth. “I-Umm… with all due respect sir, I mean, Mr. Lee, this can’t be real… I mean you have your fiancé here tonight-”

“No, Y/N. You don’t understand.”

Now, he leans further into you, taking both of your arms and pinning them above your head. He leans his head down close to you as he whispers into your ear. “You are the one that I’ve always wanted all along. It has always been just you in my universe ever since you came into my life. And tonight, I will claim you and you will be mine, and mine only.” 

And then his lips are on yours as he begins to devour you like you’re his last meal. Your eyes widen at the sudden move, your entire body frozen.

You were desperately trying your best to rationalise this entire situation you were stuck in. Because, heck, for one, he was your boss for goodness sake! And two, you were unfortunately too weak to fight against his strong grip over you. And three, you were at war with yourself—you weren't supposed to encourage this behaviour, but why did it feel so good?

Oh my god. Sangyeon was completely in heaven at this point because you had the most luscious, soft and warm lips he has ever kissed. And now that he has tasted your lips, he wasn’t going to let go anytime soon.

Plus, the fact that you decided to spray on his favourite perfume, Mémoire d’une Odeur from Gucci. There was no doubt he recognised it right away for sure. The airy and musky scent that it produced, and how it always made him feel at ease. So every time you walked past the hallway, the scent seemed to linger and always made him anticipate your visits. Oh, how he enjoyed so much how the scent seeped into his lungs and suffocated him. 

He moved his lips down to your jaw and to your neck, leaving a trail of kisses all over your sensitive spots. In return, you elicit a soft, pleasurable moan, honey to his ears. 

“Y/N, baby. You sound so good," he groaned, lips inking the words into your skin.

Whimpering a little, you tried your best to mutter out the words that were stuck in your throat. “Ple-please… what do you want from me?”

“Oh, baby… I don’t even understand myself anymore at this point.”  

As he begins to suck on your earlobe, he frees one of your arms so that he is able to snake his hand under your dress, touching your soft and sensitive thighs. 

“I can’t control myself Y/N.” 

As you continued to whine as he begins to suck aggressively on your collarbone, you knew that this man was far from done with you.

“Oh my god. Mr. Lee… I-I can’t…”

“Sangyeon. Call me that, baby.” 

“S-sangyeon… please….” 

But your entanglement was interrupted when the doors burst open. An angry female voice boomed, and Sangyeon knew precisely who it was without having to turn his head back to take a look.

He quickly tucked your head down into his chest with his other hand, not wanting to expose your identity and to keep you safe. 

“How many times are you going to do this, Sangyeon. For God’s sake we have finally found you a suitable partner It’s about damn time you settle down and stop being stubborn!”

“No, Mother. For 27 years you and father have always been in full control of my life. Now that I have finally found the perfect partner for myself, I will not let you both rule over my life ever again. The wedding with Rachel is over.” 

Knowing how she is practically unable to win against her son, Sangyeon's mother huffed and stormed away down the hall to take care of the mess that was bound to happen now that the cat is out of the bag. 

Turning his attention back to you as he lifts up your head, he places another soft kiss right onto your lips again. 

“I want you to see me, Y/N. And in return, I will completely surrender myself to you. So have your eyes on me only, to the point of breaking.” 

Snaking his hand back into your thigh, he leans back down and whispers into your ear. 

“Next time, maybe consider wearing red lingerie instead. That would definitely turn me on even better.”  

a/n: ever since @sungbeam convinced me that sangyeon is most def into red lingerie it has been implanted deep in my mind i love hate you for that 😔

masterlist

taglist: @deoboyznet @kflixnet @flwoie @hokupi @zzoguri @kyusqult @tinkerbell460 (join my permanent taglist here!)

[trkhan]

antony rafiq khan. just call him tony or tk. forty-one ( october 10, 1982 ) billionaire, jacksonville jaguars owner, president/ceo/ gm of All Elite Wrestling. he is also a businessman, promoter. needless to say… he keeps himself business. the list grows daily because he’s far too stubborn to slow down.

tony was born & raised to shahid and ann khan in urbana-champa, illinois. tony was very fortunate and blessed as he was brought up in a rich neighborhood with two, albeit strict sometimes, loving parents. before becoming a man with a million and one jobs, tony was simply an Illinois kid that became absolutely obsessed with sports but especially professional wrestling and football. despite the obsession, Tony was never gifted an athletic bond in his body so he continued watching from sidelines with his father.

after 14 years of being an only child and secretly longing for a sibling, his mother and father welcomed a baby girl, yazmin. at this point, tony had given up on the idea of being a big brother and had settled comfortably as the only child. but now that he had a little sister, tony did as best he could to be the best big brother to her but when she was 4, he was 18 and it was off to college he went.

tony was always the “nerd” as some would say but another fortunate thing was that he was never bullied. he wasn’t blind though. he knew it was only because his family practically donated a gym to his middle school when the old one flooded. in fact, he resented it a little. if you asked tony about his childhood now, he’d say he felt invisible at school. like he was portraying a role in the world’s weirdest series. tony, as crazy as it sounds, questioned why he didn’t get bullied and compared it to the fact that at least kids that are bullied were noticed. sure, he had the occasional friend but none ever stuck more than two grades ahead.

tony graduated high school in 2001. unsure of what he needed to do, he just kinda went through the motions of what his dad wanted for him. he earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the local university. after venturing into different things, joining his dad after his father purchased the Jacksonville Jaguars, it was another passion that Tony branched off and solely bet on himself. in late 2018, a buzz around the professional wrestling world began to swirl both negative and positive. On January 1 2019, All Elite Wrestling was born.

fast forward 5 years later, tk still forever drowns himself in his work but recently his not so baby sister has joined his side as head of their legal department as one of several changes going on within the company to lighten the load for everyone… including himself.

this background has sprinkled true to irl tony elements with some added background to expand the character since irl tk is private.

connections ( so far! 9/30/24 )

- @itsyazmin / younger sister and all elite wrestling’s legal advisor. / since signing on with him in aew, tk and yaz are actually growing closer as siblings.

[trickarrows-bishop]

no but like melissa's story is so tragic and nobody fucking acknowledges it. first, she's a descendant of the ultima line which already means she has tragedy painted in her history. THEN she gets a little brother and has to be basically a parent to him as their parents go away so often. also she mentions that originally, before they became billionaires, they weren't actually all that well off. THEN she's seperated from her brother and sent off to boarding school, NOT TO MENTION THAT HER BABY BROTHER IS AN ULTIMA. which means they have to protect him at all costs WHICH MEANS SHE WAS TAUGHT TO SACRIFICE HERSELF FOR HIM.

then she's brought into her parents' job and they won't even let her inherit it bc they want to give it to aaron for some fucking reason???? are they misognistic I DONT KNOW but anyways. so she her job and she's the CEO of their company but then after being so seperated from her brother he nearly fucking DIES????? and so she's the one that has to keep visiting aph to give her updates. her one lucky break is getting with this one witch girl for the holidays and she has a grand old time until her brother nearly kills his best friend and THEN she gets told by her dad that her brother's best friends were EXPERIMENTED on as kids which is directly tied to them being ULTIMAS, and then melissa and her entire family are painted as villains and have to go into hiding, melissa injures her arm, and her father hands himself in.

THEN SHE NEARLY DIES. SHE SACRIFICES HERSELF FOR AARON AND NEARLY FUCKING BLEEDS OUT. SHE SPENDS THE REST OF THE SEASON UNCONSCIOUS AND ON THE VERGE OF DEATH, AND WHEN SHE WAKES UP, HER DAD'S DEAD, HER MOM'S DEAD, HER BROTHER DOESN'T HAVE ANY FUCKING MEMORY AND SHE'S ALL ALONE AND I WILL NEVER STOP BEING EMO ABOUT IT

why must you remind me . i’m in pain oh my god .

[paxtonrp]

𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐒

Name: Lindsey Gallagher

Age: 38

Occupation: Chief Membership Officer

Affiliation: Obsidian Holdings Executive Board Member

Gender & Pronouns: Woman (she/her)

Faceclaim: Shay Mitchell

𝐁𝐈𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐘

Lindsey Gallagher was born to be an American princess – the perfect addition to the perfect family, easily overlooked, and only brought out when a particularly difficult donor needed a bit more convincing. For all intents and purposes, it should have been an easy job: simply smile and wave while her father, a lifelong politician, shook hands, kissed babies, and made promises that he had no intention of ever keeping. Then she’d marry someone equally as well off, have beautiful babies, and continue the legacy. Easy. But Lindsey was so much more than the things she was born to be.

Ambition is a dirty word when linked to a woman. From a young age, Lindsey knew that if she wanted something outside of the cookie cutter, American royalty story she’d been born into, she’d have to get it herself. Every move she made was carefully calculated, every relationship just another notch in her belt, a debt to be called upon at a later time. Promises were easily made, easily broken, and Lindsey had no qualms about promising the world if it would get her what she craved – a place at the top.

She was supposed to take over as CEO of the family’s foundation, a job that her mother herself had held and carefully groomed the young girl for. A saccharine smile, soft touch, words whispered as lips brushed against jaws – Lindsey could do it all with her eyes closed. She was beautiful, full of life, and she oozed charm. Most would give their dearest treasures for the mere privilege of being in her presence, but she wanted so much more than to be the voiceless plaything of powerful men.

The final straw came, though, at the announcement of Lindsey’s impending engagement. The fiance in question was a junior senator with whom her father had worked and taken under his wing. Lindsey was less than interested in the man, but any objections to the proposed union was met with dismissals from her father. This was what she’d been born for after all.

So, she took matters into her own hands. Whether she earned her place at Yale School of Management or greased the hinges a bit is a secret she’ll never reveal. All that can be said for sure is that this is where Lindsey belonged. It was here that her mind thrived, here where she learned to combine the skills she’d learned from her mother with the strategies need to unlock any business puzzle. She could look at a problem and strategize five ways to tackle it without breaking a sweat.

After graduating, Lindsey had no interest in returning to her family. So, instead, she set her eyes on businesses that would benefit from her expertise. Soon, Lindsey began to build a name for herself outside of her family legacy, her carefully portrayed façade a venus fly trap luring unsuspecting folks in.

Like a carrion bird circling a battlefield, Lindsey has settled in at Obsidian Holdings. She’d been approached by a member, asked to trade secrets on her father and former betrothed for her place there. It had seemed like an easy enough thing to do – Lindsey had no loyalty to either man, and she was acutely aware that her expertise could benefit the company. She is cold and brilliant, her mind a diamond that cannot be owned, and she is determined to solve this newest puzzle that has been set before her.

𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐓 𝐀𝐑𝐂

She’s a poisoned apple. On the outside she is irresistible, but the inside is toxic. She doesn’t see what she does as wrong — she believes that people have choices and eventually they will submit to their baser desires. Paxton is just another town on her conquest list, and the challenge of understanding how to bring the Top Hands down is what she was born for.

[lindseyxgallagher]

NAME: Lindsey Gallagher

LANGUAGES SPOKEN: English; Spanish

AGE: 38

DOB: april 23, 1986

ALIGNMENT: chaotic neutral

GENDER: Cisgender female

PRONOUNS: she/her

SEXUALITY: Demiromantic Bisexual

HEIGHT: 5’7”

BUILD: Athletic

EYE COLOR: brown

HAIR COLOR: brown

BIRTH ORDER: third and youngest child; two older brothers

FACE CLAIM: Nathalie Kelley

OCCUPATION: CMO of Obsidian Holdings

RESIDENCE: Paxton, AZ

QUOTE: “She has a mouth like unswept glass—-when you least expect it she cuts you.” – Junot Diaz

BIOGRAPHY.

Lindsey Gallagher was born to be an American princess – the perfect addition to the perfect family, easily overlooked, and only brought out when a particularly difficult donor needed a bit more convincing. For all intents and purposes, it should have been an easy job: simply smile and wave while her father, a lifelong politician, shook hands, kissed babies, and made promises that he had no intention of ever keeping. Then she’d marry someone equally as well off, have beautiful babies, and continue the legacy. Easy. But Lindsey was so much more than the things she was born to be.

Ambition is a dirty word when linked to a woman. From a young age, Lindsey knew that if she wanted something outside of the cookie cutter, American royalty story she’d been born into, she’d have to get it herself. Every move she made was carefully calculated, every relationship just another notch in her belt, a debt to be called upon at a later time. Promises were easily made, easily broken, and Lindsey had no qualms about promising the world if it would get her what she craved – a place at the top.

She was supposed to take over as CEO of the family’s foundation, a job that her mother herself had held and carefully groomed the young girl for. A saccharine smile, soft touch, words whispered as lips brushed against jaws – Lindsey could do it all with her eyes closed. She was beautiful, full of life, and she oozed charm. Most would give their dearest treasures for the mere privilege of being in her presence, but she wanted so much more than to be the voiceless plaything of powerful men.

The final straw came, though, at the announcement of Lindsey’s impending engagement. The fiance in question was a junior senator with whom her father had worked and taken under his wing. Lindsey was less than interested in the man, but any objections to the proposed union was met with dismissals from her father. This was what she’d been born for after all.

So, she took matters into her own hands. Whether she earned her place at Yale School of Management or greased the hinges a bit is a secret she’ll never reveal. All that can be said for sure is that this is where Lindsey belonged. It was here that her mind thrived, here where she learned to combine the skills she’d learned from her mother with the strategies need to unlock any business puzzle. She could look at a problem and strategize five ways to tackle it without breaking a sweat.

After graduating, Lindsey had no interest in returning to her family. So, instead, she set her eyes on businesses that would benefit from her expertise. Soon, Lindsey began to build a name for herself outside of her family legacy, her carefully portrayed façade a venus fly trap luring unsuspecting folks in.

Like a carrion bird circling a battlefield, Lindsey has settled in at Obsidian Holdings. She’d been approached by a member, asked to trade secrets on her father and former betrothed for her place there. It had seemed like an easy enough thing to do – Lindsey had no loyalty to either man, and she was acutely aware that her expertise could benefit the company. She is cold and brilliant, her mind a diamond that cannot be owned, and she is determined to solve this newest puzzle that has been set before her.

PLOT ARC.

She’s a poisoned apple. On the outside she is irresistible, but the inside is toxic. She doesn’t see what she does as wrong — she believes that people have choices and eventually they will submit to their baser desires. Paxton is just another town on her conquest list, and the challenge of understanding how to bring the Top Hands down is what she was born for.

[jadyn057]

Chapter 13 Fieldwork: Migration 

I had the pleasure of hearing the immigration story of my fathers friend carlos.​​Carlos is from Mexico he immigrated to the U.S when he was 10.Carlos, his brother and his single mother moved from the Mexico to the U.S.Carlos brother is 6 years old.When they came to the U.S the moved to california.Carlos mother Maria struggled to find a job after all she was a immigrant.Maria had planned on getting her green card for her and her family.Until then Carlos and his brother Alejandro attend public school in Inglewood california.Carlos started public school and his english wasnt so good.Carlos was bullied alot growing up for not being good at speaking english.Teachers explained to Carlos mother that he was still struggling after months to learn english.Carlos mom Maria got him tutor to help him learn english better even though she wa strugglish to pay the rent.Carlos was tutor up until 9th grade by that time Carlos was fluent in both spanish and english.Carlos still wasn’t the most popular in high school but he was really good at finance so he took statistics in highschool he was good at other subjects to for the average student but math was his best and Favorite subject.Carlos graduated high school with a 3.92 gpa and Salaturion he them went on to study finance at Harvard Univeristy.Carlos college experience was a the best four years of his life.His freshman year was amazing he met a group of friends and went to lost of college parties.Midway into his sophomore year Carlos met his first real girlfriend Elena he had crushes and went who dates in high school but Elena was different she was nothing like anyone he met before.Elena was nine-teen same age as Carlos she had brown hair and brown eyes and was about 5’4.Elena was a political science major she told Carlos that she’d aspire to be mayor one day.Carlos took Elena to the carnival on their the first date they had a great time they played carnival games carlos even won Elena a stuffed Ocatupus.Elena and Carlos dated all through college he even proposed to her on their graduation day from Harvard and the couple moved to houston texas.Carlos had just gotten a offer for his first finance job making six figures but Elena wanted to pursue law school.Carlos took the job and purchase a huge house with his fiance.Carlos and Elena had a small but intimate wedding in the virgin islands.When they returned home three months later Elena wasn’t feeling well and deiced to take a preganacy test she was three months pregnant.Carlos was so happy.Nine months later Carlos and Elena welcome a baby girl Isabella.Carlos 8 years later made CEO at his financed company.Carlos and Elena had now had a son name Diego.Today Carlos makes 7 figures he is a millionaire living in mansion in Houston Texas with his wife Elena who have been together for 20 years and married for 16 their daughter Isabella is 16 years of old in her Junior year of high school,their son Diego is 8 years old and they have another daughter Gabriella and shes 4 years old.Elena has now finish law school and she is a finance attorney working from home at the same company as her husband she is also a part-time stay at home mom.Carlos takes Vactions with his family every year.They have traveled to disney world even bali.

"Although my mother struggled to make ends meet she always will be my hero because she made sure my brother and I were ok. She believed we could do what she could not which is why she brought us to the U.S."- Carlos

Side Note: The name used in the story is to cover the person's identity.

[glitterymarshmellowfem]

When your neighbor Cheryl came over for just a short visit, b/c she was lonely cause her husband was outta town for the week, you were only too happy to keep her company. You pulled out a bottle of wine, and then another. Poor thing was super lonely, you knew you needed to help her through this depression. Her spirits were much higher after you fucked like two hormone-driven high school teens. But her sadness would come back and the only cure was to fuck her again. Well Monday turned into Tuesday and she brought a few clothes and makeup over. You had the week off, so you two spent all the time together going all over the city, Tuesday rolled into Wednesday and she was still at your house. On Thursday her husband called and said his construction job would last another month clear across the country. So she brought over more of her clothes and things and moved in. She no longer wore her wedding ring which you took as a good sign she was over coming her depression. She was happy and started making some small changes to your house. Things like repainting the entire house. Your twin bed and other bedroom furniture was replaced with a more feminine king sized bed, makeup table and a bathroom with a tub and shower more appropriate for a woman. She was an excellent cook and had the entire kitchen and appliances replaced that suited her needs. Your backyard was re-landscaped into a lush tropical setting and a beautiful pool b/c she liked to swim. Being the CEO of a big corporation you were happy to pay for the changes.

She started calling you darling and you were both happy to be living together. At the end of the second week after all the changes were made to the house and yard, you came home from work, she looked especially attractive in her clothes. And after a nice dinner, she said the two of you were going on a vacay to a French South Sea island. She was so happy you didn't want to deny her this trip so you made arrangements to be gone the next two weeks.

It was a wonderful resort. You were registered as Mr and Mrs according to the reservations she made. While there she asked you to buy her an engagement ring. You did and on bended knee proposed. She said yes. While on the vacay, she received a message from an attorney saying her husband was killed in a construction accident. She made arrangements for this funeral, which you didn't attend. You thought she would be depressing to her, but her making plans for your wedding there took her mind off her loss. Wedding day came, and it was a large lavish wedding at the resort.

So now it was legal. What started as an attempt to cheer up a lonely neighbor turned into making that neighbor your wife. On top of that she broke the news to you that you were going to be a father. Nine months later at your newly redecorated gorgeous house, you were at the hospital welcoming your twin girls into the world. You and your wife were now both happy.

[highqueenofelfhame]

rowaelin month day ten

rowaelin month day ten -- single parents. masterlist // buy me a ko-fi // redbubble  

The morning truly couldn’t have been going worse. Aelin had woken up to the nanny telling her she’d come down with the stomach flu. Aelin wasn’t cruel enough to tell the poor girl she had to work through it; instead encouraging her to drink as much water as she could and get some much-needed rest. Evangeline had apologized profusely, but Aelin was having none of it. She reassured her that she could figure it out.

It turned out she couldn’t. Her mother and father both worked sixty hours a week. Aelin knew that her mother would take a day if Aelin called, but she couldn’t bring herself to make the call and disrupt her week. Evie’s father had died in a car crash before she was even born. Everyone who was a viable option worked full-time jobs, leaving her three-year-old in her hands. She could call out, but she had a mountain of a workload that she’d left last night, reassuring herself she would get it done today. Everything she needed was at her office, so working from home was out of the question. All signs were pointing to an impromptu “bring your child to work” day. 

The CEO of the company was a good friend of hers, and Aelin knew that Dorian wouldn’t mind seeing his goddaughter toddling around the office. In fact, she knew that he would eventually steal her away for a snack time at some point so Aelin could get some work done. It would likely be a snack that wasn’t mommy approved, but she would give him a free pass today.

It would be okay, she reassured herself as she struggled to get Evie to cooperate with getting her tiny arms through her yellow long-sleeved shirt. She was mumbling in an indecipherable language as Aelin nodded along, chiming in here and there like she understood every word. The reality was that she only understood a handful of words. One of them was juice, so Aelin made a mental note to make her a full cup of juice for the car ride to the office to keep her happy. 

It didn’t take long to brush her hair into the tiniest pigtails to exist, with two little orange bows holding them in place. By the time she was fully dressed in her fall garb, complete with a tiny gray vest so cute that Aelin wanted to cry, she looked like a baby Gap model. Without a doubt, everyone at the office would be cooing over how precious she looked the second they walked through the door. 

“Where going?” Evie inquired, her little head tilting to the side as Aelin packed her go-bag full of snacks and an outfit change just in case. 

“Momma’s gotta go to work today, baby. You get to come, too. Do you want to see Uncle Dorian?” At the mention of Dorian, Evie’s eyes lit up as a broad smile pushed her chubby cheeks up until her eyes squinted closed. Aelin grinned and kissed her cheeks until she giggled wildly. Thank the gods that Evie was in a good mood today. Some mornings she woke up on the wrong side of the bed, fussy as all get out while Aelin tried to push along their morning. Thankfully today, she was full of smiles and giggles. It would make everything much easier if she cooperated.

After grabbing a sippy cup full of apple juice and shoving the bottle in her bag, making yet another note to put it in the fridge in the break room when she arrived at the office, she swooped Evie into her arms, and they were on their way. 

Upon arriving at the office, Aelin was right. The two receptionists immediately fell in love with Evie’s tiny pigtails and her outfit. They cooed over her bright eyes, twins to Aelin’s own. It took longer than usual to make it to the elevator, where even several men commented on how adorable she was. It brought a smile to her face, but it dropped when she thought of her office neighbor. 

Rowan Whitethorn was the hardass of the office. She was pretty positive that he hated her, and there was nothing she could do to change his mind. They spent their days arguing back and forth about anything and everything. Some days she was sure that he only did it to get a rise out of her. 

Aelin had never seen him smile-- he only scowled. His assistant was constantly rushing around, losing his damn mind trying to meet all of Rowan’s demands in a day. More than once, she’d caught tidbits of his conversations with Aelin’s own assistant, the poor boy begging to swap just for a single day. Aelin could only imagine what Rowan would say about Evie being such a workplace distraction. She was positive there would be complaints about her squeals and giggles that he would hear through the wall. 

There was truly nothing she could do, though. Too much needed to be done at work to take a personal day, and Evie was typically well behaved enough to be occupied until her mom got off work and could pick her up. 

As she made her way down the hall, everyone oohed and ahhed over Evie. Aelin thanked everyone for their compliments, her heart spilling over with joy. Until she saw Rowan in the kitchen while she put away the juice. He was making coffee and, upon noticing Evie in her arms, an emotion she couldn’t quite place flickered over his face. 

