#hes packing lunches for his three kids while making coffee for his wife and hes like yes. this is what i was made for

[vancilocs]

26-50 wit huuu dagon and jame aaand long time no joe and mae?

big boys. and mae

26. What sacrifices do they make for the other?

Dagon's given up a bunch of his screentime to give to Jame instead at least and switched his eating habits to be a bit healthier

It's not a sacrifice if they want to do it and being a stay-at-home dad was Joe's dream anyways, but I think it was a big thing from Mae to agree to be pregnant not once but twice

27. How do they say “I love you” non-verbally?

Jame ensures Dagon drinks his water, Dagon cuddles up, they shave each others' hair/beard, Jame traces around Dagon's vitiligo patches, kisses and other small shows of affection, Dagon snaps at Metzli for talking shit

Little touches and kisses, hugs throughout the day, lounging on the couch together either spooning or Joe's head on Mae's lap, playing with each others' hair or hands

28. Who’s the better chef? Do they cook for the other?

Jame's better but Dagon's picking up what he's putting down, if they eat together they cook together

They're both alright but Joe cooks more and for the whole family I think, fixes lunches for the kids too, Mae comes home from work and Joe's almost done setting the table for her to eat too

29. Describe their nighttime routine.

Jame has convinced Dagon to stop looking at blue light like an hour before going to bed, do some stretches, brush teeth, cuddle a bit and talk about day, give a good nights kiss and go to sleep

Maybe shower, brush teeth, cuddle up and chat and kiss a bit, talk about the day and what they're gonna do tomorrow, give a smooch goodnight and settle to sleep

30. What are their respective love languages? Do their love languages work well together?

Dagon practices quality time and physical touch but also some acts of service, he's cuddlier than most think but he thrives with parallel play as well

Joe is big on physical affection and verbal affection in his own way, but also quality time, Mae doesn't do physical affection the same way Joe does so they meet in the middle and just enjoy each other's company

31. Do they often go out on dates? What are these like?

On occasion, usually on an anniversary, go out for dinner and a few drinks before heading back home. They're cordial but nice dates, hold hands under the table maybe, play footsie, onlookers would think its a first date but no this is their 7th anniversary

They like going on dates, just getting drinks at a bar or going to a proper restaurant to eat, date nights are a nice way to add a bit of pizzazz to the usual, they can act all lovey dovey with just the two of them

32. Do either of them drink? If so, who’s the lightweight, and how does their partner care for them?

Neither drinks a lot, neither is particularly lightweight but Dagon wins by just being largehuge

They drink very moderately, Joe has a few beers on date nights (refuses to sip those girly cocktails though) and Mae can have something tasty too, he stays pretty much sober so she has nothing to worry about

33. How do they flirt? Who’s the worse flirt?

They throw glances in each others' direction (hard to see when Jame has his visor), sometimes they stand next to each other. When in private Dagon can get a lil flirty, c'mere I wanna cuddle

It's fun to go to a bar and pretend they're not married, Joe knows way too many awful pick up lines, props his boobs up and becomes insufferable until Mae breaks character

34. Do they have any inside jokes?

Maybe about Dagon being like velcro when asleep or then their height difference

So many from all the way to before they were even dating

35. Is their relationship a secret? If so, why?

Not particularly? But they don't advertise it either. Kris knows because he's besties with Dagon, Vadim knows bc he's nosy, others aren't really aware bc they haven't felt the need to tell anyone

Nope, they're so obviously in love, suck it Helen

36. How do they feel about having kids? Are they in agreement?

They agree on no children

They agreed on two children, they got three, love them all to bits

37. Who’s more emotionally sensitive/cries more often?

I think Dagon is a bit more sensitive but also he cries like once in a decade too so

Mae more, but Joe has learned to show his feelings too

38. Who’s got a quicker temper?

Dagon also, mainly shows it when his code doesn't work, but will tell Metzli to stfu too

Mae also

39. When and how did they admit that they loved each other? If they haven’t yet, why?

Dagon slipped it by half-accident a few years into their relationship, Jame said it back and they moved on. No need to say it out loud when they both know it well enough

After seeing each other for a longer while, a year maybe, when both knew it was serious and it was time to introduce the other to their parents etc., Mae had to say it first but Joe was ready to say it back

40. Do they have any regrets in their relationship?

Not really

They managed being apart from each other for longer whiles, Joe being a mercenary and Mae being a scavenger and all, Joe regrets not being more in touch with his emotions and later for being gone when Damien was small