“I didn’t know you had a daughter,” he said, eyes going from her pigtails down to the boots on her tiny feet. 

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.” She closed the fridge door and left the kitchen, gone as quickly as she had come. When she arrived in her office, she shut the door and put Evie down, watching as she ran straight for the couch and flopped over the side with a giggle bubbling out of her lips. 

The single mother took a few minutes to take Evie’s toys out of her bag, even laying a few puffy snacks out on the table for her to snack on while she played. She went straight for them as quickly as Aelin sprinkled them out of the container. Aelin chuckled as she watched her for a moment, hands on her hips while she decided she was okay to sit at her desk and begin her work. 

Evie was surprisingly self-sufficient while Aelin started her daily tasks. She played with the toys her mother provided and munched on her treats. Aelin heard a lot of babbling and a slew of giggles, a loud squeal pulling her from her work as her door opened. 

Dorian leaned in the doorway, giving her a running start until he followed, darting across the room to scoop Evie into his arms. He spun her in circles with her legs flying behind her. She was laughing in a way that she only did with Dorian. Aelin seldom got that sound to come out of her daughter, but somehow, she wouldn’t change it for anything.

“I heard tales of a little princess fighting dragons in my office,” he said to no one in particular, but Evie seemed to understand that she was the princess. If there was anything that she liked in this world, it was being called a princess. She understood that word more than anything because Aelin read her fairy tales of princesses every night. Tangled was constantly on their TV, only to be replaced by Beauty and the Beast. They utterly enchanted her, and everyone in her life was constantly calling her a princess. She loved it. 

The giggling continued while he tickled her sides and blew raspberries on her belly until the shrieking got so intense he made a face at Aelin and merely brought her into a tight hug as he said, “Sorry. Nanny out today?”

“She’s got a stomach bug. I had no other options; I’m really sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize. You know I love any chance I get to see her. I’m not going to penalize you for being a mother, Aelin.” Evie was chomping her teeth near Dorian’s face, causing her best friend to laugh and hold her at arm’s length. “I’ll even take her across the hall for a bit so you can get more done.”

“You’re a lifesaver,” she replied, sighing and leaning back in her seat. Aelin really did have so much to do, to the point that she couldn’t even bring herself to tell him he didn’t have to do that. She would take whatever help she could get.

Her door was left open as he took Evie out into the hall, Aelin noticing that they weren’t going in the direction of his office but rather toward the kitchen. Her eyes rolled as she swiveled in her chair to face her computer and really dive into her work, leaning forward and exhaling a deep breath, willing herself to focus. 

Quite a bit of time passed, and she was able to get a considerable amount of work completed. All of her emails had been caught up when Dorian edged into her office and cleared his throat. Aelin looked up, half expecting Evie’s outfit to be ruined by chocolate, but her little ray of sunshine was nowhere to be seen.

“Where is she?” 

“I… may have taken a phone call and looked away for two minutes, and she vanished.”

“What?” Aelin was on her feet in an instant, rushing across her office and out into the hall. “What the fuck do you mean? How long has it been?” 

“Since I lost her and started looking for her? Half an hour. I was scared to tell you.” 

“My daughter has been missing for half an hour, and you’re only just now telling me? What the fuck, Dorian?” She hit his chest rather abrasively as she shoved past him, eyes scanning every room while she ran down the hall. How she was able to do it without toppling over in her heels, she wasn’t sure. All she could feel was the panic from her heart pounding in her chest to the shaking of her hands. The roaring in her ears made everything else sound muffled and distant, like she was standing at the edge of white water rapids. Even with her hands in fists so tight she could feel them shake, nausea building up in her chest. 

“Evie?” She called out, a tremor rising in her throat that caused her voice to sound shaky and weak. Tears were pricking in her ears as she turned to run back to her office. She would call down to security to see if they could scan the cameras, and call reception to see if anyone had carried her out. From there, she would--

Her heart stopped beating when she glanced into Rowan’s office. It was the office directly next to hers, and behind his desk, Rowan held a snoozing Evie. Her little fist was gripping the lapels of his suit jacket, and he seemed relaxed while he flipped through papers with one hand. 

“What are you doing with my daughter?” Aelin asked, stepping into the door. A few tears of relief slipped down her cheeks, and she was quick to wipe them, lest he make an asshole comment about it.

“I told that little shit to let you know I had her,” he murmured, barely glancing up from his papers. “I think that’s the final straw. He genuinely can’t do the most basic of tasks, I--” 

Rowan paused when he looked up from his work. Something soft flashed in his eyes for a split second before he continued, “She was laying on the couch by the kitchen when I found her. She babbled something about Dorian, I think, and when I looked in his office, he was on the phone arguing with someone. You looked busy, and I know you have a lot to do, and when I picked her up, she let out the biggest yawn I’ve ever seen. By the time I’d walked back to my office, she was asleep. I told my assistant to let you know. I’m sorry that he didn’t, and I’m sorry that I didn’t follow up with an e-mail or a phone call. You just seem like you could use the help so you could get work done. I’m sorry.” 

Not only was it the most that Rowan had ever said to her in a single conversation, but it was the kindest she’d seen him be to anyone. He wasn’t complaining about the little bit of drool coming out of the side of Evie’s mouth and soaking into his jacket. He was just holding her like he was so at ease with the situation and truly didn’t mind. 

“You don’t wear a ring, and I’ve never heard you mention a significant other. Divorced?”

“Widowed,” she replied, sitting in one of the leather chairs in front of his desk. Again, his face softened as he looked down at Evie. 

“She looks just like you. She’s beautiful.” Ignoring the implications of that comment, Aelin smiled softly.

“Thank you. She is… everything to me.”

“I… I have a daughter, too. Briar. My wife died two years after we were married. Briar is six now, but Evie is… so much less temperamental than B was.” Aelin tried not to let the shock show on her face. Shock that Rowan Whitethorn was a father and shock that they shared a sad history. The curiosity to ask how she had died was strong, but she wouldn’t ask. Sometimes she hated it when people asked how Sam died. It was like opening a wound all over again. 

“Oh, she has her days. Don’t let this fool you,” she laughed, dragging her fingers through her hair. “I didn’t know you had a daughter, either.”

Rowan flipped his computer screen so she could see it, and she was welcomed by a smiling little girl with stunning green eyes and brown ringlet curls. Her heart squeezed at the image, Rowan holding her in his lap and grinning so wide he had dimples. Rowan Whitethorn had dimples. 

“She’s absolutely adorable.”

“She is.” Aelin smiled again, looking down at her hands and twisting the ring on her left finger that her parents had given her when Evie was born. It was her birthstone. 

“You can keep working if you want to. I’ve got her.”

“She’s not bothering you?” There was hesitation evident in her voice as Rowan looked down at the sleeping girl in his arms. He smiled, brushing a few wild strands of hair back against her head.

“Nope,” he said firmly, looking back at Aelin. “Really. You must have a lot to do if you didn’t just call in a personal day. She’s sleeping. It’s okay. I’ll bring her back when she wakes up.”

“I-- okay. If you’re sure.”

“I’m positive.” Aelin chewed on her fingernail for a moment before she nodded and stood, walking across his office and toward her own. Aelin paused in the door, looking over her shoulder at the man with such a harsh reputation around the workplace. This man seemed entirely different, a man that was brushing his thumb against her daughter's side while she slept with his shirt in her tiny fist. He seemed so utterly relaxed while he adjusted their position in his chair to keep working. It was almost out of character, his offer. But she wasn’t going to complain. 

Rowan Whitethorn may have been the hardass of the office, but maybe he had a soft spot after all. @rowaelinscourt​

[bukojuiice]

the way of the househusband — levi ackerman

ೃ pairing: (husband! levi ackerman x  ceo wifey! reader)

ೃ  There is the “ideal” nuclear family. The one composed of a working husband with a well-paying 9 to 5 job, loving housewife who cooks and cleans, and adoring children who do well in school. However, that idealization is looong gone. What about you and your family? You are the CEO of a Tech Start-up Company who ain’t no trophy wife, Your husband hails from the last line of Ackermans and who temporarily resigns from being a vice executive of your company (just because he doesn’t want to work with young, feeling philanthropist, and genius GenZers) to become a hands-on househusband, and then there’s your little daughter who has the most inquisitive mind and adventurous heart who idolizes her doting father in every shape, way, and form. A month’s absence in your home (due to a business trip) could lead to many many things. But, your husband randomly publishing a self-help book on parenting and being a househusband is not one of those things. 

ೃ genre and warnings: modern au, domestic fluff, baby au, husband au, 

ೃ  my nav  →  my aot masterlist

ೃ 4k words

ೃ Will be referring to hanji as “aunkling” (a cute nickname that some kiddos use to refer to their non-binary relatives <3) because there are no official non-binary terms for aunt and uncle! + your daughter with levi is named amelia and she is just the most precious cinnamon roll

It’s done. 

The Business Trip is finally over.

A long and painful month of no hugs and playdates with your little princess, Amelia and no time to be pampered with love and affection from your husband, Levi was finally over!

Sometimes, you wonder how you were even able to survive these long-ass trips and conferences. Sure, these month-long trips only happened once a year, but the thought of Amelia getting older and having to miss a day of seeing her grow up and discover the world, really hurt you as all mothers would. Video Calls were enough to satisfy you and give you happy hormones even for just a short while, but still- the longer you’re not with them, the more the yearning lengthens until you’re just riddled with endless thoughts of wanting to get home as soon as possible.

First, let’s set things straight: You are the CEO of a Tech Start-up company who was born into a middle-class family and rose her way up to success. It’s as cliche as it gets but hey! Living a life as if you were in a romantic comedy was the best compliment you’ve ever gotten. 

Along with that, as far as rich families in rom-coms and coming of age movies go, are they all dysfunctional in reality? Not really. Or at least you and Levi promised each other not to end up like that. The Rich Girl meets Poor Boy (with a tragic backstory) cliche however? Yea, that’s a pretty accurate way to describe your love story. Meeting the love of your life in a Coffee Shop is actually pretty common and happens to a lot of people apparently. When Erwin Smith, Levi’s best friend (who is too smart and self-aware to fit the role of a rom-com sidekick by the way) approaches your table to ask if he and Levi could sit with you. (Because of all the days the cafe would be packed, it would be that day.) You said yes of course, and Erwin began oversharing details about the raven-haired man and you were all too invested in learning more about him anyway. Levi grew up in the orphanage after his mother had died and his father was the biggest asshole on the planet for never showing his face, he had to fend for himself after he outgrew the foster system. Starting out as an espionage in an illegal underground gambling empire to a bookkeeper at the Smiths’ bookshop. (Although this is a story for another day)  

Internally swooning over his pretty eyes and resting bitch face...it didn’t take long until the two of you fell in love and... the rest was history!

You come home to your lavish yet homey apartment in 21 West End Avenue Manhattan to be surprised by your father-daughter duo absolutely knocked out on the couch. Amelia was snuggled up to her father, her feet on his lap and a sleeping position you could not possibly comprehend, a Disney movie playing in the background, and both of them were wearing matching Minion onesies whilst yours was folded neatly on the coffee table just waiting to be worn by you when you got home. 

It was a rare sight to see and you can’t help but just stare lovingly at the wonderful scene before you. Not only was it rare to see Amelia asleep before seeing you (or in the case of your business trips, during your daily video calls with them) but it was also rare to see your husband sleeping so soundly and his insomnia not kicking in. 

Amelia hears your footsteps, her eyes are still shut as she tries to predict what you will do next. She finally assesses when she will make her move and surprise you when you place another fleece blanket on top of them and plant a kiss on both of their temples. your daughter’s eyes suddenly flutter open. Her eyes beaming and glowing off the same light that twinkled in her father’s as she jumps off the couch, making sure not to wake up Levi.

“MOMMY!” She screams in the most quiet volume her cute voice could muster. She runs up to you and envelops you in a tight hug, jumping up and down as she does so. “I missed you Mommy! I missed you soooo much! How was sandbox in K-korea!? Was there a lot of sand!? Did you have a lot of pwaymates there!?”

You giggle at your daughter’s enthusiasm, combing your fingers through her hair. “Lili, Sandbox is like the Silicon Valley of Korea. It isn’t necessarily a sandbox like in a playground, baby.”

“OOOH! JUST LIKE SIWICON VAWWEY!” She chirps, tightening her hug and reaching for your hand and squeezing it. “AH WAIT!” She gently pushes you away and makes a beeline to her room. “ME AND DADDY HAVE A SURPRISE FOR YOU! BUT CLOSE YOUR EYES FIRST OWKAAY?!” She calls out from her room and you shout back a “yes!” to her in between your giggles, unable to contain the sudden rush of serotonin your daughter had given you from her simple yet adorable antics.

Another trope that you can debunk is that rich moms can be a hands-on parent too! After your maternity leave ended and when Amelia had finally reached her toddler years, you absolutely made sure that you were going to take care of her every second, minute, hour and day of your life. As soon as she turned two, she became the inquisitive, smart and ever so curious little girl you and Levi had always hoped for. She had your (h/c) hair and Levi’s icy yet warm and loving milky grey eyes. If the color of Levi’s reminded you of dark and stormy clouds, Amelia’s was gleaming. Like that of the clouds after a terrible storm. She was an absolute blessing and although you weren’t a perfect mother, (spoiling her more than you should) Levi was an amazing father. Growing up without parents was tough for him and he was going to make sure that Amelia is going to have an amazing childhood and be surrounded by the love of two parents that he never had and never got to experience. 

You always and will forever have trust in Levi. There has never been a day where you doubted him. Despite the impressions and assumptions that people have of him. How he was cold, scary, and even calculating. But, you are always quick to shut down those rumors. They don’t know the Levi Ackerman behind the cold and mighty front he shows. He is a man who has gone through so much and yet has so much love and care to give. How he notices and remembers the littlest details, how he never takes anything for granted and how he loves and cherishes everything so wholeheartedly.

When Amelia turned six, you sadly had to go back to work formally. Right timing too because your genius (with very himbo tendencies) younger cousin, Eren, was about to be part of your start-up company and he had a lot of amazing plans that had to come into fruition. Even bringing in a group of his own friends (who all graduated in MIT by the way!) who are willing to contribute so many amazing ideas and hackathons that were just waiting to happen.

The entrance of these youthful and hopeful genius entrepreneurs also brought about the temporary exit of your very own husband from your very own company. Apparently, working with newly graduated Gen Zers (as a millennial) was too much for him. They were nice and they were going to be a very integral part of the company. But, the boomer inside Levi can’t just can’t keep up with this sudden surge of energy and youthfulness within the higher-ups. It was also a great opportunity for him to take care of Amelia even more. So, you didn’t stop him from doing so! 

It’s been a year since he temporarily resigned and became an official-unofficial househusband. Or as your best friend Hanji likes to put it, You are the Girl Boss and he is the Male Wife. Amelia is now 7 years old and she’s currently taking Ballet classes (Levi picks her up during the weekdays, and the both of you pick her up on the weekends) and has developed a hyperfixation over Sanrio Characters and the Disney movie, Frozen. She was growing up to be a wonderful girl and you just can’t wait to hear what she and Levi had done during your absence.

She skips her way back to you, a book tightly clutched in her hands. “SURPRISE!” Amelia gingerly places a book on your hand. You open your eyes and tilt your head in question at the piece of literature she had just given you as you read the title aloud.  “The Way of the House Husband… written by Levi Ackerman.” Your eyes shift to a little circle on the lower side of the cover,  “The husband of (Y/N) Ackerman, the CEO of Survey Corp Tech…!?” 

“Daddy and I made a book while you were away!” She claps her hands together and grabs the book back from you, turning it to the first page. “See there’s even a dedication! To (Y/N) and Amelia! The two brightest stars in my galaxy!”

“Oh that’s too cheesy. No way would your dad write something like this out of the blue, Lili.” You scoff, shaking your head in disbelief. Your daughter looks at you with downcast eyes while you were still trying to process that your husband literally just wrote a whole-ass book while you were away. “Who helped publish this so quickly, Amelia?”

“Uncle Erwin of course!” She’s frowning for one second and now she’s beaming at you again. “Please please read it mommy! Me and daddy worked really really hard on it!” She taps the hardbound cover of the book in rhythms. “This is the Amelia Edition! Daddy said he cut out some stuff so that it would be okay for me to read and for me to give to you once you get home! It’s my come back home gift for you mommy!” She moves the book to your lap and hops up next to you on the loveseat that you were sitting on. Before you know it, Amelia is resting her head on your shoulder and coaxing you to start reading to her like it was a bedtime story. 

You clear your throat and hold her by the waist so that she can feel more secure in her seat. “Okay… okay… let’s begin shall we? In a kingdom far far away…”

“That’s not how the book is like mommy! Read it properly like the way daddy did!”

“I was just joking, honey. Let’s get started. Rule #1 of the House Husband is…”

Rule #1: Fathers, be good to your children. You are the weight of their world.

“One thing I learned as soon as I was at home practically 24/7 is that your child will be more cautious and weary of you. They will observe you because they look up to you. They will watch your every move, follow you around, and will imitate whatever you say and whatever they hear from you. Talk to them, teach them things they need to know, support them in their hobbies, interests, and even if you have to be the extra princess in her tea party, do it.  The thing is, you will leave an eternal mark on the hearts of your children.”

Amelia got even more closer to Levi when he was finally stationed at home. Always grinning from ear to ear and boasting to her classmates how cool her dad was whenever he would pick her up from school. She was proud to tell them Levi’s heritage even if Amelia never got to meet her Grandma Ackerman and Grandpa Ackerman. When Levi would take her out for errands, may they be groceries, cleaning the house, baking, cooking, laundry, or just going on his morning jog, Amelia would be there to accompany him. In fact, she’s gone shopping with Levi so many times that she has memorized the brand names of cleaning detergent and bleach before she could even memorize the multiplication table.

 She’s even caught up with her father’s cynical sense of humor. And because of that, Levi had to tone down on his sardonic jokes around the little girl. Levi wasn’t necessarily physically affectionate but he does soften around Amelia as the little girl never fails to supply him with endless hugs and kisses on the cheek. She may be both a Mommy’s and Daddy’s girl, but the way she looks up to Levi is the kind of father-daughter bond that you hardly see in real life. She aspires to be like him. Even if there were times where she would be scolded by you both, (most especially Levi) she never took that against you.  She sees all the good and positive sides of your husband that others outside of your circle fail to see.

Rule #2: Let your children know that they have other “guardian angels” who they can rely on aside from their parents.

“My daughter has both my wife and I’s best friends to learn from or to look up to. Her kooky aunkling and her blunt uncle have become one of the most precious people in her life. Even the young ins working at Survey Corp Tech have become older siblings to her and get along with her so well. Remember that there will always be close relatives or friends who can and will help them when they lose their way. Let them spread sunshine and love to others.”

Whether it’s a regular trip to Coney Island or your monthly trips to Disneyland, Hanji or Erwin would totally tag along. Amelia absolutely loves and vibes with Hanji’s quirkiness so well. They would wear matching Mickey Mouse ears, ride the kiddie roller coaster that Amelia wanted to ride on a million times per visit, buy her all the ice cream and treats she wants (despite Levi’s warnings and the reprimanding that Hanji has to suffer from the both of you right after.) They just want Amelia to experience all the fun, the joy, and innocence of living in the moment. As a kid, it’s better if she sees how precious life is, how she should cherish it and that she doesn’t have to grow up so fast just yet. 

Erwin on the other hand, brought out Amelia’s intellectual side more. As soon as a new and critically acclaimed children’s book hit the shelves, you bet Amelia has a copy right away. Whenever Levi would take her to Erwin’s bookstore, she wanders around like it’s this huge mysterious archive that can only be accessed by her. The Adults section is forbidden, so were the cheap romance novels in the back, and the books written by youtubers. God forbid she read those. When her Uncle Erwin got her into reading Roald Dahl’s children’s books, you had to watch Amelia run around the penthouse with a little red ribbon tied on top of her hair, wanting to be referred to as Matilda, along with you and Levi having to pretend that she had telekinetic powers for 6 months straight. It was her cutest phase yet and you just know there were many more to come. 

There were also Eren and his friends who loved Amelia dearly whenever she came over to visit. Your little cousin refused to be called Uncle Eren and instead wanted to be called big bro, and in which Amelia happily complied. Whenever it was Amelia’s weekly “Visit Mommy at Work” day, she had her own room in your office where Eren and your other young associates would babysit her. In fact, they would actually take turns in babysitting at your condo whenever you and Levi went out for date night. Amelia was introduced to playing video games like Animal Crossing and Pokemon solely because of them (more specifically because of big bro Jean, big sis Sasha, and big bro connie.) They even ended up influencing her to watch anime when her big brother “Minmin” and big sis “Mimi” accidentally left the TV on and Amelia literally binge-watched half of the existing Studio Ghibli movies to this date. 

Rule #3: Your children will think that you are Superman or Iron Man. Make sure to act like them and never let them down by ruining their innocence and imagination.”

(A little note was attached to this page: Please don’t let Amelia read this. Read her a fairy tale instead while skimming through this.)

“It all started when my daughter found an entire encyclopedia on ancient and legendary family clans around the world. The Ackerman clan was on the very first page after the intro and she read through all 50 pages of it. The look of awe on her face when she read that her dad’s ancestors exhibit physical abilities much higher than the average human. In a 7 year old’s mind and vocabulary, that automatically translates to a superhero akin to that of Superman. 

Ever since then, My daughter has forced me to become more creative with doing very mundane tasks and chores. I pretend to have superpowers. Such as teleporting around the house whilst cleaning. I tell her to close her eyes or else my teleportation powers won’t work. Then when I cook in the kitchen and she watches me intently, I tell her that the salt and pepper have magical properties that only I can touch and hold because to her, at that moment, I was “Doctor Stwange.”

and one time, when I picked her up from school, she was babbling on about how she told her friends and playmates that she had two superhero parents she was very proud of. Then one of the other kids asked if I was a strong soldier who killed huge humanoid monsters using sharp blades. To which I replied that could have possibly happened in a different universe. Her hearty laughs and giggles whenever she sees me using my superpowers makes me anxious over the fact I have to tell her someday that my powers never existed.”

Whilst you were on your monthly trip, you and Levi would have private video calls whenever Amelia was finally put to bed. There, he told you about what happened in Amelia’s ballet classes that week and how the single mothers were more persistent than usual.

They could clearly see that Levi was not interested but apparently the fact that your husband waving his ring finger every single time someone approached him wasn’t obvious enough, apparently the fact that he was married made the risk even more worth it to these prying moms who had nothing better to do. It wasn’t until Amelia had enough and respectfully called them out by saying that his dad was married and he was never going to be interested in Karens (a slang word that she learned from Eren and friends) Since then, the invasion of parent to parent boundaries had finally stopped. Levi was very relieved and at ease whilst telling you the story yet you were laughing your heart out at the ingenious remarks of your very own daughter on top of the irresistible charm and looks of your own husband that made single mothers be damned. 

Rule #4: The most important rule of all: Love your spouse as you want your children to be loved in the future.

“Since my wife is on a business trip right now as I type this and she may or may not know that I had written this book for her to read when she comes home, my daughter came up to me a few days ago and told me how she missed her mom so much. The video calls we had every night were not enough to satisfy her for the remaining days her mother would be gone. She then proceeds to tell me that she loves the way I love (Y/N). My daughter loved how patient I was and how I supported her through every endeavor that her mother had ever thought up with that brilliant mind of hers. She mentioned how I was there for her through every success and failure, through hardships, difficulties and misunderstandings. My daughter was happy because I stuck with her mother through everything. All the pain, suffering, conflicts that we both experienced individually and as husband and wife. Little ears and little eyes are watching and observing the actions and sweet gestures of their parents. Make sure to remember that.”

“What is gravy (grief) if not love persevewing?” (persevering) My daughter had even recounted a quote from the Disney Marvel show, WandaVision just to prove a point to me. That was when I realized something and decided to list down a few things: 

1. The best lovers are the best of friends.

Levi’s relationship with you was rocky at first simply because the two of you didn’t have a lot in common. Your personalities clashed and the two of you could barely make things work in the beginning. He was always well-dressed, on time, and was very prim and proper. However, Levi was cold, strict, and unapproachable. You on the other-hand were quite the opposite. You used to arrive late, didn’t care too much about your style as long as you wore the appropriate outfit, but you were carefree, laidback and friendly. Having to set aside your differences was a process that required sacrifice, time, and effort. It took long and a lot of petty arguments before the two of you fully understood each other, accepted each other's faults and quirks, and became even closer. Both as friends and lovers. You and Levi treat each other not as just the “person I love and I’m married to for the rest of my life”, but also as a best friend for life. Soulmates

2. Their dreams are just as important as yours.

Levi’s dream was to open up a tea shop and start a family with you. That was all he ever wanted. The blissful simplicity of his in comparison to your techy and out of this world ambitions, goes to show how much they weigh as aspirations and wants in life. You have to value your significant other’s dreams and ambitions just as much as you highly value yours. No matter how hard or how simple they are, the both of you can achieve it with the help of each other. The only thing left in your agenda was to open up his long-awaited Tea Shop. You were about to surprise him with the plans of opening one up on the day of his birthday, and you just can’t wait for that day to finally come.

3. You have to let them be free.

Levi absolutely knew what he was getting into when he met you. It was love at first sight when he met you, He drunkenly admitted that one time when he’s had too much champagne on your friday date night. He knew that you were an adventurer. A wandering soul who had a goal and a purpose set in stone. He always knew you were going to reach greater heights and he knew that you would never leave him behind and would always have him go on a ride. He’s always known about your capabilities and your potential and he didn’t want you to stray away from that. And, if the time were to come that you had to leave him behind to soar greater heights, he’d understand that. He’d always let you be free and make sure you don’t fly too close to the sun. That was just how selfless Levi is. The thing is, he knows you would do the same for him. It was a perfect balance. 

4. It is an honor to love and to be loved by them.

To be wrapped in the arms of someone who feels like home or has become the definition of home, To be stargazing with on a chilly summer night in where you talk about your future and your plans, To be sharing a cup of coffee or tea with in the morning and begrudgingly dancing with you against his will, To be watching your child playing in her room and do nothing but look adoringly at the most precious soul to have ever been produced by your encompassing love, and to be spending the rest of your life with someone who has done nothing but be with you through every pivotal moment in your life was such an honor. 

It is an honor to be loved by Levi, as he is honored to be loved by you. 

“...The end.” You close the book with a deep but contented sigh. Tears were welling up in your eyes and you’re trying your best not to break down in front of Amelia. 

“Mommy… are you crying?” She tilts her head in inquiry. “Is it because you’re tired from work?”

“No. baby. These are happy tears, Lili. Don’t worry.”

Before you could speak up once more, you notice Levi had slowly sprung up from the couch, and began to stretch his arms. His eyes widen when he sees you from the opposite couch. “(Y/N)... you were supposed to arrive at 6 AM right? Amelia and I were supposed to pick you-”

Amelia opens her mouth to speak as she jumps down from the couch and crawls up to sit next to Levi. “Daddy! I showed Mommy the book you wrote! She loved it! Right, Mommy?”

“You did?” Your husband perks up from his seat, clearing his throat. “T-that’s not the entire book yet by the way. We had to give back the original copies to Erwin for reprinting. The self-help book is currently rising up the charts to be a New York Times Best Seller.” 

Before Levi could properly react, you move to the free space on the couch next to him. Holding his hand and gazing into his forlorn yet loving eyes, you muttered. “Love, that’s amazing. I’m really really proud of you. Next time though, please do tell me that you’ve written a self-help book and dethroned all those mommy authors from the bestselling charts.” 

Levi stifles a laugh, stroking your thumb and bringing you and Amelia closer to him for warmth. “I will. I will.” 

Amelia looks up at the two of you, squeezing out of the sandwich, so that you and Levi can have your quality time with each other. “Goodnight Mom! Goodnight Dad!” She approaches the two of you so that she can be given her nightly kiss on the cheek as she retreats to her room. 

“What if I write a novel too?” You joke, snuggling up to Levi, your husband wrapping his arm around you. “The title could be… The way of the Wife boss?” 

“That could be a good sequel. A shared book universe. Then, Amelia could continue the collection when we’re old and sour as hell.” Levi mused.

“Pfft. I guess only time will tell. I love you Levi.”

“I love you too (Y/N).”

[stayatiny]

Little Dolly Chapter 6~ Yandere Seonghwa

(Gif made by me)

Pairing(s) – Killer/Yandere Seonghwa x Virgin! Reader

Series warnings – Violence, Daddy kink mentions of murder, TW- beating, swearing, blood, smut and lose of virginity (later on), yandere behaviors, Stockholm syndrome (seriously this is darker than my other fics. If this makes you uncomfortable, please do not read.)

Chapter Warning(s) –Daddy Hwa again, mentions of family troubles, mostly plot for this chapter

Tagged Lovelies - @mirror-juliet @aikyubi @babybunnyalien @mingkisbitch @chonsayeosang @jodidan @cheline @hapapino-cake @ateezsadist @t4elor @soft-teddybear Please let me know it you want to be tagged or if I have forgotten to tag you.

I sat in the office chair again, staring at the door. I went back to working on emails and looking at marketing material. Its already past seven pm. I logged off and walked over to the door. I cracked it just enough to see how she was doing. I see that she is fast asleep in the middle of the floor. She curled into a ball, hugging her knees. I let out some relief and shut the door again. I go to the kitchen and get some food ready for myself. The kitchen was lifeless. Was my life really like this before Y/N was with me. I knew my life was dull but never anything like this.

When I wake up, my body is so much pain that I could hardly move. I whine as I try to turn on my side. I reach out for the bottle of water and sit up slowly, my mouth dryer than the desert. I chug the water until it was empty. I lay the bottle to the side when I hear the door open again. Seeing Hwa with some soup.

“Here, eat this. It’ll help. I also brought some pain killers for you.” He set the try of food down. I nod. He gave me the medicine first then watched me eat. I started to eat slowly waiting for the meds to kick in.

“Do you need help?” For the first time I looked him in the eyes.

“Please daddy,” I say with a little blush on my cheeks. I still wasn’t used to calling him that.

“Alright open up,” he said, scooting closer to me. I open my mouth as he fed me. We stayed in silence for while only hear the spoon clank. When the bowl was empty, Hwa set it down on the floor.

“I’m going to keep you in here for another day to make sure this lesson sticks. I shouldn’t have kicked and hit you as bad as I did but let that be the punishment,” he says. He stands and gets ready to leave. I grab his pants leg.

“No please don’t leave me alone. I’ll be a good girl,” I beg. Even after being in here for half a day, I didn’t like the silence or the loneliness.

“Let go of me little girl,” he growled. A few stray tears fell as I let him go. He turned his back leaving the room, shutting me in again. I wipe away my tears and then lay back down on the floor. Tomorrow can’t get here fast enough.

The next morning, I feel the chain on my ankle loosen. My eyes immediately open to see Hwa. He helps me up and into his room.

“What did we learn?” He sits me on the bed and pulls my shirt up enough to look at the bruises and marks that he left.

“Never to run away from you again.” He smiles and kisses my forehead.

“Good girl. Here lay down in bed for a little while. I’ll be in the office if you need me. Get some rest,” he says leaving the room. He leaves the door open this time. I hear him talking on the phone while I sit on the bed. I decided to get up and hobble to the bathroom. I use the toilet and brush my teeth. Hwa comes back in.

“Are you hungry? I’m thinking about ordering some food,” he asks. I nod and then walk over to him. I lay my head on his chest. I missed him being his normal self and not being angry with me.

“I told you to get some rest. Here lay down until the food gets here,” Hwa says helping me back into bed. I sit in the middle of the king size bed and snuggling a pillow. We haven’t spoken very much other than short sentences and yes and no answers.

“I know but I wanted to brush my teeth before laying down.” Hwa smiled a little and sat on the edge of the bed.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how hard I hit you until I saw your bruises this morning,” he apologized. I chew on my bottom lip. I didn’t actually expect him to tell me he was sorry for what happened.

“It’s alright. I shouldn’t have run away. Even if I did get away with it, I don’t know where I was going or wanted to go. My parents aren’t the greatest people to begin with and the rest of my family aren’t much better.” I hug my knees while speaking.

“Why do you look so down on your parents?” Hwa pulled the rest of his body onto the bed sitting crossed legged.

“When I was growing up, my older brother and sister were twins that could get away with everything. My brother became an actor while my sister became a nurse. There’s several years between them and me, fifteen to be exact. When I was born and up until I was thirteen, I was the baby of the family but once my siblings started getting recognized for what they did you could tell that they were the favorites of my parents. Nothing I did mattered to them. That’s when I left and moved here,” I explain.

“Sounds like a rough time,” he says, patting my leg.

“It wasn’t so bad. My older siblings kinda raised me. My parents were always so busy with their jobs that they weren’t really around much to begin with. My siblings didn’t like that I was moving here in the first place, and they wanted me to stay with them in America. They hated the attention that our parents gave them over me.”

“Why not go back when times got hard? Why not go back home with them?” I scoff.

“I didn’t want to go back home a failure when I didn’t have anything accomplished. I would have never heard the end of it,” I say leaning against the headboard.

“Well, what would they say when we get married,” he asks. Oh, right we are supposed to be getting married.

“They might actually care since you are a CEO of a big marketing company,” I say. He nods in agreement. That’s when the food gets here. He runs to the front door getting the pizza. I stare down at the comforter. I’ve never really told anybody my family history, but he made it so easy to talk about. I hear Hwa coming back in with the pizza on two plates and some drinks. I smile and made room in the bed for him to join me. He then turned on a movie. I snuggled down into the covers and ate.

“Are you comfortable?” I nod and continued eating. He smiled and ate quietly. After eating, I lay my head on Hwa’s shoulder.

“Tired?” I shook my head. I felt okay for the most part besides the pain I sometimes felt. He kissed my head and got up.

“Alright I need to work for a little bit. I want you to stay put. Don’t give me a reason to put you back in the room,” he said, grabbing my cheeks.

“Yes daddy,” I whisper. He kisses me then leaving the room. His office is right next door. I continued to watch the movie and wait for Hwa to get back. I’m bored so I started to loosely braid my hair.

“Are you bored, little dolly,” he asked, leaning against the doorframe of the bedroom.

“A little bit. Usually, I’m always working. I never really had time for hobbies or even to watch tv,” I say. Hwa shakes his head and then brings me my sketch book and a pencil.

“Here, I found this in your bag when I took you that night,” he said. I smiled.

“I thought this was lost forever.” I smile hugging the book to my chest.

“It looked important and its not like you can contact anyone with it.” I nod and open it to the landscape I was working one before I was taken. I loved drawing. I wanted to be an architect when I saved enough money.

“That’s beautiful, Y/N,” Hwa said, sitting on the bed again. I blush.

“Thank you. I never let anyone see my drawings before.” The awkward feeling setting in again. I bit my lip as Hwa watched me.

“Stop biting your lip it’ll be sore.” I blush again. I hear his phone ringing in the office. He groans and runs off to answer it. I’m shading some mountains when he returns.

“Yes mother. We’ll be there tomorrow for dinner. Yes mother. Love you too. Bye.” He hangs up the phone looking defeated.

“Is everything alright?” I put down the book and pencils.

“No. We are going to have dinner with my family tomorrow night. My father wants to meet you,” he says. I took a deep breath.

“Is that good or bad?” Hwa looked at me.

“I haven’t quite figured that out yet but all I know is no matter what he says I’m still marrying you even if we have to go to the courthouse,” he says, pulling me into a hard kiss. No turning back now…

[nine-blessed-hero]

Self-Indulgent Modern AU

Universe: TESIV: Oblivion - Modern/ Everyone Lives AU CW: Swearing, canon-typical violence Words: 7,951 Context: Instead of, y’know, writing The Ruby Falls, I have instead been daydreaming about what I’m calling the Self-Indulgent Modern AU - the version of the Modern AU where Martin is Aderyn’s father... and therefore she’s a Septim. Fair warning, I'm not sure if I consider this finished or not, but it came to a nice final point. So, we'll see. Available on AO3 Tagging: @mishkakagehishka @strosmkai-rum @arcane-elder-scrolls​ @bread-of-death

It starts with the Red Diamond – the Key to the Septim's Vault in which lies Numidium.

As soon as it's placed in her hands, still warm from Uriel's palm, it becomes the most important object in her universe. Uriel's words, "the future is in your hands", are taken literally, and the Red Diamond becomes something she has the burden of protecting, in the interest of protecting the future.

When the stone is taken from Jauffre, she's every bit as angry and guilt-ridden as he is. The vicious joy of lifting it, still warm, from Mankar Camoran's corpse is unmatched.

Then Martin shatters it, and it shatters her. The future, as Uriel prescribed, is gone; spread into a million scarlet pieces on the CEO's office floor. The pieces are gathered, sticky with Martin and Mehrunes' blood, shoved into a bag, shoved into an empty coffee can, solved into a corner of her Land Rover, and... not forgotten about, per se, but not acknowledged. Not commented on, the subject swiftly avoided if brought up in conversation.

Martin gets better. He wakes up from the coma. Aderyn goes to see him, gets as far as his hospital ward, and stops. He shattered the Key. He shattered the future that was entrusted to her. He may have performed the act, but she was the cause of it. No one's said anything, it never comes up in conversation during those long dark weeks where Martin's still asleep, but Aderyn knows, it was her actions, her screwup, that destroyed something good. Martin is the only person who knows, firsthand, how badly she screwed up, and she can't stand the thought of how he'll look at her now.

She drops off the face of the Earth.

The Fox knows people who know people, and Aderyn winds up in Germany, Red Teaming for a company whose name translates out to "The Corner Club". (Ariahnod receives a postcard each week from places she's never heard of, confirming her daughter's continued health). It takes a few months, but she stops being the taciturn girl the Crisis made her. She talks, she laughs, she learns to swear and order alcohol in the myriad languages of Europe. 

The coffee can is dragged out of its dusty cubby. The blood, now dried, is washed from the shards. Epoxy is acquired, and so begins the most infuriating jigsaw puzzle.

People help, that's the part that surprises Aderyn the most. When she has friends over for drinks and dinner, they poke at the shards, find parts that match, place them carefully together and set them aside for her to glue together later. They don't understand the puzzle, but they're invested in her success (the partner of a cousin of a colleague, a woman she met exactly once, hails her on the street and asks if it's done yet). They don't know, and she doesn't explain, they're helping her glue the future back together. She deeply appreciates it.

Eventually, the Red Diamond is as complete as it's going to be. She takes it to a jeweller and has it set in a gold mount. It lays on her chest, warm from her skin, and for the first time in four months, Aderyn switches on her phone. The most recent message is a text from Baurus: It's my birthday in two weeks. We're having the old crew over for dinner. It would be good to see you again.

Aderyn mentions it in passing to her manager. Within a week, she finds herself standing on the front step of a London townhouse, magnum of champagne in hand, having been requisitioned by the Grey Fox for a job suspiciously close by. The Diamond is stuffed into a pocket – she's sure no one will want to see the reminder of her failure.

Dinner is... fine. No one mentions she's been incommunicado for four months – it's all the same camaraderie as if they'd never left Cloud Ruler. Fortis asks about the gold chain hanging from her pocket, prods and teases until she snaps at him in German to eat a bag of dicks. Caroline finds this hilarious; when it's translated, so does Fortis. 

In the break between dinner and present opening, Aderyn sneaks into the garden for a cigarette. Jena joins her and gently asks to see the hidden item. The Diamond is reluctantly revealed. Jena runs her fingers over it like she can't quite believe it's real, hands it back with a smile and damp eyes.

There's a hesitant cough from the kitchen door. They look up to find Martin standing there. "He's about to start the presents," he says. Jena squeezes Aderyn's shoulder and goes inside. Martin has to step aside to let her pass, and the door swings closed after her, leaving just the two of them in the garden. The diamond seems to blaze in the night. 

"Is that..." he asks. "I'm sorry. You weren't- I'll put it away..." Aderyn says, but then he's in front of her. "Unless you... want it?"

Martin takes it from her unresisting hands, holds it up and examines it. He shakes his head. "No, I don't think so. You've done a good job fixing it up." He places it around her neck, where it settles, warm, on her chest. "I'm glad you came back."

~*~*~*~

It starts with Ariahnod Griffiths (née Williams, née Griffiths), and Martin Septim (née Smith).

In between her work for the Grey Fox, Aderyn protects Martin. It's taken another month or so to adjust to being back in his and Baurus' lives, and Martin is still adjusting to being a CEO. Ocato has pressured Martin to attend a party that he's maybe not quite ready to attend. Aderyn has gone along as backup hands. It's needed when Martin is overwhelmed and the Blades decide to take him home. She and Jauffre are left to patch things over.

Aderyn is supposed to be staying overnight at Martin & Baurus' place, but she's been drinking. Jauffre tells her to get her overnight bag from her car, and he'll drive her back.

She doesn't make it.

Someone has planted a bomb under her classic Ferrari, and it's sheer dumb luck she isn't inside the thing when it blows. Aderyn winds up in hospital. Ariahnod walks through the doors of the hospital suite, takes one look at Martin, and a screaming match ensues. Baurus, ever the peacemaker, separates irate Mother from confused ex-Priest.

Over a coffee in the hospital cafeteria he asks the inevitable, How does Ariahnod know Martin?

She knew him in University, Ariahnod says. A few years older than her, smooth talker, not really the studious type, gave his degree as "studying the philosophy of anatomy". Baurus is confused, so Ariahnod elaborates: Martin is one of four men who could be Aderyn's biological father (there were some women too, but there's less chance they're a parent). Aderyn doesn't know and Ariahnod has no plans to tell her – she seems quite happy believing that Robert Williams, the bricklayer from Brighton, is her father.

Baurus, of course, knows about Party!Marti. Not in explicit detail, but enough. Even so, it concerns him that neither potential Father nor potential Daughter knows about this. He wants to tell them, but Ariahnod is adamant – Aderyn doesn't need another father in her life. Baurus tells her that ship left port a long time ago and has since circumnavigated the globe.

When Aderyn is better, Baurus leaves the hospital with a new secret, and Ariahnod leaves with a lot to think about.

~*~ This is all canon so far, but this is where things diverge. ~*~

It starts again with the Red Diamond. 

Today is a bad day, a board meeting of Tamriel Industries has blown up into a full-on political argument; the Blades have taken Martin to the nearest park to 'get some air'. A bad day turns into a worse day when a splinter group of the Mythic Dawn attack. Aderyn and Roliand are covering Martin's retreat, and somehow the pair of them get separated. 

Her fight is going fine until the Red Diamond slips from under her shirt. The Agent of Dawn steps back, eyes wide.  "You carry the Key," he says. "So it is true – you are a Septim Brat."  Aderyn is too flabbergasted to respond.  Then the Agent's eyes narrow. "With both you and the Key, we can finally honour Lord Dagon." Anger flares through Aderyn. "The fuck you will!" But before she can act, the Agent of Dawn is tased. The police have shown up.

She elects not to put what the Agent of Dawn said into her official report and statement. It's irrelevant, really. The ravings of a madman. She tries to forget it.

~*~*~*~

A week later, the Agent of Dawn's words are still itching their way through her head. An unfriendly reminder of something her father, Bob the bricklayer from Brighton, once said at the height of an argument keeps joining it: "I wish I'd never agreed to take you on". 

It's foolish to entertain the notion that Martin, not Bob, is her actual, biological father. What are the odds? Microscopic, that's what. The Mythic Dawn are just confused because she's half his age and they share a close bond.

But it still can't stop her asking, one day over breakfast, "Marti, hypothetically speaking, how would you feel if you found out I was your daughter?"

Baurus chokes on his cornflakes. Martin nearly spills his tea. Pelagius starts to exclaim something, but the rookie he's training smartly shoves a hand over his mouth.

"What, dearest," Martin says, delicately setting down his tea, "has brought this on?" "I dunno. 'S just a thought," Aderyn mumbles into her coffee. "Nevermind. Forget it."

Baurus leaves the room, presumably to change into something not covered by milk and cereal.

Martin is silent as he finishes his tea. Aderyn thinks he's forgotten about it, as requested. Until they are taking the dirty dishes back into the kitchen when he pauses in the middle of filling the dishwasher.

"Aderyn?" She stops rifling through the snack drawer. "Nothing would change. You do know that? I would still care about you the same way I do now." He contemplates a moment. "Actually, no: I think I would worry more." "Really?" "Really really."

Aderyn launches herself across the kitchen to hug him, so full of feelings, they leak from her eyes.

~*~*~*~

The next incident is a month later. She's in Southampton with Methredhel. They've just finished a site consultation and are on their way back to the car to visit Uncle Modryn when Aderyn is attacked. 

They're walking down an alley - dark brick and dirty paving. Two men are coming towards her and Methredhel. They split, such that the women are forced to walk between them. Aderyn's hackles are already raised. Then, as she passes them, one grabs at the chain around her neck. She plants a foot on the man's inner knee and pushes. At the same time, she feels a burning sting down her arm and Methredhel is screaming, "Get away from her, fuckhead!"

The man Aderyn has kicked cries out, but his grip doesn't loosen. In a moment of savagery, she bites his hand. He releases his grip with a startled yell. Behind her, there's a dull thud and a masculine shout. Aderyn doesn't need to turn to know that Methredhel has smacked Goon #2 with her very solid and tool-filled handbag.

Aderyn backs up, pulling a small can of aerosolised grease from her utility belt. Beside her, Methredhel is pulling out a mace spray. The two men turn tail and run. Methredhel swears at the men's backs in what Aderyn assumes to be Hindi, and she has to pull Methredhel away from the scene.

By the time they get back to the car, Methredhel is shaking (so is Aderyn, but she ignores it better). They climb in, and Aderyn plies Methredhel with a handful of sweets then starts to call in the attack.

To: jeNNAAAH! From: Pizza is not a vegetable Code black - actual. MD made a grab for the Diamond

"Oh my god, you're bleeding," Methredhel says suddenly. Aderyn looks down at the nice slash mark from her bicep to her elbow. "Oh," she says. "'Oh'? 'Oh'!" is Methredhel's incensed response. "Fuck you and your fucking 'oh'."

"It's not that bad, 'Hel. I'll get to it in a moment. I've got to call this in," Aderyn says, but Methredhel is already clambering into the back of the Land Rover to fetch out the first aid kit. Aderyn sighs and finishes the text, letting Jena know that she and Methredhel are fine.

There's a lot of kerfuffle about a tiny scratch. When they get to Uncle Modryn's, Methredhel submits a police report and Aunt Sabine fusses over Aderyn's arm. When they get back to London, Jauffre is waiting for Aderyn and demands a full report. Breakfast is interrupted by the Rookie, Garrus, announcing Captain Lex has arrived.