41. What would they do if they lost the other?

Just go quiet and grieve in solitude for a long while I think

Be destroyed, support is needed

42. What’s their relationship like with each other’s friends/families?

Nonexistent, Dagon doesn't talk to his parents, his brother died while he was in prison and his sister-in-law/her kids don't talk to him either bc he was a criminal. Nor has he ever met Jame's family

Close, Joe's family is tightknit and his parents and sisters love Mae, sisters's husbands and kids too, its a big group and she/her parents were taken in without question. Mae's parents were a bit more sus about Joe but Mae liked him and he seemed nice so he was accepted

43. If they picked out outfits for each other, what would they look like?

Jame gets the ugliest shirt

Joe would look more put together instead of just a T-shirt and jeans, Mae would wear some kind of a black dress and maybe a lil jacket, accessories whomst?

44. Do they cuddle often? Why or why not?

Sleeping with Dagon is not a question of if you get cuddled, but when. But they do enjoy watching films etc. cuddled up too. Dagon just enjoys closeness and he's a Great hugger/pillow

They cuddle pretty frequently, Joe is also a great pillow and warm and soft and he enjoys holding Mae too, its a great way to watch movies or hang out

45. How do they support each other? How do they rely on each others support?

They listen whenever the other has grievances to air, and they trust that the other one will listen also. They got this understanding that everything's free game. Dagon also will read his code out loud to Jame to catch mistakes he's made sometimes but he does that to rubber ducks too

If Mae's had a long day at work, Joe's cleaned the house and made dinner and handled things for her so she doesn't have to worry. They listen to whatever they have to say and Mae encourages Joe to be more open about his feelings, Joe knows Mae will never think his fears or insecurities are dumb

46. Do they consider their relationship casual or serious? Is the answer different depending on who you ask? Why?

Very serious, if someone asks they say it's not their business, frankly

Very serious, no matter who you ask that is the love of their life

47. Do they sleep beside each other? Why or why not?

I think they still have their own apartments, but they often stay overnight and share the bed

Every night if they only can

48. Do they talk about their future together? Why or why not?

Not really? They're very happy where they are right now, I think they've talked about marriage and come to the consensus that no thank you (Dagon is not entirely against it but if Jame doesn't want to, he's fine with that). They take it day by day

They're happy where they are now but they do talk about stuff like when the kids grow up and go to college and move out and should they move house to a smaller one when that happens and Joe wants to buy a boat and when will they retire and normal stuff regular people talk about

49. Do they keep secrets from each other?

Nah

No, unless it's a surprise

50. Would they ever break up? If so, why? Who would handle the breakup better?

At the moment a breakup is not coming, they're very happy. Might stick together for the remaining centuries or so. With their constitutions and support circles I think they would manage it well, Dagon maybe a bit worse bc he's more emotional but he would accept it after a bit

No breaking up, ride or die. They'd both scream and cry if they broke up and I can't imagine which would even be the one leaving

[yameoto]

Listen I’m a FEMINIST but the way I’d be Alison Miller’s blue collar wife - so down bad it’s actually a threat to feminism.

Like someone looking AFTER her, after a long ass shift, making sure she’s fed, giving her head before she finally passes out from exhaustion - sending her off with lunch even though she keeps up before the damn sun half the time, pinching her cheek and telling her to be good like she isn’t about to spend her day doing hard ass manual labor.

Fighting half those shitty teens that go to school with Brandon for looking at her funny just because she’s yours, and she works too damn hard to be spoke to that way I just WANT HER

no like this gets so serious

wanna be the one to hold her pretty tired face in my palms and wipe the grime off her cheeks. making sure she comes home to a warm hot meal n fresh blankets and a clean house like some rural suburban housewife. she’s been dreaming, practically begging for a little stability for so damn long, because she’s been so fucking lonely. even before dad got arrested, her mother fucked off—and of course ali was the one fixing meals for mini brandon n her as dad went out and got fucked-up or whoknowswhat. packed his lunches and band-aided his scrapes from the scuffles he got in at school. microwaved hot pockets n sloppily washed the dishes when the pile-up began to start wobbling while dad did god knows that. certainly not caring for his kids (in the traditional sense, anyway). the miller house was and is a trainwreck. and when she picked up that job in the factory plant to take care of brandon.. not like she can clean up after herself with all the nights she’s spent, drunk off her ass, phone in one hand and three fingers in her cunt in the other. (even then, it was you. always you.) she’s been taking care of brandon for so long she doesn’t have enough time to take care of herself—and when she does, she’s absolutely shit at it.