"Oh, Christ no-" "Language..." "Tell him I ain't here, leave a message and I'll get back to him never." "I'm glad to hear you still hold me in such high regard." "Fuck!-" "Language!" "-You coulda told me here was here-here." "Sorry, marm..."

Lex is here, it transpires, because Aderyn's name was flagged from Methredhel's report. And where Aderyn is, the Mythic Dawn is also, and they've become an unintentional pet project for Lex. He also wants chapter and verse about what happened, the incident before too, and to be kept in the loop if there're any more incidents. Aderyn makes vague promissory noises; Jauffre wholeheartedly agrees.

~*~*~*~

The next incident is nearly three months later. Aderyn is at a security conference in Düsseldorf, where she's been invited to speak. She and a friend from the Corner Club, Sottilde, have been up late chatting and gone out to a fast food joint. Sottilde has gone to the loo and Aderyn is gazing out of the window, nibbling on a chip, when a van rocks into the car park. Not so unusual. But then it takes two laps around the car park, despite it being two am and nearly empty, and stops three spaces down from her land rover. Out climb four men. They are far too interested in Aderyn's car for her liking – nosing around, peering through the windows. She sighs – she misses the days when the Mythic Dawn were easy to spot in their red body armour; now she has to go by instinct alone.

"Does that door lock?" she asks the boy at the counter in German. He looks startled. "Yes?" "Good. Lock it." He dithers. The men outside have satisfied themselves that Aderyn is here and are making their way towards the shop. "Now!"

As he scurries to do her command, Aderyn moves into the bathroom.

"Sottilde?" "Yes?" comes her voice from the far stall. "There's, ah... A problem I need to deal with. Out front. Can you stay in the toilet?" The loo flushes. "What?" Sottilde asks, coming out of the stall. "What problem?" "Some people who don't like me much have shown up." There's a noise from the shop. "Please. Stay here." Sottilde growls. "You think I'm some barbie girl? Let's send them packing." She stalks past Aderyn.

In the small, overbright restaurant, they can see the men rattling the doors. They don't look very secure, and Aderyn starts dragging a table over. Sottilde picks up the other end.

"Sol, I don't think you're a barbie girl, whatever the fuck that means, but these are serious fucking bastards. Please, just stay in the back." "No. There are four of them and only one of you. I will not stand by." They shove the table against the doors. "Let me handle it!" "No!"

There is a sharp retort from the door. Cracks spiderweb out from where an Agent of Dawn has shot the door. He's lining up another. Both women high-tail it over the counter, where the boy is already hiding.

"Is there a backdoor?" Aderyn asks him. He nods, and points.  "What's your name?" "Sebastian." "Sebastian, call the police."

The boy nods and reaches for the handset on the wall. Sottilde is already heading to the back and Aderyn hurries after her.

"Sol, wait!" she calls. "You don't- Stop!" But Sottilde has already wrenched open the heavy fire escape. Gunshots sound. Sottilde screams. Aderyn leaps forward to slam it shut again.

"Guess we're not going out that way..."

Aderyn finds the first aid box, patches Sottilde up, and drags a barrel in front of the door.

When they return to the front, the boy holds the phone out  "She wants to speak to you," he says. Aderyn takes the phone. "Yes?" "My name is Miriam, I'm the dispatcher for your call. Sebastian said you were in charge? Whom am I speaking with?"

Aderyn gives a rundown of who she and Sottilde are, what their situation is, and why the men outside want her. The line is silent just a little too long after she's done, and when the woman speaks again, it's with a touch of awe in her voice. But she remains professional, makes no mention of the title Aderyn hates so much.

"The police will be with you in twenty minutes. The paramedics cannot have access until the police have made the area safe." "Understood."

They transfer the call to Aderyn's mobile which she links to an earbud. All her weapons are in the car. "Sebastian, I need a broom." He points to a mop and bucket. "Will that do?" "Perfect." She snaps the mop head from the wooden handle. "The police will be here soon. We've just got to hang on. Is there a storage room?" Sebastian nods. "Good. I want you to hide in there and stay until the police come." "Vögelchen," spits Sottilde. Aderyn isn't sure when they stopped using German, but it doesn't matter. There's a crash from the door. One of the Agents of Dawn is climbing through. There isn't time to argue. "Hide," Aderyn says, and vaults over the counter with her broom handle.

"Miriam, just out of interest, what's the law on reasonable force here?" "Broad. You said they have guns. What do you have?" "A stick." Silence. "I would not have thought I would need to wish the Hero of Kvatch 'good luck'." "The Hero of Kvatch always needs better sodding luck."

Goon #1 and #2 go down easily enough. Goon #3 reminds her she's been at a conference since nine am the previous day, and it's now three in the fucking morning, and she's just fought two other burly blokes.

Goon #4 is... just waiting. Unnervingly so.

Not that it matters because Goon #3 is kicking her ass.

"May as well give in now," says Goon #3, after a particularly brutal kick has sent her to the floor. "We will take you, Septim. We will have Lord Dagon's revenge." "Stop. Calling me. Septim," she grinds out, rising. 

It's unfair. With every utterance, they add kindling to the tiny, idiot part of her that desperately wants this to be true. That she's actually related to someone good, and honest, and kind. That it's sweetness and light that runs in her veins, and not vileness and hate. Martin is the best person she's ever known, and secretly she would adore being his real daughter. But she's not. It's an impossibility. And it's unfair they keep reminding her of that.

Anger stokes the waning adrenaline. Goon #3 isn't out, but he is almost down. Then #4 steps in. She's nearly down herself. A blow to the face splits her cheek, and she's leaning heavily on the makeshift staff.

They're boxing her into a corner. A jab here, a parry there. She doesn't think anything's broken, but she's exhausted. The police are almost there, Miriam says. They might be too late.

"Do you think we would fight so hard," says #4, "if we weren't sure you were the child of Martin Septim?"

"I know what it says on my birth certificate! My father is scum, who cheats his customers and cheats on his wife! Martin is not my father!"

"We had your blood checked." The goon grins and licks her blood from his first. "Septim red-drink is the sweetest of all."

Aderyn thinks she's going to throw up. The sweat on her skin feels like it freezes instantly, and dizzying nausea grips her. #3 is grinning too, and they're almost on her. She's so fucking fuc-

The men crumple.

Plastic chairs don't splinter, like in the movies. They just deform slightly. Sottilde and Sebastian stand behind the crumpled goons, holding wonky plastic chairs. In German, Sottilde tells the Agents of Dawn to eat a bag of dicks.

~*~*~*~

"They're wrong!" Aderyn slams her hands on the conference room table. She's been back in England two days before Director Preston summons everyone to a meeting at the Priory. She's at one end of the long table, Preston at the other. It feels like everyone else in her life is arrayed against her.

"Two witnesses and the dispatcher confirmed what's said on the recording is accurate," says Hieronymus Lex. It's been pointed out that Aderyn omitted this information in her police statement and Blades' report. Her excuse that she forgot is starting to come apart.

"The Mythic Dawn are wrong," she corrects. "Dearest, what if-" Martin tries. "No. Listen. I know who's listed on my birth certificate-" "Do you?" murmurs Baurus. "-and I'm sorry, but neither of them are you." She can't help but spit it. Martin pales, misunderstanding where the venom in her voice comes from.

"We all heard what was said on the recording," Captain Lex says. "It's worth investigating."

"They're lying!"

"At the very least," says Preston, "we should assign someone to your protection."

"I don't need a fucking bodyguard! We can't afford to take personnel away from where it's really needed." She waves towards Martin.

"They're going to keep trying, Aderyn," Jena says. She's using the Calm Big Sister voice, and today it rankles. "Whether they're right or-"

Aderyn straightens. "You're going to believe a bunch of deranged blood-drinkers over me?" She tears the Red Diamond from her neck, slams it on the table. "After everything I've fucking done for this, you're calling me the liar?"

The Grey Fox stands up. "That is enough." His tone sends the room temperature plummeting. You could hang icicles off his words. It's the tone that says 'you go too far', the tone that warns she's on the verge of losing her job. It's the tone that would usually have her shaking in her boots, would make her sit down, shut up and put up. But she's too wound up, too scared, masking her fear with too much anger.

"You're goddamned fucking right it is."

Every door in the Priory slams as she passes through them on her way to her car. Martin, ever loyal, ever faithful, follows her down.

"Where are you going?" "Anywhere that ain't fucking here!"

~*~*~*~

She turns her phone off and hurls it into the back of the Land Rover, picks a direction and drives.

This is worse than the last time she left, Aderyn knows. She may not have said it, but she wonders if Preston and the Fox heard the 'I quit' in her voice. She wonders if she has a job anymore. Doesn't matter, says the anger. She doesn't need any of them, doesn't need any of this shit. She's fine on her own, always has been. All she needs is a full tank of fuel, the open road, and a direction.

After an hour or so, she finds herself on the M4, heading West, to the Welsh border. The Land Rover, like a mare confident in her rider's tics and quirks, knows where she needs to be and who she needs to talk to. Past the Severn, she goes North and climbs the first reasonably tall hill she finds. She stops at a triangulation point, staring out at the dark, undulating mounds ahead. The world is empty, up here. Civilization, the hustle of a city, is safely distant. The anger that has been on a constant low boil since she left the Priory comes back full force, and she screams, long and loud, into the rain-spiked wind. A dozen sheep go careening away, the only witness to her rage. She screams again, the frustration of a kestrel with her wings clipped. Her independence was hard won, fought against Bob, against her mother, Ariahnod, against a world that didn't give two shits about her destitute, Eurotrash arse. And now she'll have to do it all over again, against Jauffre and Lex, and the goddamned piss-faced cunts of the Mythic Dawn. The screams turn into sobs, great heaving things, that leave her like a marionette with its strings cut, crumpled at the foot of the triangulation plinth as she weeps herself into oblivion.

The sky was low when she got there, late afternoon. Now it's lit by a half-moon, and she's being woken by doggy kisses. Aderyn groans and pushes the fuzzy snout away. The Colly backs up, sends three pitched barks out into the night, before returning to her curled form and sticking it's cold wet nose in places where a cold wet nose should not be.

"F'off," she says, sitting up.

The dog backs up and barks at her expectantly. When she doesn't move, it darts back in, nosing at her legs.

"Alright! God. Stop herding me." Aderyn stands. She's as cold as the ninth level of hell, stiffer than a shot of Celtic Poteen, and feels like she's been on a 4-day bender.

A shrill whistle cuts the air, and the dog stops harrying her.

A lilting Valleys accent greets her. "Ah, you're alive. Good. I hate filling out the paperwork for a body." A woman in a waxed coat, tall and handsome as the mountains, is watching her. The shepherdess holds out a hand.  "Isolde Jones. This is Sylwgar. He's very good at finding lost little lambs."

Aderyn introduces herself through chattering teeth. Isolde takes her to the shepherd's hut nearby and plies her with black tea that's like molasses and a large tot of brandy. They talk into the night about why Aderyn came up here in the first place, scared Isolde's sheep, and then thought it was a good idea to fall asleep on an exposed mountainside in November. After hearing the tale of woe, Isolde decides Aderyn might have a point and packs her down with a blanket to sleep in front of the fire with the dog. In the morning she's sent off with a few griddle cakes for breakfast and told to take care of herself better.

By lunchtime, Aderyn has reached the Valleys village her mother moved to. Ariahnod says she just wants a quiet life now, and here she has it, taking stock photos of the beautiful Welsh countryside. 

"Hello?" Aderyn calls as she knocks on the door and walks in. The cottage is tiny but not cluttered. Exposed beams and whitewashed walls create a sense of cosy history.

"In the kitchen," Ariahnod calls. Aderyn follows her nose through the cottage, following the scent of bread.

"Helo, cariad." Ariahnod stands, short auburn hair fluttering in a breeze, and embraces her daughter. "Cyfarchion, Mam." Ariahnod tuts. "Too formal. You didn't get very far with your lessons, did you?" They sit down at the table, where lunch has been spread out: a thick doorstep loaf, local-churned butter, gammon ham and pickles, Bara Brith, and strong tea.

They talk about everything and nothing as they eat. Then, as Aderyn is finishing her tea, Ariahnod says, "So. You never visit me. What's made you come by now?"

The problem, Aderyn knows, with being intuitive in your methods, is that sometimes the subconscious doesn't let on to the conscious mind what the hell it's up to. As much as she likes to anthropomorphize her car, she knows it was her subconscious that brought her here. Aderyn opens her mouth and waits for the explanation to fall out.

"Do you know where my birth certificate is?" Ariahnod twitches at its mention, and when she speaks, it's dismissive. "It's probably in the roof. Lots of things got slung up there when I moved." Then, suspiciously, "Why?" Again, Aderyn hopes her brain's got something up its sleeve. "The Blades need a copy. We got a new HR bod, and they're looking through everyone's records." Her mother raises an eyebrow. "I didn't ask why. It's HR. You do as you're told, yeah?" Aderyn gives a half smile. Sometimes, she thinks, it should concern her how easily she lies to her mother.

Ariahnod huffs. "Access hatch is above the hall, there. Ladder's in the garden shed." She starts clearing the dishes away, her manner brusque, which makes Aderyn wonder.

Still. She fetches the ladder, goes into the loft, spends the cold, drizzly afternoon sorting through boxes until she finds a battered Roses tin with her name on it. The packing tape which sealed it has long since dried and come apart, the way tape is wont to do after 20-odd years. Aderyn pulls the lantern closer and balances on the beam. She pauses. She could put it back, pretend she never found it, go back to London and live with being attacked every other month until Jauffre forces her hand. But she's never been one to be dictated to. She opens the tin. There are baby pics, grainy with age. A passport photo of her on her mother's lap, bold blue eyes staring at the camera under her mother's green. A doctor's card listing vital statistics and vaccinations. Her hospital armband, not much bigger than a £2 coin. It lists her as 'Griffiths', which isn't surprising – her parents weren't married yet. Some milk teeth and locks of hair, already golden orange. Under all this – the paraphernalia acquired by a newborn – is a flimsy sheet of paper, folded into quarters. Aderyn tugs this out, places the tin aside. Her hands tremble slightly as she unfolds the paper. She scans the details, surprised that her place of birth is Newport, not Southampton as she thought. A chill grips her as she finds the space for the father's name blank.

"Mum?" Aderyn walks into the kitchen, clutching the birth certificate. 

Ariahnod is sat at the pine table. Two cups of tea and two chasers of clear liquor are already on the table. Aderyn puts the paper on the table, next to her mother. She feels stiff and robotic, all thoughts on ice.

"Explain."

Ariahnod takes the paper, uncreases a folded corner, and sighs. "I don't know who your real father is." 

Ariahnod goes on to explain about her wild Uni days, about how none of the four men who she slept with would agree to a paternity test – Martin included. She went home. Her parents – Aderyn's Nan and Grandpa of whom she's never heard of, much less met – wanted her to give up the baby. Ariahnod wouldn't do it. 

19 years old, homeless and with a babe-in-arms, she turns to family friend Modryn Oreyn, currently living on base at the Marine Camp in Poole. He's due on rotation soon; the house will be empty. She's introduced to the other families on-base as his sister. He's nearly ten years older than she is and they look nothing alike, but no one says anything. Ariahnod goes on the dole, and things are hard, but they get through.

When Aderyn is two, Ariahnod meets Robert Williams, the bricklayer from Brighton. She's at a supermarket, Aderyn is colicky and screaming the place down. Ariahnod is trying to juggle a bottle of milk that's up too high and a trolly and a screaming infant... The milk is the thing that gives. It explodes, covering mother and babe and every other fucking thing in a five-foot radius. Bob comes to her rescue. He's so sweet and kind, gentle, calm, and confident. He makes her feel special and not a fuck-up. They exchange numbers and part ways.

By the time Modryn returns from his rotation, Ariahnod has decided that Bob is The One, and is making plans to move out to be nearer where Bob is working. Modryn does not like Bob; but he wants Ariahnod to be happy and Aderyn to have stability, so he keeps his trap shut, and prepares to be there if things go south. Ariahnod and Bob move in together on an estate in Southampton. When Aderyn is five, the adoption papers go through, and they're married.

"And, well. You were there for the rest." Ariahnod shrugs. "Legally, Bob is still your Dad, just not your biological father."

Aderyn takes her shot of poteen, down in one.

It's a lot. Too much maybe. She stays the night in the cottage, then drives North, to the Brecons. There she spends some quality time brooding up a mountain, before driving west, to the dramatic coast at Fishguard and Cardigan Bay. Brooding by the empty Irish Sea does as much good as brooding up a mountain, and so she drives south and east, to the Forest of Dean. But the trees do not soothe her either, and she's running out of dramatic terrain. She stays North and East; Worcester, Birmingham, Notts, Lincoln, the Wolds. She rocks up finally in Grimsby, on the banks of the Humber, having run out of land. Short of driving around to Hull and getting on a boat bound for Belgium, she's not going any further. 

Aderyn hates to leave a question unanswered. She's coming to terms with the past and what Ariahnod told her, but it still hasn't answered the pivotal question. Aderyn can't go back to Martin, back to whatever life remains there for her, without knowing if he really is her father. 

Orange glare lights up the dark fleecy sky, making the twilight hazy. The rough voices of fishers and industrial noise settles into the background. Water sloups against the crenellated, rusting dockside, sending up the tang of brine and dead fish. The air sits clammy on her skin. 

Somehow, it's more of a balm than tree and mountain, and it's there, between the darkling water and the sodium-lit fish sheds, she finds her way forward. There's only one true way to get the answer she needs, only one way she can do it without involving anyone else. Her path lies South, to London and the White-Gold Tower at the heart of the Septim dynasty.

~*~*~*~

It's too easy to get to the Vault; Aderyn is pissed off by this, but it's a secondary concern right now. She uses an exploit Carwen found to access Martin's calendar without leaving any footprints, picks a time when he's scheduled to be in a long meeting away from the CEO's office. Down the A1, and into London. She leaves the Landy on the outskirts, uses cash to buy her ticket for the Tube, takes the backway into the building, keeps her head down and carries a box past the loading bay security. She's cloned her credentials, changed all the identifying fields to NULL, and she uses this to get up to the last stationery room before the office. There she grabs a manilla file folder, stuffing it with blank paper. Now is the part where it might go wrong. In the corridor to the CEO's office, Aderyn peeks around the corner. There's a Rookie at the door standing on her own, a tall, well-built woman with black hair, Alex- something. Fortis must be close by, which means she needs to hurry.

Aderyn straightens up, holding the file like a shield, and strides to the door, credentials already in hand.

Alexis(?) comes to attention. "Marm," she stutters out. "I wasn't aware you were back." "I'd appreciate it if it stayed that way. I'm just dropping a... note to Martin." Aderyn stops and looks away, face creased. Then she sniffs and rubs her nose as if her eyes are wet. "More personal than an email. Easier than a conversation." She gives Alexandrea(?) a tight smile. "Of course, marm." The woman swipes Aderyn in using her Blades credentials and doesn't bother checking Aderyn's. Something else to add to the list. "I may be a little while. I thought of some things I want to add on the way up." "Of course, marm."

Inside the office, Aderyn heads straight for Martin's desk inside the glass partition. She scribbles the items she's noticed on the paper, adding an illustration to a post-it note stuck to the folder. It's supposed to be a raptor sitting on a branch – it looks more like a penguin. Then she does the complicated little dance that takes her, unseen by security, to the vault. No way around the camera pointing at it, she just has to pray no one is looking.

The vault is a formidable thing. Dark steel, a foot thick, only accessible by the sleek, light grey console beside it. She's seen Martin use it once, watched the little lights turn green as it had confirmed his parentage by iris and blood markers. They'd tried the Key too, but whatever fragile design was etched inside it is too broken now; the vault can never be opened.

She takes a breath, lets it out long and slow like she's pulling a trigger, and places her hand inside the sleeve of plastic. There is a pinprick. A drop of cooling blood slides down the pad of her finger into the analyser. Her eyes are glued to the confirmation panel, as the seconds tick slowly by. 

The light turns green.

She has to force her knees to lock.

For absolute surety, she places her eyes on the scanner. A light flashes in her vision, and she withdraws, just in time to see the second light turn green.

For a long moment, she can't move. Then, abandoning all pretence, Aderyn leaves the office. She gives Alexa(?) some genial salutation, and leaves via the front, straight into the nearest pub.

Aderyn hasn't thought this far ahead. She assumed the lights would turn red. She has no sodding idea what she's supposed to do now.

~*~*~*~

Hieronymus Lex finds her on the same bar stool three hours later. He sits down on the stool next to her, and with half a brain cell, Aderyn notes he's in uniform.

"Griffiths." "Piss off, pig."

Lex motions to the bartender that she's had enough. He lets her finish her current drink though, which is nice, considering.

"I assume you drove here. Where did you leave your car? I'll drive you home." "Finchley."

She can feel Lex is giving her some kind of look, but she just takes another sip of her drink. "The other-side-of-the-City Finchley?" "Yup." A sigh. "What exactly was your plan here?"

Aderyn shrugs. "Go back to the car, sleep it off. See Marti and B when I'm sober?" She finally looks over at the copper. "I ain't going back to Martin piss-drunk like this, got it?"

They enter a staring contest. 

Eventually, Lex huffs and looks away, enunciating in beautiful Essex diction, "Fuck!"

Lex ends up taking her back to his place. It's exactly like she imagines a copper's place to look like. Neat, ordered, minimalistic. She's set up on the sofa, painkillers and water and a bucket close to hand.

"If you throw up on anything besides that bucket, you're paying to have it cleaned." Aderyn waves an uncoordinated hand. "Fine."

Lex drags a chair over. "What happened to you?" he asks, elbows on knees. Aderyn closes her eyes.  "Do you know how much wrath I'm risking by not announcing you're here? The least you can do is give me some details."

He has a carriage clock on his mantle. Its tock resounds in the silence.

"Went and saw me mam. Found out I've been lied to. My entire bloody life. And I had to find out from the Mythic fucking Dawn. Martin's-" She stops. "He's got a one-fourth chance of being my bio dad." "You were gone nearly a fortnight." "Had a lot to think about, didn't I?"

He leaves her alone then, curled in the not-quite dark on a sofa that smells of musk, to contemplate what comes next.

~*~*~*~

She's greeted by hugs and worried, weepy eyes. There's a lot of palaver. Some of the Blades have come up from the Priory. "You owe me several drinks, Rook." This from Jena. Roliand squashes her in a bear hug. Baragorn tells her a place and time when she is having a medical. Ferrum says it's been too long since they all went out. Then she tells Martin the four words everyone dreads – "We need to talk".

They go up to Martin's office.

"I... I was wrong," she says. "According to my Mum, there's a one-fourth chance you're my father." She relays some of what Ariahnod told her. Martin nods along, his expression contrite.

"I was not an especially nice person back then," he says. "Too inflamed with greed and the power that seduction brings." Aderyn has guessed about his party days. There have been hints and broad mentions of it in the time she's known him, but he's never explicitly admitted to being the man he was then; at least not to her. Now he speaks of the Dionysus-esque cult he was part of; of some of the frankly horrific things he was party to. "I remember your mother very clearly. She seemed wild and unbroken. And, back then, I liked a... challenge." He goes on to mention Ariahnod's revelation she was pregnant. "You know, I'd always thought I'd hallucinated it. I was on acid, and there was a dragon in the tree behind her which was rather distracting." He huffs out something that could be an ironic laugh. "No wonder she slapped me."

They each take a long drink of tea.

"I suppose the question is," Martin says, "what do you want to do now?"

Aderyn's gaze finds the shelf of knick-knacks and fixes on a bottle filled with coloured sand. He continues, "I'm more than happy to have a test done. If that's what you want. Or not. You know. In case..." In case the result isn't what they want. She should tell him about the vault.  She opens her mouth, but what falls out is, "Do you- D'you want to be my Dad?" She looks back. His eyes are soft, his smile gentle.  "I seem to already be acting like it," Martin says. "Do you want to be my Daughter?" The world takes on a wobbly haze. Her voice squeaks out around the sudden lump that forms. "Yes." His shoulders relax. "Well then. That's settled." His smile broadens. "No testing required." Aderyn swallows, mouth dry, smile wonky. "Yeah. Sure. No testing."

~*~*~*~

Life continues, more or less, as it was.

Martin and Aderyn decide not to appeal her adoption order to Bob the bricklayer. It's a lot of stress and hassle, a lawyer tells them, for a process that has little chance of success. Baurus still calls her 'little bird', but now there's something lighter in his face when he does.

Jauffre is overjoyed, inasmuch the hoary old goat is ever joyful. He rules that, since Aderyn has no Septim blood, she can keep her position in the Blades. The implication that he would revoke her status as a Blade is all that stops Aderyn from admitting what the Vault showed. He's still concerned about Mythic Dawn attacks, but he's far more relaxed about Aderyn's assertion she can handle it.

Armand gives her a damned strong talking to and the Fox doesn't talk to her for nearly a fortnight, but she gets to keep that job too.

There's been no movement from the Agents of Dawn. 

She has two parents who don't treat her like a burden, actual friends – not mere acquaintances – who enjoy her company, two jobs she adores, and a reason to keep bungeeing back to the same home. Everything is settling into a life that Aderyn is proud to have.

It lasts four months.

~*~*~*~

The rookies – Alexine, Garrus, and Christophe – have completed their training and are now full Blades. As tradition dictates, they have been taken down to the local pub for a pissup. There is a fair group of them, as they stagger and sway down the lanes at midnight towards the barn they'll be bivouacking in. Christophe and Ferrum lead the merrily inebriated, Achilles, Fortis, and Garrus just behind. Roliand, Jena, and Pelagius follow them up. Aderyn and Alexine trail at the back.

Alexine is the one that saves her. 

The black van comes out of nowhere. Tires squeal and brakes screech as it stops, the door slides open and people in red body armour grab her. Aderyn is drunk and too slow in her movements. Alexine is less soused and freshly trained; she wraps her arms around Aderyn's lower waist and pulls, hollering for backup. The Dawn have Aderyn's arms, and a tug of war ensues. Aderyn, for her part, is struggling, twisting to loosen everyone's grip. Then something cold slides into her bicep and, though she remains mostly cogent, she goes slack, unable to control her limbs.

Things become a bit blurred, then. She feels her body tugged this way and that; the helplessness is infuriating. Alexine is yelling, there's shouting from the front of the van. Hot blood brushes her face. A gun goes off. Perhaps it's the other way around. Suddenly she's on the narrow pavement, held securely in Alexine's arms. Jena is talking rapidly into a phone nearby. Christophe is clicking his fingers in Aderyn's face.

"F'off," she says. He's trying to ask her something, probably running through the first-responder questions. But he's too quiet and everything else is too loud.  "Don't need hospital," Aderyn adds, because she'll do anything to stay out of the damn places.  She can tell by his expression he disagrees.  "Jen? I need-" Alexine still has her arms around Aderyn, which is good, because she's suddenly really bloody cold. "Need t'tell you summint. Jen?" A warm hand slips into hers and there's the smell of melons. Her eyes have closed while she wasn't looking and all she can hear is water rushing, like her head is in a river. But Jena is there–

~*~*~*~

The next thing Aderyn knows, she's waking up in an unfamiliar bed in a near-dark room that smells of antiseptic. There's one big window inset into the wall, the curtains splayed open to highlight a figure. They're all lean lines, rimmed with the spill of silver moonlight and cold LED streetlights, like an elf from the Mabinogion. Only the glistening pate gives them away.

"Gramps?" Aderyn croaks out.

He's beside her in a flash, offering a sip of water. Once she's sated, he takes her hand. "You," he says affectionately, "scared the shit out of me. Kindly don't do that again." She mumbles her sorries. Then, "Is everyone-?" "Achillie has a fractured wrist. Pelagius took a knife to the arm. Garrus has a hefty concussion." The old man gives a grim smile. "It could be worse. I hear our rookies performed admirably." "I should buy Alexine some flowers," Aderyn agrees. Her tone is blithe, hiding the guilt that's surfaced. As a Blade, she has a responsibility firstly to the Vault and then to the Septim line. But she also has a duty to her sibling Blades. They deserve to know what she is, and what they were protecting.

"When's Marti gonna get here?" she asks. "Not long, maybe half an hour." He squeezes her hand. "Good. Cuz, um. Director, there's something you need to know."

[write-orflight]

Settle Down: Prologue

**Gif Not Mine**

Prev -  Next

Pairings: SpencerXReader (kinda enemies to lovers) 

Rating: M

Words: 2.5K

Warnings: None, will be smut in eventual chapters

Request: OPEN/CLOSED

Summary: Y/N and Spencer don’t get along but turn to each other for the one thing you need someone else for... A baby. You can plantonically start a family, right?

A.N: this is a bad bio but idk how else to put it. it’s a baby fic! I wouldn’t say this is enemies to lovers but they certainly don’t like each other at first so it kinda is. comment on this chap or message to be on the taglist. much love, Cia

                Prologue:  A Powerpoint, Really? 

If you had told 16 year old Y/N that she’d be working at the FBI, she would’ve called you batshit. 

Not only, did you not have any respect for authority or any inclination for rules in that matter, working for the FBI was never in the forefront of your mind. But when given the option of Jail or a full time job with benefits, it was fairly easy to make a choice. You remember the first day when you met your work partner and now best friend Penelope Garcia or specifically the day she caught you. 

You were waiting tables like you did every weekend to stay afloat. Today was unreasonably slow so you were just finding small things to do. That’s when she came in, an extremely brightly dressed woman, sat at the bar of the diner. 

“Hi, how can I help you?” You smile at the woman who looks up at you and smiles. 

“Yes, I’m looking for the Emerald City.” She says, smirking at you. Your face drops, you knew what she was talking about. 

When you started hacking it was only supposed to be a one time thing. You grew up poor, spent most of your life poor so when you saw your childhood home was set to be demolished to build a fancy new headquarters for Scotty Realins, an upcoming asshole tech CEO, without a cent going to your parents.  Something in you snapped. You had already been pretty decent at code and you flirted with a couple of guys in your STEM classes to learn how to hack so you would say you were pretty good at this point. So you hacked into the website and made sure all the Revenue for that day actually was wired to lower-income housing. At the end of the day, it was only a couple hundred thousand dollars but what was pennies to Scotty Realins changed some people's lives. 

So you started doing it more, to different companies under the pseudonym OZ. The money always went to different places that needed it whether it was paying the rent for a bunch of families or anonymous large donations to food banks or soup kitchens. You gained a bit of fame in the hacker community as a modern day Robin Hood. 

All good things come to an end though. And the end was standing in front of you in clunky, rainbow colored jewelry. 

“You don’t look like a cop.” you say, crossing your arms. 

“I’ll do you one better.” She says, pulling her FBI badge out, showing it to you briefly. You curse under your breath. “I’ve been following you for a while, OZ. Though I wasn’t expecting the man behind the curtain to be a woman. I will say, having my computers route back to a loop of “We’re not in Kansas anymore.” everytime I tried to track your IP was impressive. I couldn’t even be mad about it.” 

“Clearly not that impressive because you found me.” 

“Still took me longer than usual, which is saying a lot.” 

“This is a really long winded conversation if you’re just here to arrest me.” You say, taking off your apron. No use in keeping it on if you were going to be in handcuffs soon. 

“That’s because I’m not here to arrest you. I’m here to offer you a job, to work under me as a Tech Analyst in the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI.” Penelope says. 

“And if I don’t want to?” 

“Then you’re going to want a lawyer and my very good handsome friend outside is going to arrest you. You’re smart and you have a chance to help people which is why you started hacking in the first place, right? Please don’t make me do that.” She looked at you pleadingly like she really cared and didn’t want you to go to prison. You didn’t say anything but something told you she’d been in the same boat as you before. 

“Hmmm…. I’m tired of waiting tables anyway.” 

So you uprooted your life and moved from Philadelphia to Quantico. Garcia took you under her wing and pretty soon the two of you functioned in her batcave like a well oiled machine. You could do without the constant gore that filled your screens but at the end of the day, you loved what you were doing and you wouldn’t change that for the world. 

The team was an added bonus, it was nice to have your own little found family. Garcia, of course, taking on the role as best friend mere days after your first meeting. You met Derek Morgan right after you agreed to take the job, he’d been there to arrest you and was very glad he wouldn’t have to do that. He told you often about how you reminded him of his sister and he regarded you in the role of younger sister from that day on. The next person you met had been Aaron Hotchner, your new boss. It took him a couple of weeks to warm up to you, you guessed he had a difficulty trusting new people and when he would call you guys for information he would always ask for Garcia instantly instead of you, not very trusting in your skills yet. Though that changed when you had been the one to track down the Unsub once. 

Rossi was easily won over when you told him about your Italian side of the family, specifically your grandmother who loved to cook and left you a lot of recipes. You and him often went back and forth in sharing dishes. Emily and JJ had also been easily won over with one bottle of tequila and a regrettable girls night. 

Then there was Dr. Spencer Reid.     

You had a lot of opinions on Dr. Reid, most of them weren’t good. It wasn’t like you hated him in fact, you’d consider him a friend but the two of you seemed to butt heads on well, everything. Both of you needing to be the smartest in the room and neither of you wanting to admit when you’re wrong will do that though. You still respected Spencer though, he was an extreme asset to the team and he was your best friend’s other best friend so you couldn’t really hate the guy. 

You also didn’t have to like him. 

So you had a good job, good friends, a nice house to live in. You were finally happy, content even. So why did it feel like something was missing? 

The something missing came in a stroller pushed by JJ the next week. 

The last case had been rough. Really rough. So while the team was on their way back you and Garcia hatched a plan for JJ to come visit from maternity leave and surprise everyone with the baby. While you guys were waiting for them to land, Garcia wanted to show JJ something she had gotten her godson so JJ asked if you could watch him and feed him until she got back, which you obviously agreed to. As you were feeding the child his bottle, and his ravioli sized fist wrapped around your finger you realized what had been missing. 

Fuck, you wanted a kid. 

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

You told Garcia first, it slipped when she noticed how off you were being. You wanted to have a kid bad now and you knew you didn’t want to wait. Penny tried to convince you that you’d “find the right person” but let’s face it, with this job, long term relationships were few and far inbetween. Plus you didn’t need a man, you had a good job and insurance, you knew you could provide a child with a life full of love it deserved. So you made an appointment at a fertility clinic. As the doctor was talking to you about your options, you felt yourself feeling more and more down about your decision and that only increased as you looked in the book of sperm donors in front of you. You looked at too many serial killers daily that it made you uneasy, carrying a stranger's baby. Maybe Garcia was right and your best bet was to wait for ‘the right guy.’ Even though you really didn’t want to. 

You walked into work later, a little sullen. Heading immediately towards the coffee machine. Penelope, who had been at Derek’s desk, makes a beeline towards you.  

“So how’d it go?” She says, smiling. “Did you make an appointment to be baby-fied?” 

You sigh. “I couldn’t do it, Pen.” You say, frowning. “I just-- We see so much here that I don’t want to accidentally end up with a sociopath’s baby because I couldn’t wait.” 

“But you don’t want to wait, do you?” She says softly, empathizing with you. 

“No, I don’t.” You sigh again, finishing making your cup before walking back out into the bullpen. JJ had brought Henry again for the others to see on the slow paperwork day. You tried not to look bitter but it was like she was flaunting the one thing you couldn’t have, even if it was unintentional. You watched as she handed the baby to Spencer, who instantly smiled and made faces at the laughing baby. 

“Spencer is actually a surprisingly good godfather.” Garcia says, smiling at the exchange in front of you. “Kinda makes you wonder what he’d be like with his own baby geniuses.” She says before walking over to the group and scooping her godson out of Spencer’s arms, Spencer still held on to his fist with his pinky, smiling down at the child. 

“Yea…” You say, to no one in particular. 

You had an idea. A probably bad one. 

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

You were sitting in the coffee shop, nervously fiddling on your laptop while waiting for Spencer. You were surprised he even agreed to meet with you for coffee though you were sure he was just doing it out of curiosity because you told him you had something important to talk about. You weren’t even sure if you were going about this the right way. Hey Spencer, I know we’re not even friends but how would you feel about fathering my child? God, this was going to be terrible. 

You looked up when you heard the tell-tale bell on the door indicating someone walking in. Spencer gave you a small wave before going to the counter to get a coffee. You took that time to nervously sip yours. Your heart was beating a mile a minute, it was now or never. 

“Hey.” Spencer says, when he finally gets to the table, coffee in hand. “Why are you all the way in the corner?” 

“This isn’t really a conversation I want overheard.” 

Spencer tilts his head confused at that. “So what is the conversation we’re supposed to be having. I asked Garcia but she seemed to also have no idea.” 

“Yea, I didn’t tell her on account of this maybe going extremely bad.” You say, before sighing and turning your laptop around so Spencer could see the Powerpoint screen you have on it. When he reads it,  he chokes on his coffee.

“A Powerpoint, really?” He chokes, still coughing around the coffee. “Y/N, what is this?” 

“This is Reasons Why You Should Make a Baby With me.” 

“Yea, I got that from the title, Y/N.” He says, still shocked. “Is this a joke?!” 

“I wish it was, Reid.”

“Can I at least ask why you thought a Powerpoint was the best way to ask?”   

“Because I felt you’d be more inclined to consider it if you knew I spent time on a presentation.” 

“That’s true.” He leans back, taking a sip of his coffee, gesturing for you to continue. You hit the next slide. 

“Ok, reason number one is we both want kids.” You say, looking at him. “Garcia told me the other day that you were talking about how much you wanted a kid and I also want a kid.”  

“I did tell Garcia that.” He muses. 

“Reason two, an offspring between us would probably result in another genius. As you know, you are smart.” 

“Yes.” 

“And I am smarter.” You say, Spencer opens his mouth to protest but you keep talking. “A child between us could probably be the next Einstein.” 

Spencer nods and you continue. “Reason three, I’d be a great mom.” 

“That’s a debatable fact.” 

“No, it’s not. You’ve seen me around kids, have I ever given an inclination that I wouldn’t be?” You ask, he shakes his head. “Plus, I happen to think you’d be a great father. Which brings me to Reason 4.” You say clicking through the next slide. “If you don’t want to be involved in raising that’s fine. I’m perfectly fine raising the child myself an--” 

“What?! No!” Spencer says, sitting up. “If I do agree to have this baby, which I’m not completely doing yet. I want to be involved, I want them to know I’m their father and that I didn’t abandon them because I know what that’s like.” He says, seriously. You nod, already knowing this about Spencer. 

“Reason 5: I’d be the perfect platonic co-parent, I won’t ask you for anything unless it’s pertaining to the child and if you decide that later down the road you want your own family, I’d be supportive and help you along the way.”

Spencer nods. “We’re never home enough for a baby.” 

“That’s where you’re wrong because I’ll be here. I mainly stay here anyway and if there’s ever a case where you need a tech analyst to fly out, Garcia’s already agreed to have it already be her when I floated the baby idea around last month.”  

Spencer hummed, silent for a second. “You really want a kid, huh?” 

“Yes.” You say. 

“So much so you’re asking me?” Spencer says, matter-of-factly. “A Coworker you barely speak to?”

Well, when he says it like that. 

“Yes. I’m asking because while we don’t get along the best you are still one of the most compassionate, understanding men I know. And I know that if I have to raise this kid with somebody, you would love them just as much as I would.” You say, Spencer nods at that. “So, please?” 

Spencer sighs. “When’s your next appointment? At the fertility clinic?” 

You didn’t even want to ask how he knew about that. “Next tuesday.” 

He nods. “I’m going with you.” He says, standing, pulling the strap of his messenger bag over his shoulder. “This isn’t a yes.” 

“It’s not a no, either.” You point out. 

“No, it’s not.” He says, leaving you behind in the coffee shop with a huge grin on your face.

Taglist: @moonshinerbynight​ @crimeshowtrash​

Message/reply to be tagged!!

[enjennie]

In The Limelight [chenle x reader]

Summary: Tutoring the CEO’s son, when you’re barely interested in business. And falling for him, when you knew nothing about love.

Genre: Fluff. Rich kid!Chenle Tutor!Reader

Warnings: None

a/n: not proofread! I’ve been in a slump lately ☹ my works haven’t been satisfying me but I hope you enjoy this! btw omg this is a reupload bc the first time... somehow, the paragraphs were jumbled up? 

 “Y/N, there are flowers on your desk,” your classmate gestures behind them to the classroom you were headed to before quickly passing by. You could only nod, a little taken aback by the sudden information you received. Flowers? As far as you know, Valentine’s had passed, so has white day and it’s definitely not your birthday.

But as you enter your classroom, the bundle of flowers catching your eyes, you knew one thing for sure was from who it was. As you approach your desk, you lift the thoughtful gift and inspect the small card attached to the string that tied it beautifully together. ZCH, it read in cursive.

 “How was your day?” Chenle’s voice can be heard from the other line, the smile on his face almost something you can hear along with it.

“It was great! Thank you for the flowers, by the way. They’re delightful,” you beamed, eyes landing at the arrangement that now sat on your vanity. Chenle chuckles, his laughter sending serotonin to run through your body.

“Not a problem, I’m glad you like them,”

“Though I’d appreciate if you gave them to me yourself,” you cheekily continued. Chenle could only smile, his face softening at your request. It was a simple request. Yet, he couldn’t do it.

When you notice the silence that follow, you immediately regret what you said. You desperately try to backtrack, sputtering out words. “Well- I mean-, It’s fine- Thank you, still! I love them,”

Chenle hums, “I know. Don’t worry. You’ll wait though… right? It won’t be long,”

You plant your feet to your carpeted floor and nod, even if he can’t see you. “Of course, Lele,”

 Zhong Chenle is the son of the most respected CEO of one of the biggest corporations in Shanghai the entire world. Chenle was the next in line to the company. After his brother had expressed how the business world didn’t interest him, the responsibility immediately fell into Chenle’s hands. And even if music was his love and calling, he had to let it go as to not disappoint his father.

Chenle had accepted it some time ago, going to school only for the degree so he could be eligible to own the business. He accepted the fact that he was going to be living the life his father made for him, not one he made for himself and it was the hardest pill to swallow. But things changed when he met you. There was more purpose to the things he does, it wasn’t just for nothing. Life had gone from monochromatic to colorful.

 “Miss, Y/N. Mr. Zhong just moved and he has to take this class to pass the semester. I trust you can fill him in with our module? Mr. Zhong, this is Miss. Y/N, she scored the highest during midterms,” your world economics professor had marched towards you after class, a tall boy following behind her. He looked just as oblivious as she did, to the sudden weight and pressure being put on you.

You merely nod and say a simple hello, not being able to say anything else. It wasn’t a question, this was a demand. Jeez if I was gonna teach your student I should get a portion of your pay. You thought bitterly. At the time, you were struggling to juggle a part-time job at a café while also maintaining your grades to keep your scholarship.

When your professor left you two, the boy kept his hands buried in his pockets. His clothes were semi-casual and his hair was styled nicely. Who the hell moves halfway through the year?

“So, Mr. Zhong-“ you take your books into your arms and lazily sling your bag over your shoulder, heading towards the door with him trailing behind you.

“Chenle-, You can call me Chenle,” he finally spoke, startling you a little with how cool and soft his voice is as opposed to his striking visual that intimidated you at first.

“Nice to meet you, Chenle,” you give him a smile.

You were gonna be around this guy for who knows how long, might as well try to be his friend. Maybe it’ll make the teaching less of a chore.

  “Wrong,” you huffed, marking his essay and adding in annotations. “Chenle, remember there is a specific way to start these essays and that’s by defining the terms you’re using,”

The boy sat opposite of you, arms crossed and back against the couch comfortably. You were in a café. The café you worked in, to be precise. Your schedule today overlapped with Chenle’s and as much as you didn’t want him to see you slaving around, you also couldn’t miss this paycheck at the café. You gave him an essay to write just to check on his phrasing and structure and left to buss some tables and serve orders. But when you came back, Chenle barely wrote anything and could care less about it.

“Can we not study today?” he whined.

You and Chenle have been meeting each other for a month now, and you’d soon learned about the type of boy he is, the life he led. In ways you didn’t expect to.

 The first time you found out about Chenle’s reputation was through the newspaper. No, not the school newspaper. Not even the local newspaper. But on the Wallstreet Journal, when you had to grab material from any recent article for a class. Chenle’s name floated along with the words ‘Young entrepreneur’ and their company’s name. You gasped so loud you had to excuse yourself from the library and leave in a hurry. That afternoon you smacked him on the shoulder with your thick world econ textbook.

“You’re from a family of business corporates and you’re learning world economics from someone who crammed the exam?” you exclaimed. He stared at you blankly, book in hand and pen in the other.

“And you don’t pay me!” you added. The fact that you’ve been tutoring someone as rich as Chenle just didn’t make sense to you. Why not go to a professional? Instead, he was here with a sleep deprived college student who sometimes mixes up business terms just because she couldn’t care any less. World Economics was a mandatory for you. You studied to pass, sadly.

“I could start paying you, name the price,” he said easily. But you shook your head.

“I didn’t mean it that way, sorry. I actually don’t care about the money,” You led him to the picnic bench with the table outside school grounds and propped your book on it along with your bag before taking out your bento box. “Just blows my mind how you won’t just pay for the classes. I don’t teach that well-” you continue.

“I like you, though,” Chenle calmly interjects. You look up at the boy, movements being halted by his bold statement.

“Pardon?” you felt the need to have him clarify what he said.  The boy leaned across the table, over your textbooks and notes. “I like you,” Chenle repeated himself, but the impact it had on you was just as powerful and hit you hard. Your heart was doing somersaults.

Chenle’s eyes grew thin as he smiled, backing away from you and sitting back down.

“So, chapter 12,” he starts flipping his book nonchalantly, leaving you out of breath with a heart hammering in your chest.

  “What do you mean not study today? You have an upcoming quiz with Mr. Byun this Friday and mind you, that man searches for wrongs, not rights,” you raised a finger at him, shaking it matter-of-factly.

“No, let me help you. Do you usually run the café on your own?” he closes the book and takes his essay from your hand. You’re left slack jawed.

“No. I- Johnny couldn’t come in today,” you explained. Suddenly, you were stammering as if explaining to your boss. At first, you were doubting if it was the same Chenle you were reading about in the articles. The boy you were tutoring didn’t come off as someone who would be running corporates and buying stocks or whatever. He was more laid back and relaxed. Aside from the way he dressed, nothing gave it away that he was indeed the CEO’s son. But there were times where you got a dominant feel from him. Times when he stood with much authority and didn’t accept no for an answer. In those moments, you realize how Chenle’s presence alone demanded respect.

Soon enough, you found yourself behind the counter with Chenle beside you tying the apron to himself. He looked cute, somehow. The way he smiled at customers and tried giving them their recommendations set butterflies run free in your stomach, you almost swooned. He didn’t get much studying done that day, but you surely did. You learned the fact that you falling slowly but surely with Zhong Chenle.

  There were two chapters you’re left to cover. In the short month and a half, you managed to teach Chenle six month’s worth of topics. Seeing him every other day made Chenle a familiar face to see around. Of course, you never actually got to see him around campus when you weren’t tutoring him. It left you wondering if you were actually teaching a ghost. But all doubts went away when the girls in your class started whispering about the cute boy waiting outside class. You quickly found out it was Chenle who they were talking about, and he was there for you. It was safe to say he wasn’t a ghost and is in fact real.

Carrying his book bag, he was stood against the wall with reading material under his arm.

“Chenle, we don’t have a schedule today,” you walk up to him, trying to avoid the dozen pairs of eyes that watched you. Chenle nodded, “Sorry, I won’t be here tomorrow. My father is bringing me on a business trip,” he states.

It wasn’t new for you to hear this coming from Chenle. Just the other week, his father brought him along to Japan for a company deal and Chenle came back with a little keychain souvenir for you. The same keychain dangled from your bag now as you both walked to the exit of the building. “Are you free?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t bring my book with me tod-“ you begin searching in your bag, even if you knew it wasn’t there. You were just trying to ignore the way his question made your heart jump.

“I mean… for dinner. Are you free for dinner?” he places a gentle hand on yours, stopping you from looking further in your bag. Chenle’s bold movements sometimes took him by surprise as well. He quickly retracts his hand, shoving it in his pockets. You let go of your bag, placing your hands on either side of you.

“Why?” you squinted at him suspiciously.

Chenle’s smile is small, but doesn’t go unnoticed by you as he turns his head towards his car then back down at you. “Listen, you don’t have to overanalyze this. I just want to treat you,”

  Chenle had thought about it a hundred times or more, before finally making a decision. Although you’ve been seeing each other in cafes and libraries for some time now, he didn’t want to consider those as dates. Sure, it gave him time to admire you up close and get to know you but he wanted you to know his true intentions. The only problem was boy, was he a wuss. And were you oh so dense!

Despite the subtle and not so subtle hints he’s given you, you remained clueless about his feelings. Unsure, confused and just downright oblivious. From the way he looked at you to how he vocally told you he liked you. You shoved everything under the rug, afraid that this boy was just toying around with you and having a laugh. He found it cute.

 It didn’t matter that you were in your school clothes, carrying about three thick books in your shoulder bag. He thought you looked stunning. You ate at a pizzeria just in town and he expressed how it tasted just like pizza from Italy. You said you wouldn’t know the difference since you’ve never been, and had a laugh about it.

The walk from his car to your apartment wasn’t that far, it’s just that he had to park a little further since there was no more space left in front. As you walked together, you noticed how the vibe and atmosphere between you two that developed as the night deepened, was different. More lax, comfortable. Like friends? You were both silent, until Chenle piped up.

“I lied, I didn’t just want to treat you,” he muttered, looking into the distance of your quiet street.

You turn your face towards him and you catch a glimpse of his face in the moonlight before looking away. He’d taken your bag from you and had it around his shoulder now. Him in his white polo shirt and brown suit jacket. He was always dressed like he was attending some kind of formal event. That’s Chenle for you. Mr. CEO’s son.

“Then?” you prompted him to continue.

Chenle averts his attention towards you as you finally reached the front of your apartment. You both stop walking, facing each other with the moon as your spotlight. You look at him from the light of the moon, it illuminated Chenle’s features perfectly. You would be able to inspect him when he studied, but each look at him made you breathless every time you had to look away. Much like right now.

“I wanted to take you out. Like, on a date,” Chenle confesses.

You could never wrap your head around how bold Chenle could be. Always leaving you flustered after saying such things, this boy was your weakness. But you didn’t give in. At least, you tried not to.

“Oh,” was your only response as you put your hands together, looking up at the tall boy. You hoped it wasn’t obvious that heat was rushing to your cheeks and ears by now. You could practically feel your blood flowing through your body, making you feel warm all over. “It was fun, I enjoyed it,” you shyly admit.

Chenle takes a step forward, raising his hand to palm your cheek gently. It’s the first time he’s ever gotten this close. “But I’m not sure you’re ready for my world yet,” his voice is lower, cool. Like wind.

You part your lips slightly, willing yourself to breathe. Your breath is unstable, shaky. This time, you take a step forward. “Are you underestimating me?” You don’t know where the surge of confidence came from, but you were thankful for it. The look of surprise is quickly melted into amusement as this was definitely the first time you ever made the second move to the dozens of times he’d left you flustered.

Chenle dips his head down close to your face. Eyes trained on each other, you tried to get yourself to breathe. He looked alluring, and you watch his eyes drop to your lips. Your head had become blank, nothing in mind. Just him. Chenle, and nothing else. His calm eyes, button nose and plump lips that you so very badly wanted to press against yours. “Are you sure?” he whispers.

You close the space between you and Chenle, lining your lips with his and connecting them together. The sensation almost sending you on your knees, you grab onto his shoulder for support and he holds you up by the waist, swiftly wrapping his strong arms around you. It felt like such a big relief, you almost sighed.

When you pulled away, Chenle’s smile comes into view as you fluttered your eyes open. He places his hand at the back of his head and scratches, suddenly becoming shy. You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.

“You’re something else,” you giggle, smacking his arm before snatching your bag from his shoulder and turning on your heel to leave. You feel his hand against yours, forcing you to stop. “I’ll see you after my trip?” he asks.

“Same time… for class,” you reply, looking back at him with a cheeky smile. Chenle lets your hand go, a smitten smile on his face and a warm feeling in his chest. Zhong Chenle wished things were simpler. He wanted to give you the world.

 “It’s just a black tie party and my dad’s forcing me to come with a date,” he fixes himself in the mirror. He looked handsome, as always. In an all-black suit that fit him perfectly. Dressed like he had someplace to be, people to meet.

You sat on your bed behind him, arms folded and face scrunched up into a frown. A date. Probably someone from a rich family, better than you, his future spouse. They’d have perfect little babies together. All these bitter thoughts were flooding in your brain. When he notices your unusual quietness, Chenle turns to face you and gives you a goofy smile.

“What’s on your mind?” he approaches the bed, placing either hands on the side of you and leaning in close. Chenle could tell when you lied and knew exactly how to make you crack. You pull your knees to yourself and don’t bother hiding the scowl forming on your face. You couldn’t do anything about it. After several talks with Chenle, he explained how much pressure he gets from the media and his family. How dating even became a hassle because of how the pressure would then be shared with his partner.

For years, it wasn’t a problem. He didn’t find anyone that sparked his interest, and only had meaningless one night stands. He was fine with it, really. But all of that changed when he met you. For once, he wanted to go after something he loved. Not let it go, unlike what he did with his own passion for the sake of his father’s dream and business.

You shook your head, ridding the thoughts in your head and throwing them out. “Nothing. I know it’s just business. Message me when you get home?” you didn’t need to ask, but you still do. Chenle always kept you updated, whether if it was how the party he’s in has a chocolate fountain or if the bathrooms have automatic toilets. It was always bizarre hearing about his stories and taking a peek of what his world is like. The world of corporates. You weren’t ready for it, and Chenle knew.

 The secrecy of your relationship didn’t last very long, soon enough it’s got media questioning who Chenle was seeing and your status. After a few run-ins with the paparazzi, you both decided it would be best if your meetups were more discreet. Luckily, the cameras hadn’t captured your face yet, but it was only a matter of time until they did.

To top it all off, the news had spread across campus. Girls left and right claiming they were the one dating Chenle, it didn’t bother you too much. You had a scholarship to keep and a job to go to. Sometimes, you’d find a single rose and a letter waiting for you in class, or at the café. Of course, you and Chenle had wrapped up the tutorial classes and he was able to pass the exam. He was one step closer to his degree, but happy wasn’t the word to describe him.

He yearned to be with you, have you in his arms and spend hours together just like you used to before things got complicated. Chenle grew lonely without your presence as months passed. Nonetheless, you hung onto the string of hope that maybe one day people wouldn’t care so much. That you could take all the criticism, the heat.

 It was around 2am when your phone rang, disturbing your slumber. It was a Friday night and you took it upon yourself to catch up on some sleep after the horrendous exam week you just faced. Chenle had said goodnight hours ago. You wondered who could be calling at such an ungodly hour.

You pick up without checking the caller ID.

“Hello?”

“Y/N,” Chenle’s voice filled your ear. Your eyes snap open and you shot up from your bed, pulling the phone away from your ear. Sure enough, it was him. Lele, with a little heart beside the name.

“Hey, are you alright?” You ask worriedly. His voice sounded slow and there was rustling behind him.

Chenle lets out a groan, and your heartbeat picks up its pace. You knew better than to think Chenle would cheat, but it was definitely worrying hearing this without any idea what was going on. “I miss you,” he breathed, voice raspy and low. You couldn’t keep the smile from appearing on your face. In the darkness of your room, your heart swelled with joy. “I miss you too, Chenle,” you whispered back.

Distinct voices come through the line, and you make it out to be Jeno and Jaemin. They’re bickering and you hear a guitar in the mix. “We’ll leave you here, Chenle,” Jaemin calls to his friend before you hear a door close.

“Why did you call?” you ask but you were happy that he did.

“Because I can’t be there with you. Even if it’s all I want right now,” he confessed. Your smile faltered and a hint of sadness falls upon your face as he continues. He was obviously drunk, but Chenle has always been really honest because he couldn’t lie. These days however, you haven’t had the time to talk much and you knew there was a lot on his mind. It hurt to know that it’s been this, and you couldn’t do much about it. “I just want to tell everyone about us. Screw what they think, YN. You’re perfect to me,”

Hearing his words gave you a glimmer of hope. You wished he was right, you wished you could believe it.

“Chenle-“ you sighed. “I want that too,”

There was a moment of silence before his voice came through again and you thought he’d passed out drunk already. “I love you, Y/N. I’ve sacrificed so much for my father, but you’re not going to be one of them,”

His words brought the smile back to your face, tears welling up in your eyes from how happy you were to hear them. It seemed at this moment that you could battle anything, because you were with Chenle. Everything would be alright. He was here and you are too, it’s the two of you against the world.

“Tomorrow, let’s make it official,” Chenle proposed.

You bring your hand up to your lips and bite on your nails, now fully awake more than ever. “Okay,” you agreed. Chenle grins, getting up from his bed. “I’m coming over,” you can hear him walking around now, keys jangling and shoes on his wooden floor.

“You can’t drive-“ you hurriedly try to stop him, keeping in mind his state.

“I don’t drive a Tesla for nothing,” he chuckles. “I’ll be there soon,” The outgoing beeping of the call followed afterwards as he ended the call. The realization hit you a moment later.

 The next day, you and Chenle arrived in school together. He stayed the night, carrying a change of clothes in his bag. For someone who was smack drunk, he sure did pack well.

From the moment you stepped out of his car, many students were around to watch. Exchanging whispers and staring, your cheeks set aflame when Chenle pulls you by the arm, your hands connecting between you and threading together naturally. It drew the attention of many onlookers and you chewed on your bottom lip, not used to the attention.

“They’re staring,” you whisper close to him.

“Let them,” He responds. Chenle tilts your head up to meet his gaze before planting a lingering kiss on your lips, confirming people’s already forming suspicions. “You’re my girl, aren’t you?”

[kim-miri]

HALF(have a little fun) pt. i

→ Sayomi Zoldyck is the eldest child and twin sister to Illumi, of the renowned Zoldyck family of assassins. At the age of ten she’s taken away to Meteor City by her mother, Kikyo Zoldyck, unbeknownst to the rest of the family, as well as newborn Killua, and left to fend for herself. This is the story of the long-lost Zoldyck and those she becomes acquainted with, all while she just wants to have a little fun. 

» part one / ?

» pairing: eventually - chrollo x oc x feat. hisoka

» warnings: swearing, blood/violence

» a/n: helloo~ this is my first write ever, and it’ll probably be a pretty long series. I’m also balancing school and a part-time job so forgive me for slow updates! If you’re reading this, thank you so much for showing interest and please leave comments below with your inputs!

» word count: 2,726

☾ i.

Name: Sayomi Zoldyck 小夜美 | "小" is small | "夜" is night | "美" is beauty |

Hair color: White

Eye Color: Purple

Nen: Manipulator (same exact abilities as Illumi)

Abilities: Same as Illumi Zoldyck - Body Alteration, Hypnotic Spell, Corpse Control, Needle People, Katana

☾ part i: a backstory(1/2)

Deep within the Zoldyck estate, Kikyo and Silva Zoldyck celebrated the birth of their first children with rare smiles decorating their faces. They were twins, a boy and a girl, but they could not have been more opposite of each other. 

The boy whom they chose to name Illumi, had mysterious, onyx black eyes and had not cried nor struggled upon being brought into the world. This led the Zoldycks to worry whether the baby was healthy or not, but were reassured by the midwives and doctor that he was indeed completely healthy, despite the baby’s odd lack of expression. 

The girl, who was about 20 minutes older than the boy was a complete contrasting image of the former child. They named her Sayomi. Sayomi had striking violet eyes and brilliant white hair, mirroring both those of her father. Unlike her twin, she had done the whole newborn baby shenanigan with a piercing cry and thrashed about in Kikyo’s arms upon being held.

Thus, began the new generation of the Zoldyck family.

☾ i.

The twins began training at the age of 4, and it was harsh, brutal training fit for the next line of Zoldyck assassins. 

Though deep down Silva and Kikyo loved their children, on the surface, they viewed their children as the ones who would eventually replace them and carry on the Zoldyck legacy. And in order to do so, the training they put their children through was all too necessary for the sake of their futures.

Yet, however painful or exhausting the training would be, Illumi and Sayomi found ways to make it bearable with each other’s company. 

It could be their little races to the training yard each morning, stepping on each other’s feet under the dinner table, or even pranking some of the butlers. 

In a way, they were able to balance each other out, much like two halves of a whole. With Illumi’s lack of expression and Sayomi’s affectionate nature, it was a mystery to those around them of how they were able to grow to be inseparable.

As the twins’ training progressed and the years went by, it was time to awaken their Nen abilities. 

Silva and Zeno had requested that the now 7 year-olds meet in the courtyard today instead of their regular training, where they would now be categorized into the different types of Nen. 

Illumi and Sayomi sat side by side on a bench in the courtyard in wait of Silva and Zeno, playing with their needles to pass the time. 

The black-haired twin flicked his wrist faster than the eye could see, sending the needle between his fingers to go flying and hit a bird mid-flight right in the butt. 

Watching the poor bird plummet to the ground in front of them, the twin girl’s violet eyes brightened and crinkled at the edges as she laughed out loud at her brother’s ‘choice’ of aim, falling to the ground while clutching her sides. 

A slight shade of pink dusted Illumi’s cheeks as his sister teased his needle-throw, before huffing and turning the other way. He swore it had been on purpose, but was immediately shut down by his sister’s obnoxiously loud giggling.

Silva and Zeno approached from a distance and couldn’t help but smile at the view in front of them. 

Sayomi was rolling around in the grass with laughter, her melodious voice echoing throughout the courtyard, while Illumi sat cross-armed with a blush threatening to spread across his otherwise pale face. 

It was a scene that seemed to reoccur often between the twins, their starkly different personalities showing through clear as day. 

Zeno stifled a laugh at the bird which now lied dead approximately 3-feet from where they stood, one of Illumi’s needles sticking out from its rear. Regaining his composure, Zeno called out for the twins.

“Sayomi! Illumi!”

Sayomi looked up from where she laid on the grass, immediately moving to sit next to her brother once again. 

In Zeno and Silva’s hands, each was a glass of water filled exactly to the brim. It was amazing how steadily the two senior assassins could move, the water remaining still in either cup.

The time had finally come where the twins would awaken and discover their Nen. 

Setting the glasses down on a table in the middle of the courtyard, Silva gestured for the twins to take a seat across from them before beginning his explanation. 

The twins sat down with caution, curious of the sudden change in training plans, and Silva delved into the history and power of Nen along with its importance. 

Having officially bored the twins into a state of drowsiness, Silva decided to cut to the chase. “Today both of you will figure out where you belong in the spectrum of Nen users, and you will both leave here with more power than you’ve ever wielded before.”

This caught the attention of both kids, simultaneously perking up to the word “power”. 

“This is called the Water Divination Test.” Silva gestured to the glasses of water placed in front of the twins. 

A leaf was placed in both of the glasses, floating still upon the surfaces of water. 

Zeno continued the explanation, describing what would occur. “It’s a Shingen Ryu screening tool used for classifying aura. You will place your hands on either side of the glass with the utmost focus and your abilities will be revealed by what happens.” 

After a short demonstration, the twins were up to the test, eager to know which category of Nen they would belong to.

Sitting up straight in their seats, the twins raised their hands to their respective glasses and focused all their energy into the glassed of water in front of them.

Sayomi was the first to get a reaction, as the leaf floating in the water twitched and spun in circles.

She exclaimed at the sudden movement, excitedly looking up at Silva and Zeno who beamed with pride. Both adults had hidden their shock at the girl’s raw power, causing the leaf not only to twitch but spin rapidly. 

It was a short-lived moment, as everyone’s attention was brought to Illumi’s leaf doing exactly the same, spinning in the other direction within the water.

Illumi cocked his head curiously at the movement, not showing as much enthusiasm as his twin. Zeno and Silva nodded in approval and the twins shared a smile as they listened in to the capabilities of their Nen category.

The twins were manipulators, Zeno explained. “Manipulators are argumentative and logical. They advance at their own pace and tend to want to keep their families and loved ones safe. On the other hand, when it comes to pursuing their own goals, they do not listen to what others might have to say about it.”

☾ i.

Life or death situations almost every day that consisted of torture-training, sparring, and even shadowing butlers at work or senior assassins on missions for a good 3 years brought the twins to their current state. 

At the age of 10, Sayomi and Illumi were full-fledged and elite Zoldyck assassins. And to top it off, came the birth of Killua, the twins’ new younger brother, who would soon become Sayomi’s biggest weakness.

 From the moment Killua was born, the elders sensed an overwhelming aura radiating off of the newborn, that screamed killer and powerful. 

However, all Sayomi could see were the uncanny similarities between the baby and herself. 

Brilliant white hair, slanted, bright blue eyes, that looked like her own violet ones, and above all, a wide, gleeful smile. Killua’s smile, although a baby, felt more genuine than any smile she had received in her entire life, and the warm sensation that spread throughout her body made her take another look at her younger brother’s sleeping face. 

She was absolutely fascinated by how similar the baby could look to herself, and decided to herself then and there that she would forever protect Killua at all costs.

☾ i.

On the other hand, the twins were already on the job, taking clients and bringing enough success to spread rumours about the new generation of Zoldycks. 

Sayomi was on her fifth client when she finally ran into a situation that caused her to hinder from the job. 

Her target was an 18 year old girl, the daughter of the CEO that had backstabbed her client. But her age wasn’t what bothered Sayomi. It was what she’d saw while hiding in the shadows of the girl’s suite room. 

From the cabinet of which she hid behind, Sayomi couldn’t help but feel a strong disdain to herself as she watched her clueless target without a sound.

The 18-year old brunette that identified as her target laughed giddily as she twirled around with a toddler in her arms. The baby let out cries of joy that seemed to pierce through Sayomi’s heart like daggers as she thought of little Killua. 

The girl almost seemed like a reflection of herself, and the innocence of the situation made Sayomi’s shoulders slump as she looked at herself in disgust. 

What was she thinking? 

There’s no way she would be able to kill a target if she began to sympathize with them. She was supposed to be impartial, cold-blooded and cold-hearted like the rest of her family. But Sayomi was ashamed of herself, to say the least, and she wouldn’t, no, couldn’t go through with the job. 

Carefully turning from her spot behind the wall, she used her stealth and speed to exit the suite back through the balcony all within a split second, before the target could notice the slight breeze left in Sayomi’s trail. 

Wasting no time, she jumped down back into the balcony of her client’s room directly below, landing with the soft patter of her boots upon cement.

Walking into her client’s room without a second glance to the expectant man, she muttered under her breath that she couldn’t take out the target and continued to leave before he could process the situation.

☾ i.

Sayomi’s client had notified Kikyo of her daughter’s inability to accomplish the hit later that day, leaving her fuming with anger and embarrassment towards her eldest child. 

Upon Sayomi’s return that night, Kikyo was already waiting, arms crossed and whip in hand. In a state of mindlessness, Sayomi feet led her to trudge quietly into one of the empty stone cells, ready to accept her punishment.

Kikyo scoffed at her daughter’s actions and followed the 10 year-old into the cell, knuckles turning white with her grip on the handle of the whip. 

With Zeno and Silva out on their own missions, no one was around to bail Sayomi out of her mother’s wrath, and the torture lasted longer than usual with Sayomi’s refusal to answer any of Kikyo’s questions. 

Kikyo was merciless, hitting Sayomi left and right until her hands bled from the grip, blinded by rage and shame.

Sayomi self-consciously endured the hits, mind blank as her body transitioned into survival mode with her lips shut tight as blood began to run down her body pooling at her feet. 

She didn’t regret her decisions, however, and only let a few stray tears slip out when she thought about Killua’s smile again and his future that would very much match her own.

Though it was betrayal to think this way, she hoped he would escape.

☾ i.

When Sayomi had woken the next day to the sound of sprinklers running in the garden, she found her wounds bandaged meticulously, along with a note next to her head. 

It read: “You were brave to stand against mother. But remember our purpose and don’t be stupid. - Illumi”.

Sayomi had grimaced both at the note’s contents and the pain that shot up her body as she moved to get out of bed. 

She made a mental note to thank Illumi later for carrying her back to her room and set out to the training yard.

Breaking out into a jog towards the yard, Sayomi rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and attempted to tie her hair back while she picked up the pace. She winced visibly just thinking about having to train with her wounds still fresh and let out a defeated sigh as the yard came into view.

Arriving at the training yard, Sayomi’s jogging came to an abrupt stop as she saw her mother was standing with Illumi instead of their regular instructor. 

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Sayomi walked briskly towards Illumi and her mother keeping her head low and eyes trained on the grass beneath her feet. 

Lifting her head the slightest bit to sneak a peek at Illumi, she faltered as his eyes were trained towards the distance behind their mother, unable to read his emotions.

Kikyo finally spoke up, breaking the heavy silence that had fallen upon the three Zoldycks. “Today’s training will be a little different. It’s become apparent that we haven’t been toughening up you kids enough, so for today’s session, the two of you will fight each other until either can no longer continue. A lesson about showing mercy.”

Sayomi’s head whipped up towards her mother and then Illumi. “But father said we should never harm each other unless a mission is at stake!” 

Kikyo slapped her daughter across the face and her voice showed no sympathy as she spoke. “Sayomi, dear. Don’t you think you’ve acted out enough by now?”

Sayomi only blinked a few times, ignoring the stinging sensation on her right cheek as she looked at Illumi once again. 

He hadn’t moved an inch, his black eyes unwavering as Sayomi’s violet ones searched his face for any signs of emotion. There was nothing.

The twins walked out to face each other in front of their mother, waiting for the other to initiate an attack. It was a battle of nerves, as much as it was the reluctance to fight one another.

From where he stood, Illumi’s needles were untouched from their spot on his waist belt, as were Sayomi’s strapped to her upper left arm and thigh. It was a silent agreement made between the twins, neither wanting to deal more damage than would already have to be done. 

Both Sayomi and Illumi knew there was no getting out of the situation, and with the meeting of their eyes, the match began.

Illumi’s right hand clenched into a fist as he swung aiming to uppercut Sayomi in the jaw, making the first move. 

Sayomi had lept back instantly, before dodging another flurry of kicks and punches sent her way. She had decided well before the match began that she wouldn’t retaliate Illumi’s attacks even it meant losing. 

She knew Illumi wouldn’t go as far as to make her suffer, so her plan was to put on a show for her mother until she deemed she would be satisfied. This way, only one of them had to get hurt.

As the gap between Illumi and Sayomi continued to close in, Sayomi found herself taking hits left and right, unable to defend against everything. 

A critical, hard kick to the side, several hits to the face, and an orbital fracture dealt to her right eye was what finally led to Sayomi’s fall. 

Bunches of brilliant white hair strayed from her once neat ponytail as Sayomi fell to her knees, incapable of continuing on with the fight. 

With the blood pounding in her ears, Sayomi barely made out her mother’s furious words of which caused her to shut her eyes in wait. “Illumi! Do it now! Use your needles to teach that disgrace a lesson!”

She waited. 1, 2, 3 seconds and opened her eyes to the scene unfolding in front of her.

For the first time in a while, Illumi’s face gave away to his emotions as he shouted back against his mother. 

His eyes were full of rage and hate as he continued to shout, and though she couldn’t make out the exact words he was using, Sayomi’s heart twinged at the sight of her normally obedient brother taking a stand against their mother.

The edges of her vision were blurry, and she found it hard to keep her head up as the scene began to spin in front of her, right before the ground lurched to the right from under her causing her to fall forward into darkness. 

☾ i.

to be continued.

[in-class-daydreams]

The Splash Zone - Tsukishima x Reader (Oneshot)

Jurassic World! AUPairing: Son of Park CEO!Tsukishima Kei x Mosasaur Trainer!Reader

- Word Count: ~9,000

- Genres: Fluff, angst

- CW: Mentions of death, objectification of main character, sexual harassment-

Mango’s Introduction: Tsukishima the younger is a bit… prickly. Don’t say that to his face, obviously, because he’s technically your boss, but for all his personality flaws, he’s definitely excellent at his job and he cares more about the people around him than he lets on. He’s snarky with that mosasaur trainer more than anyone else, but you can tell he’s sweet on her. I guess you could call it the adult equivalent of pulling a girl’s pigtails on the playground. Uh, don’t tell him I said that, he’s my boss too.

(A/N: For all of you who were interested in this series, y'all waited nearly a year for less than 10,000 words, and I apologize, haha. It's been sitting 95% finished all that time, but I moved onto some other projects because I wasn't confident in my writing abilities. After a year's worth of writing exercises via different projects, I'm now okay with putting this out for all of you. I hope my next few projects (AoT and KnY) knock your socks off, but for now, here's a little journey about following your own convictions, featuring our favorite salty blonde.)

Tsukishima had it all. Money, looks, brains, and sure, his personality could use a little work, but he wasn’t completely insufferable. Most of the time. But if you asked him, his sour attitude was hardly his fault. After all, he was the heir to a multi-trillion dollar theme park, so it’s not like there were any consequences for him talking to people the way he does. For all he cared, he could be as snarky as he liked, considering he didn’t work with many people that were willing to speak their mind to him.

“Bite me, Tsukki.”

Well, except for a certain mosasaur trainer that was really grating on his nerves. Said trainer sat across from him from her seat in his office, arms crossed and jaw tense. Tsukishima tapped his fingers on his desk.

“Are you done throwing a tantrum like a six-year-old?” he asked. (Y/N)’s hands balled in her lap. She kept her mouth shut, glowering at the desk in front of her to keep her temper under wraps.

The blonde rolled his eyes. About fifteen minutes ago, he watched her kick in the door to the employee lounge and make her way over to the mosasaur staff supervisor. All eyes were on her as she moved towards him with murderous intent rolling off of her in waves. While (Y/N) was the one with the most control over the aquatic dinosaur itself, the supervisor was the one who hired staff, had them trained, made their schedules, and completed the other overall administrative duties. Their position was a catch-all and they were meant to do the primary inspections that made the mosasaur shows run properly.

Company policy encouraged open communication between colleagues, of course. Jurassic World Theme Park prided itself on proficient employee cooperation, as per the employee handbook and what the marketing team insists they say. Tsukishima just wished (Y/N) had opened her statement with something a smidge more polite than, “Are there any grooves in your fucking brain or is it all just smooth in there?”

After that hell of a conversation starter, she and the supervisor verbally ripped into each other. If Kei hadn’t grabbed (Y/N) by the windbreaker and dragged her into his office, he wouldn’t have been surprised if they ended up ripping into each other physically, too. To her credit, (Y/N) most definitely won, but that would have been a bigger pain in his ass.

“(Y/N), you can’t speak like that to people you work with. I heard what you said about him keeping an eye on his interns, and that’s his business, not yours,” he sighed. It was too early for this crap, especially since his assistant called in sick and hadn’t made him his morning coffee, and there were a million things to do in preparation for the board meeting today. He had better things to do than settle this stupid argument.

(Y/N) looked at him with disbelief, “You think I went in there to yell at him for fun? You have no idea what happened, Kei, how are you already taking his side?”

Tsukishima looked into her fiery gaze for a moment. He leaned back, brushing down the front of his navy blue button-down.

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

“But it’s what you said,” she shot back.

He pursed his lips. “Alright, I’m sorry,” he muttered.

(Y/N)’s mouth dropped for a moment, then the corner quirked up ever-so-slightly, “What was that, Tsukki?”

“Just explain before I lose my patience,” he snapped. His ears felt hot.

She laughed, “Because you’re the picture of patience right now.”

“(Y/N).”

Although the anger in her posture returned, she was able to remain more composed than she had earlier.

“One of the interns came up to me about an hour ago to ask me about the coding for the hydraulic lift.” (Y/N) threw her hands up and leaned back in her chair, as if that was the answer to everything.

“I’ll need some more details than that.”

She groaned in frustration, “There’s the mosasaur tank and the stadium

surrounding it, yeah? And partway through the show, the hydraulic lift lowers the stadium to the underground viewing area, right? Well, for all that to happen, the codes on the control panel have to be specific,” her hands moved fervently as she got deeper into her explanation. “The codes never change, but every morning, the supervisor makes sure they’re correct and I double check before the show. If the codes are incorrect, the stadium might lift too fast, too slow, too much, or not at all.”

Kei nodded for her to continue, to which she gave a grateful nod before going back into rant mode.

“Interns don’t have clearance into that area. He gave her his fucking badge so she could go in and do the checks without him. She shouldn’t have been down there and she definitely shouldn’t have been checking the control panel. Look,” she ran a hand through her hair, “I don’t want to tell the guy how to do his job. If he wants to train the interns how to run the control panel, then fine, it’s not in my job description to police that. But that brand-new, inexperienced, fresh-out-of-college kid was all by herself down there doing that idiot’s job. She could have gotten hurt. She could have gotten other people hurt. It was her supervisor’s job to train her better and to take better care of his interns and if I don’t raise hell about this kind of stuff now, then who will? So fuck that guy, he deserved to get yelled at.”

(Y/N) heaved herself out of her chair, “And now that everyone thinks I’m a raving lunatic, I’m going back to my office to change. Try not to need me.”

~~

As the son of the owner of Jurassic World Theme Park, Tsukishima Kei was raised to do two things: work with dinosaurs and obey his father. When he was younger, he thought he would get to work with the dinosaurs as a trainer, regulate their feeding schedules, train them, and educate the masses about the wonders of science. But he was wrong. The future his father had in store for him involved dinosaurs, yes, but more along the lines of determining the cost of developing a new dinosaur or what characteristics are interesting to the general public so that the park can turn a profit.

Several years ago, when his father originally had her brought to the island, Kei had been skeptical. Out of all the candidates for the mosasaur trainer, (Y/N) had been particularly young, but for some reason, his father was insistent that the new mosasaur trainer be her. (Y/N) later proved and continued to prove that she wasn’t just qualified, but born to work with the mosasaur, Dolly, she called her. She cared for her with a deep passion that transcended interspecies boundaries.

(Y/N) was amazing at her job, and it was unfair of Tsukishima not to hear her out initially. There was a fine line between teasing as a result of mutual pining and just being a dick, and it seemed like Kei had crossed that line.

(Y/N) knew he was coming. That was one of the things she really appreciated about Tsukishima. He was a snarky asshole who liked to rile her up, and in the beginning, he was garbage at apologies, but over time, they’d apologized to each other so often that he no longer dragged ass over it. Once he realized he was in the wrong, he would find her immediately.

Tsukishima let himself into (Y/N)’s office, where he found her and the raptor trainer in deep conversation.

“Kei! Seriously, I could’ve been changing!” she yelled. She’d told him a million times to knock before coming in, but he rarely listened.

“Don’t worry, even if you were, there’s nothing to see,” he said teasingly.

(Y/N) scowled, “You wouldn’t know.”

Tsukishima scoffed.

“Anyway, Hajime, what else did that guy say?” (Y/N) said.

Kei frowned at the two cups from Tiki Smoothie in front of them. He wondered if Iwaizumi had brought her one as a surprise or if she’d asked him to bring her one. Both possibilities put him in a bad mood. Supposedly, they were just close friends, but (Y/N) forced him to watch enough Hallmark movies for him to know the friends-to-lovers trope quite well. It ranked just below childhood friends-to-lovers and just above enemies-to-lovers. He must have been staring at those cups for some time, because by the time he zoned back in, Iwaizumi had already finished his explanation.

“--train the raptors for the battlefield,” Iwaizumi finished.

(Y/N) raised an irritated brow, “Like dogs?”

The raptor trainer shrugged, “Apparently.”

“Did you tell him that’s not how raptors work?” she asked.

“I didn’t bother. He-- Sorry,” Iwaizumi fished his ringing flip phone from his vest pocket. “I gotta go, (Y/N), I’ll tell you more at dinner later,” he said on his way out the door.

“Okay, but I wanna hear about your thing with that pretty P.O. Manager later!”

The taller man stopped and gripped the door frame in surprise.

“Wha-- There’s no ‘thing’!” Iwaizumi sputtered.

“Whatever keeps your blood pressure normal."

As (Y/N) waved her friend off, Tsukishima rested his weight on the back of the vacated chair.

“What was that all about?”

(Y/N) sighed, making her way over to the wardrobe next to the door.

“Some military guy had a talk with Hajime about using the raptors for war. He said they’re better than drones because they’re not hackable and blah blah blah.”

“Does he realize that-- what are you doing?!” Tsukishima choked when (Y/N) dropped her loose gym shorts. Underneath, she wore plain navy blue bikini bottoms.

“Relax, Kei, you’re the one who invited yourself into my office. Besides, it’s not like you haven’t seen a girl’s bare legs, right?” she teased as she stepped into her dive skin. The tall young man moved to sit behind the desk. Forcing down his blush, he took on a snarky tone once again.

“Obviously. I didn’t think you had time for that kind of thing, since you’ve been cooped up with Darby for the last few years.”

(Y/N) shook her wetsuit at him, “Her name is Dolly! It’s always been Dolly and you know it, you little shit!”

“Language, (Y/N),” he smirked. What would my father say if he knew you spoke to me like that?”

“Oh, trust me, Malfoy, your father knows exactly how I speak to you, and he couldn't care less,” she snarked, looking pleased with herself..

The teasing glint in Tsukishima’s eyes wavered at the comment, though he knew they shouldn’t have. ‘Don’t dish it if you can’t take it’ he always said. He knew his father loved him the way any man loves his son, but Kei’s rank in his father’s heart in relation to money had always been questionable.

“Sorry. Too much,” (Y/N) said quietly. She pulled up her dive skin and removed her windbreaker, revealing a matching bikini top.

“It’s not your fault,” the blonde mumbled back. (Y/N) made her way around the desk. Leaning her weight on the edge facing him, she said, “Really, I’m sorry. That was in bad taste.”

Tsukishima waved dismissively, “It’s fine, you didn’t mean it. Just caught me off guard… Actually, I came to apologize to you for earlier.”

She grimaced, “I’m sorry for freaking out so hard. I didn’t mean to make trouble for you the same day as a shareholders’ meeting.”

“You’d be okay with making trouble for me normally?”

“That a serious question?”

With a light chuckle he said, “Right, right. It’s fine... I’m sorry for not

hearing you out. For what it’s worth, that guy is as good as fired.”

“Fired!?” she yelped, making him jump. “Wait, you can’t fire him!”

“Actually, I can--”

“Fine. As his boss, you legally could fire him, but I’m saying don’t. One, we can easily get him to clean up his act. Two, his wife is preggers. Gregnant. Pregante.”

“I got it the first time.”

“Just making sure.”

Tsukishima huffed, holding back a smile, “Worrying about someone whose head you were about to bite off two hours ago. That’s just like you.”

There was a gentle knock at the door and Yamaguchi, a paleo-veterinary intern, poked his head through the doorway.

“(Y/N), are you ready for the show? We have 20 minutes until start time,” he informed her with a sweet smile.

“Yup!” She stuffed her arms through the tight neoprene sleeves, “Are you the specialist on standby this time, Yama?”

The shorter girl turned around and moved her hair to the side in a silent request. Standing to his full height, Tsukishima pinched the sides of her zipper with one hand and pulled the tab up with.

Yamaguchi couldn’t help but laugh. His two friends stopped, (Y/N) with her hands holding up her hair, Tsukishima with his hands tugging on her suit zipper.

“What’s so funny?” his childhood friend asked. Yamaguchi just shook his head and confirmed that, yes, he would be on medical standby for the upcoming show.

“Close the door when you leave, okay, Tsukki?” (Y/N) shot over her shoulder on the way out.

“Good luck with your show,” he said simply. She frowned in confusion. Before she could comment, Yamaguchi rushed her out the door.

~~

“--near the surface of the water, where it preyed on anything it could sink its teeth into, including turtles, small fish, even smaller mosasaurs, but don’t worry, that’s not why Dolly here doesn’t have any siblings.”

The crowd chuckled. Tsukishima always enjoyed when (Y/N) did the demonstrations herself. The guides did the jobs they were contracted to do, and maybe it was that he already knew how much she loved Dolly, but whenever (Y/N) did it, it always felt less like a show and more like the introduction of a close friend of hers. That was the truth, after all.

“You see, when Dolly was born, I was the first thing she saw. This caused something called imprinting, and if I just made you think about that freaky Twilight baby, I’m so sorry.”

Another wave of laughter rippled through the crowd. “And what that means is, Dolly and I share a special bond. She feels a special connection to me that she doesn’t feel for any other creature on this planet. When she was growing up, we communicated with this,” she held up a silver whistle.

“You can’t hear these sounds, but Dolly can. She knows the sound of the whistle, and that makes her think, ‘Oh, that’s my handler! Yay, she’s gonna feed me!’ Which is something I thought whenever my mom called my name during my teenage years.”

“She’s entertaining, isn’t she?” one of his father’s associates commented. Rather than sitting in the wide open arena seats under the beating sun, Kei’s father, the elder Tsukishima, sat up in an air-conditioned glass box high above the regular seats. Today, a group of shareholders and potential investors were performing their monthly assessment of the park’s assets. After going to every single one of these meetings since he was twelve, Tsukishima was more or less used to these meetings, but he was getting irked by the way a particularly sweaty, sleazy-looking businessman two and a half times his age was staring not at the tank itself, but at the trainer on the platform above it. If it weren’t for his father, he would have nastily told all of them to never take even a single breath in her direction.

“The girl’s gotten real grown up since we first saw her,” the man said, rubbing his chin.

‘Don’t look at her like that,’ Kei growled internally.

“Good eye, Yamada-san. She just turned twenty-one,” his father replied.

‘But that doesn’t concern you,’ Kei thought.

“Really? She looks young, but she seems so mature for her age,” another dirty businessman observed.

“You always did like the young-looking ones, you creepy old man!” laughed Yamada. Tsukishima bit down on his tongue so hard he had to remind himself not to bite it off.

“Ah, yes, I took her age into account from the get-go,” Tsukishima-san said. “By nature, the mosasaurus would only accept one trainer, and I brought her to the island at such a young and impressionable age that she would only listen to me.”

“And then you have a safe way to control the dinosaur,” one of the shareholders concluded.

“Exactly. And you’re right, Yamada-san, she’s grown up to be quite attractive. Shame she ended up so strong-willed, else she might have made a quality match for my son. Perhaps if Kei here can reel her in, he’ll make a wife out of her yet, right, son?”

The younger Tsukishima’s skin crawled as every pair of eyes in the room landed on him. He could just imagine opening his mouth and ripping them all a new one. What would Yamada say if he called him out on his predatory behavior? Or he could say, ‘Ah, Mr. Kawasaki, how’s that custody battle with your wife going? I hear she’s winning because the kids would rather live with her. Oh, Chairman Yang, I didn’t see you there! Have you beaten that nasty gambling addiction of yours? Goodness, from the looks of those eye bags and how badly your ‘designer’ suit is frayed, my guess is no.”

But Kei can’t say any of those things. He has too much to lose, should he compromise his position as his father’s heir and future CEO. The blonde glanced briefly out the window at the smiling girl talking animatedly about her most treasured friend. He mentally sends her an apology for being unable to defend her yet again.

Kei grit his teeth and finally replies.

“Yes, father.”

If he were born as anyone else, he could romance her properly, instead of passing glances, not-so-subtle flirting, and raging sexual tension. They wouldn’t have had to play the whole ‘will we or won’t we?’ schtick. But he was still Tsukishima Kei. He was destined to take over his father’s company, and by design, his partner would have to attend board meetings and brunches and wine and cheese parties. Kei had no desire to drag (Y/N) into that kind of life, but what’s more, (Y/N) would never agree to it. At one time, he considered asking her about it. Ask her to consider making that sacrifice for him. But at the end of the day, he never did bring it up to her because he was scared of the answer he’d receive.

Her enthusiastic voice faded back into his consciousness, “Enough of me talking. Is everyone ready to meet Dolly?”

They all turned back to the window at the sound of (Y/N)’s voice.

The crowd cheered in affirmation.

“What was that? I can’t hear you?”

The cheers transitioned into a deafening roar.

“Alright, for those of you in the splash zone, expect to get soaked in about ten seconds and counting.”

(Y/N) pressed a button, and the feeder crane slowly moved to dangle a heavy shark over the mosasaurus tank. The trainer leaned against her platform’s railing. She put the whistle to her lips, but no one heard any sound.

“You hungry, girl?” she asked the tank. There was no prior indication of any movement before the leviathan reptilian dinosaur leapt out of the water and easily snatched up its prey with its rows of hundreds of teeth. Its great mass seemed to linger midair for what felt like forever before sliding back into the water with a giant splash that had the crowd squealing with delight.

“Hold on tight,” (Y/N) spoke up as the stands started lowering under the stadium, “We’re gonna get to take a little closer look at our girl, Dolly the Mosasaurus.”

~~

“How was your meeting?” (Y/N) asked upon her arrival in Tsukishima’s own office, finally free of her restricting wetsuit and hair still wet from her shower. Not looking up from his paperwork, the blonde grunted, “Fine.”

(Y/N) smiled and sat on the edge of the desk beside him. Both hands came up to zip her windbreaker.

“That bad, huh?”

“You sit in a glass box for 45 minutes with a group of men over fifty, and tell me you had fun,” he grumbled. Giving him a sympathetic look, she slid off the desk to place her hands on his shoulders. She gently massaged the tension from them. Lately, Tsukishima Senior had been giving his son more responsibility to “prepare him to take over the company,” which would have been a more believable excuse if the older man wasn’t relaxing by the pool and golfing with his friends 4 days a week. Kei leaned into her touch.

‘You are nothing like your father, though, Kei,’ she internally mused. Dragging her hands down from his shoulders to clasp in front of him, she hugged him from behind. Soothed by her presence, he wondered if he even needed to tell her how he felt about her. It seemed like she already suspected. Though, if she already knew and wasn’t saying anything, what exactly were her feelings on the matter?

“Today was so tiring, Tsukki,” she rested her chin on top of his blonde head. “This family was asking me questions, but their two irritating ass kids kept climbing on the primary railings, and the mom got mad at me when I told them to knock it off! Like, do you want your kids to get chomped by a genetically engineered dinosaur, Brenda? Then, she asked for my manager, and I’m like, ‘Bitch, I will literally throw you in the damn tank! There, that’s my manager, you entitled piece of-- ughhh!!” (Y/N) buried her face in Tsukishima’s shoulder in frustration. “I hate customer service! Fuck her! Fuck them kids!”

“You said that to her?” he teased. Secretly, he was happy that she was tired today. A Tired (Y/N) meant a Sweet (Y/N), and after those creeps were leering at her in the box today, he was just glad she was somewhere he could keep an eye on her.

“Suck my dick, Kei, you know I wouldn’t actually say that. I still enjoy getting paychecks,” her words were muffled by his shoulder. ‘Sweet’ is a relative term for her.

“I’d pay good money to see you cuss someone out.”

“You would, wouldn’t you,” she replied.

Tsukishima desperately wanted to tell her how he felt. It was getting really irritating that they could do stuff like this, but he couldn’t tell those sweaty old men in the box today to keep their perverted stares off of her.

Tentatively, he turned his head towards her, lips ghosting along her jawline. His heart sped up as her fingers tightened into his dress shirt.

When his arm slid around her waist, she was like putty in his hands.

“You-- You’re kinda giving me mixed signals here, Kei,” she said breathlessly. The taller male placed his forehead against hers. His eyes stared down at her lips as he debated the long-term consequences of giving into his desires.

“I know,” he murmured. “I’m sorry.”

(Y/N) brought her hand up to cup his face. They both leaned in slowly, as if moving any faster would ruin the tension.

“Don’t be…” she whispered.

The office door slammed open with a bang.

“Sir?” (Y/N) jumped back from him like she’d been burned.

“What?” he snapped at the intruder.

“Your father wants you and Miss (L/N) in a meeting right away.”

~~

“Tsukishima-san, I don’t see why--”

“Of course you don’t, (Y/N),” Kei’s father cut her off, “You have a personal connection with the animal. That was the one oversight I made when I brought you to the island as a trainer.”

They sat in a boardroom, surrounding a large table with Tsukishima senior at one end, (Y/N) at the other, and the board members on either side. The blazing sunlight of Isla Nublar that shone in through the large floor-to-ceiling windows on the far side of the room contrasted heavily with the dark tension permeating throughout the room. Kei tapped his fingers against the table from his spot on his father’s right side.

Of all the ‘strategic investments’ his father made, this was definitely not one Kei could have predicted.

The girl took a deep breath, “With all due respect, sir, it can’t be a good idea to reinvent a new species of mosasaur. I think--”

“See, that’s the problem, sweetheart,” the sweaty man from before chimed in. “You’re not here to think, you’re here to look pretty, and to tell the dinosaur what to do.”

“I don’t appreciate your tone, Yamada.”

“I don’t appreciate your attitude, little girl,” he shot back.

Tsukishima Senior cut in, “Try to understand, (Y/N). The Indominus Rex has been a huge hit. The numbers say that these new hybrid dinosaurs are the next big thing. We can’t pass up an astronomical amount of money just so you can keep your pet.”

“My pet?” (Y/N) spat.

“Now, (Y/N), there’s no need to get hysterical.”

“Hysterical? My reaction is perfectly reasonable considering you want to euthanize the creature I’ve raised since birth, which, may I remind you, is something you people wanted me to do.”

“Doctor Wu and the rest of the genetics team is already engineering the genetics for a new mosasaur. Bigger, more teeth--”

“But they couldn’t engineer any more brain cells for all of you?!” she interjected.

“That’s enough!” CEO Tsukishima slammed his hand on the meeting table. “You’re like a daughter to me, (Y/N), but I won’t take this level of disrespect from you.”

(Y/N) rested her hands atop the table and leaned in, meeting his glare head-on.

“If you want to do anything to Dolly, you’ll need my help, and I will not do anything that can compromise her.”

“What a mouthy little thing,” one of the shareholders muttered.

“Give her to me, I’ll shut her up,” another said loudly enough for everyone to hear.

Tsukishima took a deep, stabilizing breath from beside his father.

“I chose you because I saw something in you. I never expected you to be this selfish,” the elder snapped, “You’re being unreasonable. Kei is barely older than you, and he understands that there’s profit to be made by replacing the damn dinosaur. Tell her, Kei.”

The room went silent. (Y/N) stared deeply into her friend’s golden brown eyes.

‘Don’t do this, Kei. They want you to become your father, but you are not your father. You are so much more.’

The younger Tsukishima felt like he was being crushed by an incredible weight. Whatever he did now, it would be nearly impossible to take back. If he chose her, his father may never forgive him. The problem was: If he chose his place as his father’s heir, would he ruin his relationship with (Y/N) forever? Which one of them could he live without? He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them. His steady gaze met with (Y/N)’s intense stare. He hoped he sounded more sure than he felt.

“Yes, (Y/N). My father’s right.”

(Y/N) first looked surprised, then immensely disappointed. Realizing there was no one on her side, she sighed.

“I came to this island because I thought this company might be different. When you asked me to train the mosasaurus from birth, I was overjoyed at how much you cared for her development,” she made sure to stare into the soul of each and every dirty scoundrel in the room. “But I made a mistake, too. All of you are cowards. Selfish, soulless, money-grubbing cowards.” Blazing eyes finally landed on Kei’s wide golden brown ones. She aimed her final statement at him.

“Every last one of you.”

Kei’s heart squeezed so hard he thought his chest would collapse.

“Tsukishima-san!” a mousey-looking secretary burst into the boardroom. CEO Tsukishima clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“What is it now?” he snapped.

“It’s the Indominus! She’s escaped!”

Deafening alarms and flashing red lights resounded throughout the control room. Kei could barely hear his father barking orders to the security team. One of the technicians pulled up a giant map of the park on the main screen.

“She’s still on the outer edges of the park, but she’s moving fast, sir,” they said.

“Have the Asset Containment Unit get this thing under control. Make sure they use non-lethals.”

“Non-lethals!” (Y/N) yelled, outraged.

“We have 26 million dollars invested in that asset,” the elder Tsukishima growled.

Exasperated, (Y/N) threw her hands in the air. She avoided Kei’s eyes as she

turned and sprinted out of the control room.

Kei hesitated. Before he could chase after her, his father ordered him to stay put to help in the control room. Though it made him feel like he wanted to vomit, he obeyed.

Several hours passed and Tsukishima’s mind felt like it was at its breaking point. The monitors flashing red in the dimly lit control room strained his eyes to the point where he was convinced he’d need a stronger prescription after this. The beeping of the ACU team’s EKG monitors flatlining rang in his ears so loud he wished he would just go deaf. The Indominus was picking off their security team with ease, sometimes several members at a time. The young man rubbed at his temples.

“Tsukishima, we’re evacuating the rides on the outer edges at the park,” the lead Park Operations Assistant slid a map over to him. Taking a red marker, she circled a few attractions directly in the escaped dinosaur’s projected path.

“But I think these preparations insufficient,” she said, nervously twisting

the pen in her grip.

“We’d evacuate the whole park if it were up to me,” Tsukishima said under

his breath.

The assistant pursed her lips, “It’s a shame we’ll definitely be shut down

after this. You would have made a great CEO.”

“Are you flirting with me?” the blonde joked.

“Please, you’re so whipped for (Y/N) it hurts to look at you,” the assistant snorted in reply.

Before Tsukishima could make a snarky retort, both of their attentions were drawn to CEO Tsukishima, who had a large, middle aged man at his side.

“Kei, come over here!” the older man called.

Tsukishima handed the map back over to the assistant, “This is fine for now. If the situation escalates or if it doesn’t improve in an hour or so, close all the attractions on the west side of the park. I’ll be right back.”

The assistant grabbed his arm, “Tsukishima, that’s Vic Hoskins, the head of the private security force.”

“My father introduced us not long ago. What about him?”

“Commander Hoskins isn’t just a brute, he’s an ignorant one, and that makes him dangerous. If your father is listening to him, be careful.”

Tsukishima nodded gratefully.

“I will. I’ll be right back.”

He didn’t wait for the assistant’s reply before making his way to his father’s side, who pulled him off to the side. Hoskins had apparently taken his leave.

“The helicopter will be here in 10 minutes, make sure you’re at the helipad by then,” he told his son.

The younger Tsukishima’s eyes widened.

“What? Where are we going?” he asked.

His father turned to him, “Commander Hoskins has strongly advised us to get off the island. We can do our part in containing this crisis remotely.”

The younger man blanched, “We’re just going to leave? We still have people to evacuate, not to mention medical teams to coordinate, personnel to--”

CEO Tsukishima placed a hand on his son’s shoulder, “We can do all of these things remotely. Our first priority is maintaining our safety, and besides, the situation is in good hands with our employees here. It’s as good as contained.”

The CEO smiled and turned to leave. Kei didn’t move.

“Come on, Kei,” the older man urged.

Tsukishima took a deep breath.

“If the situation is ‘as good as contained,’ then why are we leaving the island?” he asked.

His father sighed, “I understand your concern, Kei, this is a safety issue--”

“So, you agree? You do think that evacuation is the correct safety measure?” Kei looked his father directly in his familiar amber eyes.

The elder shifted, “What are you implying, Kei?”

“I’m saying as long as we choose not to actively evacuate the island, we have a responsibility to our employees and to our guests to stay and control the situation the best we can.”

The flatlining EKG monitors were still ringing in his ears. If he left the island now, he’d never stop hearing the beeping of those monitors. They’d exist in his nightmares forever.

“Stay here, then, Kei,” his father’s voice broke him out of his thoughts.

He raised a brow, “Just me?”

“There’s no point to being in power if you refuse to reap the benefits of it. The helicopter is leaving soon. Join me, Kei. Don’t try to play hero when you’re not.”

(Y/N)’s face flashed in his mind. He couldn’t be sure where she ran off to after she left, but if he had to guess, it would have been to the main hall or to the infirmary to care for guests. Either way, she’d never dream of leaving the island with so much at stake. Neither could he, and the thought of leaving her behind made his answer clear.

“No, I’m not going. Have a safe flight.” He turned on his heel and marched back to the central console. To his horror, Asset Containment Unit Alpha had been almost entirely wiped out. Only 4 members of a 12-person team remained.

“They’re not gonna make it, Tsukishima, we need to tell them to pull back,” the P.O. Assistant insisted.

He nodded, “Do it.”

The woman quickly gave the order. “Has your father finally--”

“My father is vacating the island with the board members and other investors as we speak,” Tsukishima said.

“Why am I not--” the assistant’s phone went off. “Hello? ...You what?”

“What happened?”

She snapped her phone shut, “It’s--it’s Takeru, my nephew. He was visiting the park today, but my assistant says he got separated from her, and-- and--”

“Hey,” he grabbed her shoulders. “Don’t freak out. It’s not like you, and it won’t help.”

“You’re right,” she said shakily, brushing a lock of hair from her eyes. “I know I have work to do here, but I have to go find him, Tsukishima. I can’t--”

“I get it. Just go.”

The assistant nodded gratefully, sprinting out of the board room. As she

left, yet another assistant came for his attention and he was plunged back into the thick of things.

Meanwhile, (Y/N) stood at the doors of the underground lab. Her eyes were wild and her face flushed from exertion. The pristine, white lab was a stark contrast to the sweaty, panicked mob she passed by on her way here. It was as if the panic of the Indominus’s escape had no effect, save for the swarm of people in lab coats quickly packing up their equipment into thick armored suitcases. With the move in full swing, the lab doors were set wide open. In the chaos, she managed to slip into one of the adjoining storage rooms, where she found a large computer monitor. The bright blue screen was blinding in the dimly lit room. A profile displayed on the screen read “Indominus Rex.”

The young woman scrolled down the profile. She had to find out what the dinosaur was made of. The ACU would never survive without that information. They may not even survive with it. Finally, under the section titled “Genetic Makeup”, she found what she’s looking for. Before she could react to her findings, there was a sharp pain in the skill and she dropped to the ground unconscious.

Back in the control room, Kei gripped his cell phone tightly. Eighteen missed calls and (Y/N) still wouldn’t pick up. He couldn’t fight it anymore. He had a tech trace her cellphone and he hastily exited the room.

Once he left the building, Kei was greeted with what he expected hell looked like. There was a swarm of panicked park guests, sweaty and fearful. Several were injured from the sudden panic. Some had a haunted look in their eye that suggested they’d seen something that would haunt their nightmares for years to come. And where was his father? Safe on a helicopter, leaving all these people to fend for themselves simply because he could.

Kei was disgusted with himself. The Indominus had escaped hours ago. All this chaos could have been avoided by simply evacuating the park. But who cared about people’s lives when there was still profit to be made? Sure, he hadn’t actively supported his father’s selfishness, but he definitely didn’t object to it either. In all his indecision, ultimately, he was siding with his father. He was equally to blame for all this.

As Kei entered the underground tunnels, the screaming and cries of the panicked went silent. He realized he could hide away in the tunnels until the situation had blown over. Instead, Kei chose to press forward, knowing it wasn’t fair that he had that luxury.

The Mosasaur Stadium sat in the middle of the underground tunnels. From his view from the glass, Dolly, like her trainer, was nowhere to be found.

By the time Kei made it to the lab, it had been picked clean of equipment and personnel. All that remained were sterilized lab benches and pristine white walls. He found (Y/N) on the floor of an empty storage room. There was a nasty gash in the back of her head.

Kei kneeled and gently put two fingers to her pulse.

“Wake up!” he snapped at her. To his relief, her eyelids fluttered open. “Thank god. What the hell were you doing down here?”

“Ouch, my head,” she moaned. “I thought… the ACU… If they knew what the Indominus was made of…”

Kei nodded in understanding. He removed his tie to apply pressure to her wound.

“And? What is it?”

(Y/N) shook her head.

“I dunno. I think they hit me right as I saw.”

(Y/N) sat up, slowly regaining her strength.

“How much of the park has been evacuated?” she asked.

Kei checked his messages, “Almost everyone has been moved to secure locations or off the island completely.”

“What’s left?”

“The control room.”

She looked at him meaningfully and he nodded in agreement. Quickly dialing a number, he raised the phone to his ear.

“Evacuate the control room,” he said.

“Sir, are you sure?” the voice on the other end replied.

“Positive. I’ll take care of everything when I get there,” Kei reassured.

“...take care, sir,” the voice said reluctantly.

“You too.” Tsukishima ended the call and looked at (Y/N), who was already standing. She steadied herself against a wall, her balance wavered slightly, but her eyes were resolute.

“Let’s see what we can do.”

The underground tunnels were expansive. As the mosasaur trainer stalked down the hall ahead of him, Kei forced himself to speak up.

“I couldn’t, you know,” Tsukishima said.

“If you have to talk to me, say shit that makes sense,” (Y/N) snapped.

“My father. He wanted me to evacuate with him, but--”

“What? You could’ve gotten out of here! Do you have any idea how hard shit’s hit the fan?”

“I needed to know you were okay.”

(Y/N)’s expression softened for just a moment, then she ripped her gaze from his face. She retorted, “Why? You don’t seem to have a problem with hanging me out to dry.”

“(Y/N), I was--”

“Would you have left if not for me?” she demanded, stopping and facing him with her arms crossed.

It took Kei a minute to find an honest answer.

“No. I wouldn’t have. I’m rich, I’m an asshole, but I wouldn’t have left all these people. Not when I have the kind of clearance to help them, and especially not since all this is my fault.”

(Y/N) looked at him, bewildered.

“Your fault? How on Earth is this your fault?”

Kei shrugged, “I knew evacuation was the only safe bet, but I was too much of a coward to tell my father so. At least my father is blinded by money. Me, I don’t have an excuse.”

(Y/N) walked on silently for a while, opening her mouth a few times to speak, but shutting it each time. Eventually, she gave into the silence.

They came to the underground stadium, where the massive fiberglass panes housed the park’s biggest attraction.

(Y/N) placed her hand on the glass.

“Dolly… You okay, girl?”

Something enormous splashed into the water. When the bubbles cleared, there was Dolly, swimming around the bitten carcass of a pterosaur, as if she was celebrating her catch. The reptile’s handler smiled weakly.

“Good girl.”

“(Y/N).”

Tsukishima took her by the shoulders and spun her around to face him. His tired eyes met hers. The blonde watched as the only person who really mattered to him glared back with a look of sadness, frustration, and betrayal.

“You would have supported them?” she asked sharply.”

“Look, I’ve been trained to follow orders my whole life--”

“And I’m sorry for that. But you can unlearn what you’ve been taught, Kei. You know how much I love Dolly! You knew, and-- and,” she gripped his shirt. The trainer hung her head in defeat.

“I thought you weren’t like your father.”

“I’m not, I promise. I’m sorry,” he whispered. This was it. He had to tell her. If he didn’t do it now, he never would.

“(Y/N), I lo--”

“No!”

Kei looked stunned, “No?”

“No! Dammit, Kei, I can’t do this with you right now. First, this is not the time. Second, you stabbed me in the back, like, two hours ago!

“I said I was sorry!”

“I get that, Kei, but for important shit like this, sorry just isn’t good enough, okay? Now, let’s get to the control room and get this dinosaur under wraps, then maybe we can have this conversation.”

Tsukishima pursed his lips, “Okay. Okay, I’m sorry for bringing it up.”

(Y/N) kept walking down the corridor, “Don’t be. Let’s just deal with the situation at hand.” The trainer produced a flip phone from her pocket. The person she was calling picked up on the third ring and she put the call on speaker.

“(Y/N)!” the familiar voice called in relief.

“Yama! You’re still doing okay?” she asked. The line went quiet for a while,

“Yams?” Another pause before the intern responded, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

She and Tsukishima looked at each other, “Yama, what happened? Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m not hurt, I just… Oh god, (Y/N), it’s Hinata,” Yamaguchi’s voice

cracked at the end.

(Y/N)’s breath caught in her throat, “What happened to Hinata?”

On the other end, she could hear Yamaguchi choking back a sob.

“He went to the aviary to check for survivors and I saw his vitals monitor. He’s flatlined, (Y/N), he’s dead.”

Tsukishima closed his eyes. The whole situation was snowballing so damn fast and there was so little anyone could do about it.

“No…” (Y/N) whispered, “Jesus, I’m sorry, Yama.”

“Me too,” he replied. Yamaguchi sniffled, then his voice stabilized, “Anyway, keep making your way to the control room. I’ll get into the database somehow and we’ll figure out how to stop this thing.”

“Got it. Please be-- ...careful,” she said softly.

“(Y/N)?”

She clutched her head, “It’s coming back to me now… Yamaguchi! The Indominus! I saw it on the database, could it be part raptor?”

On the other side, Yamagichi gasped, “They never let me see the file, but now that I think about it, it’s highly likely! I’ll contact Iwaizumi and see if there’s anything he can help with! Let me know if anything changes!”

“I will. Please be careful,” she begged.

“I will, and you, too, (Y/N). Tell Tsukki I love him.”

“I love you, too, Yamaguchi,” Kei replied. With that, the call clicked off.

(Y/N) inhaled deeply, “Hinata’s dead.”

“I heard.”

She shook her head, “Let’s just keep moving. I--”

Her eyes fixed on the tank where Dolly had just leapt out of the water for prey again. Bubbles flooded their view as the massive dinosaur crashed back down into her tank. (Y/N)’s mouth dropped open.

“Holy shit.”

“What is it?”

(Y/N) started sprinting down the corridor towards the control room, “I have an idea!”

~~

‘You better know what you’re doing, (Y/N),’ Tsukishima thought. He paced the floor of the control room nervously as he waited for the signal.

Their plan was well underway, and it had gone surprisingly well, which was all the more reason for him to feel like something was going to go horribly wrong.

When (Y/N) originally told him what the plan was, his response was, “Fuck no,” but after Yamaguchi and Iwaizumi both agreed that it was their best bet, Kei relented, though not without voicing his displeasure extensively.

That girl was really lucky he L-worded her. Through the security monitors, he could see the T-Rex and the Raptors were tag-teaming the Indominus. They seemed to be making progress, but the whole group looked like they were losing steam.

The radio beside him crackled to life, making him jump.

“Kei? Can you hear me?” (Y/N)’s voice came through the machine.

“Loud and clear.”

“Okay, on my signal, cut the power to Security Fence 4.”

The button was red, marked with bold black letters, and had a plexiglass case over it. Kei pressed the “disable” button, making the screen read, ‘UNAUTHORIZED COMMAND: Please enter credentials.’ He typed, ‘Tsukishima Kei,’ placing his hand on the biometric scanner when prompted.

‘MANUAL OVERRIDE: Accepted

All the previously red buttons turned green.

“Okay. Ready when you are.”

“Good. Now, listen to me, Kei,” she said grimly, “You have to cut the power the moment I tell you to. The system has a backup generator that will kick in within 30 seconds. If it's electrified when we hit it, the jeep will explode and our whole plan is shot. That fence can NOT, I repeat, CAN NOT be electrified when I get there, do you understand?”

The male nodded weakly, then, realizing she couldn’t see him, said his affirmation aloud. The radio went quiet. On the screens, the Indominus dug it’s rows of razor sharp teeth into the T-Rex’s neck, throwing the creature as far as it would go. The T-Rex lay there and did not move.

The Indominus Rex roared in victory and went in for the kill. There was a bright flash of red further away as someone offscreen lit a flare. The light became brighter as the person neared (Y/N) and they tossed it into the jeep, catching the Indominus’s attention.

Turning away from it’s prize, the hybrid screeched in rage and took off towards the light. (Y/N) hopped out of the driver’s seat, placing something on the gas pedal and diving away from the vehicle.

‘It might be better if I stay in the jeep and drive it myself,’ he remembered her saying back in the control room.

‘Better for you dying. If the impact with the fence doesn’t kill you, you’ll either drown or Dolly will eat you,’ he’d snapped.

‘But what if--’

He cut her off, ‘But nothing. Put a brick on the gas and move out of the way. There’s no reason to put you in any further danger.’

Amazingly, Kei was the one who won that debate and that’s what brought them to the present moment, with (Y/N) scrambling up off the floor and sprinting out of the Indominus’s path.

The hybrid dinosaur sprinted after the jeep that was speeding towards the mosasaur tank. The distance between the two was closing at an alarming rate.

Just before the vehicle made contact with the security fence, the radio crackled to life, “Now, Kei!”

Tsukishima slammed the button.

‘SECURITY FENCE 4: Disabled’

Just before it made contact with the fence, the jeep’s metal frame crunched under the Indominus’s powerful jaws.

“Fuck!” Kei yelled at the sight. A few seconds later, the buttons turned back to red and the screen read, ‘SECURITY FENCE 4: Enabled.’

“Well, what now?” he yelled into the radio.

“Uh, I don’t--! Fuck-- I don’t know, I’m out of ideas!” she cried in response.

Having been given a break, one of the raptors jumped in, ready to finish the fight. The creature leapt into action to subdue the murderous hybrid, but with that size difference, she wouldn’t last long.

On the verge of panic, (Y/N) said, “If the jeep broke through the fence, Dolly would have noticed the prey, but the Indominus by itself hasn’t gotten her attention! She must be too deep!”

“Well, then, get her attention!” he shot back.

(Y/N) gasped, yanking her whistle out from inside her windbreaker, “Hold me up to the main PA.”

He reached over and jabbed the button.

(Y/N) looked up when she heard his voice over the speakers spread throughout the park, “Whenever you’re ready.”

As Kei keld the radio up to the PA, (Y/N) put her whistle to her lips and blew as hard as she could, the sound undetectable by human ears. They waited with baited breath as the Indominus flung the raptor aside, where the smaller reptile did not get up. The Indominus stopped and let out another bloodcurdling roar.

When nothing more happened, all Kei could think was, ‘We failed.’

Just then, quicker than Kei could comprehend, an incredible volume of water overtook his field of view. Water droplets obscured the CCTV cameras giving him a view of the action, and when they cleared, it took him a moment to register the massive aquatic dinosaur protruding halfway out of its paddock. It held the silver, spiny-backed hybrid in its ginormous maw of thousands of teeth. Crushed by a predator honed by millions of years of evolution, the Indominus writhed in pain and panic, but its struggle only opened more wounds in its flank. It screeched in pain or terror or frustration, Kei wasn’t sure. The only thing that mattered was the slick sound of Dolly sliding backwards into her enclosure, taking her prey with her. All that was left was dark purple blood, soaked pavement, a broken fence still sparking, and a crushed jeep.

“Holy shit,” Tsukishima whispered.

“Holy shit,” (Y/N) murmured in agreement before her knees gave out and she fell to the floor unconscious.

~~

With the Indominus gone and the pterosaurs having been hunted down by the military, park guests were being reunited with their friends and family. Rescue teams were sent to canvas the park for survivors, though they were advised not to get too close to the mosasaur tank. Tsukishima shuddered, knowing that the mosasaurus was always fully capable of leaping halfway out of its tank, she simply chose not to, perhaps out of respect for (Y/N). If, by some miracle, the park survived, he’d have to enforce some serious regulations.

“Tsukishima-san?” one of the surviving guards came to collect him. Conveniently, Kei’s general demeanor kept him from flinching at being addressed the way he heard everyone address his father. The guard led him to a private section of the infirmary, where he saw (Y/N) sitting on a cot looking like she’d spent the last 10 hours in a ditch, though her injuries otherwise looked far from anything life threatening.

“Oh, relax, I’m fine,” she said when she saw the look on his face. “I just got myself all scratched up jumping out of the jeep. I’m not even that hurt.”

Kei scooped her up in his arms in relief.

“Okay, owie, owie, I’m not completely unharmed, stop, stop, stop,” she whined.

The tall male pulled back and stared down at her. The left side of her face has several cuts and she held an ice pack to her ribs on the same side. She had heavy bags under her eyes, but those same eyes shone with relief and delight now that the whole ordeal was over.

“I’d ask if you had brain damage, but you must’ve already had some to come up with such a reckless plan,” he scolded.

(Y/N) gaped at him, “Reckless? It worked! Don’t be mean, Kei, I did good today.”

“You would have done great today if you hadn’t come back to me injured.”

“Again, it worked, didn’t it?”

“I suppose,” he rolled his eyes. “But it would really do wonders for my blood pressure if the person I care about most didn’t have such self-destructive tendencies.”

She grinned at his choice of words, “What was that you called me just now?”

“Self-destructive.” Chuckling, he took her hand in his, pressing a gentle kiss to the back of it. “Are we gonna be okay?” he asked, not making eye contact with her.

Content, the girl smiled and nestled against her pillows. Her eyes slowly drifted shut.

“We’re gonna be just fine, Kei,” she replied. For a moment he thought she didn’t quite understand what he meant until she squeezed his hand gently. Tsukishima smiled in relief, squeezing her hand back.

“Kei?”

“Hmm?”

“I feel the same way.”

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