(first time you came over, she stuffed her hands in her jacket and glanced away as she steered you away from the thick of it, suddenly self-conscious. like it had only just occurred to her that most people don’t live in a hovel. “s’not like i have the time..” and you just want to pinch her flushed cheeks and ducked head. coo at how adorable she looks.)

poor darling, been working n working her ass off her whole life. so having someone to come home to other than a 50/50 empty house or broken windows or a cuffed brother is more than a relief. god, how she loves you. needs you. thought you were an angel sent down from heaven when you first broke that dull, suffocating fucking cycle of monotony. waking up; working; sleeping. when you stayed over the first night and she’d blinked awake, blearily, her head on your chest n your arm lazily slung across her neck she thinks: god, she could do this forever. especially when you’d woken up, brewed a fresh pot of coffee and started on breakfast. she almost asked you to move in, right then and there.

she’s almost embarrassed to admit it, but fuck, does the picket fence life sound so appealing. she’s a simple woman with simple needs. one, being to hold you close. two, having three adequate meals a day (and you have the enforce no.2). fuck. she loves you so much. thinks she doesn’t deserve you. feels so bad that she’s so tired and sluggish after the end of a workday. obsessed with clinging onto your back and nuzzling into your nape and just staying there. weight of the world no longer on her shoulders. just her and her wife.

[palmofafreezinghand]

the story of billy’s fishing boat. ao3 here. 

There’s a creaky old fishing boat in the harbor. With a blue bottom and a cream body that used to be white. Green serif on the transom reads ‘Sarah Bee.’ Decaying buoys clang against the hull in the rough storms. Its registration is up to date, but the bottom hasn’t been cleaned in years. 

To those who’ve haunted the docks long it’s Bill’s boat, to the passersbys, who merely watch the sea, not love her, it’s the creaky old boat that sits in the harbor.

He bought it three years out of high school. Saved every coin he found heads up on the street. Odd jobs that passed crumpled paper bills under the table. Gut fish and skinned deer for pocket change. 

Old men who sipped their coffees before dawn and delighted at a red sky told him to be wise and make the girl who stood by his side his wife. Youth dies, the Sea survives. 

Soon he’d respond, slinging lobster cages into rough seas. Soon he’d respond, her father threatening a swift kick in the hind if he didn’t make up his mind. Soon he’d respond, her kiss lingering a little longer, a silent question in the bat of an eye. 

Already married to the Sea, she’d grin. A laugh like the pier’s bell ringing in the day’s catch. 

It’s a creaky old fishing boat he poured every ounce of bright-eyed youthful hope into. 

An old man with a creak in his back and voice cut him a deal. The Sea just ain’t what it used to be. This body just ain’t what it used to be. A laugh like a sea lion. A ship that should have been salvaged, not sailed.

The engine was shot. The deck leaked. The wood was half eaten away by rot. The cabin reeked. 

But it was his, all his. He told anyone he could, only one who counted. 

Sarah Bee? She cackled. He would change it if she wished. No, no. It’s better than an engagement ring. 

The boat lived in the harbor long after his grandmother’s ring donned her finger. 

The rickety vessel sailed out before the crack of dawn almost every morning, bets placed on if it’d make it home at all. It always did, by the grace of God, no by the grace of the Sea. 

She’s a cruel thing, be smart. Men who’d lost many brothers to the siren would call as his one flood light made it through a bank of fog. 

Halibut, cod, salmon. Only enough to provide, and not for the man’s lack of skill. Every bit used, every bit savored, every fish thanked. 

You’re doing somethin’ right, Bill. Men remarked as he was the only boat who brought in a catch of the day weeks in a row.  

He agreed, but it wasn’t on the sea. He was doing his best when the creaky old boat sat in the harbor. 

For a few months it stowed two live-aboard newlyweds attempting to save for a home. 

The swim step greeted two identical babies who sprinted down the gangway, laughter following them like a fog. The hull cradled the family as a third joined the chaos soon after. 

Stared in many a watercolor landscape. Donned decorations for the annual Christmas parade. Transformed into a castle, a fairy garden, a pirate ship, anything the little minds, who controlled the little hands and feet crawling around on its deck, could think of. 

The five packed like sardines below deck, a cabin full of people and full of joy. 

Then she died while the boat sat in the harbor. 

He went colorblind as the wooden box lowered into the ground. A sky that once determined the next day’s luck was forever grey. A school of fish was a school of fish. 

He paddled through the riptides, grasping for a sand bar whenever God felt mercy and let his children smile for a second. Strapped the kids in their life jackets that went from fairy wings to straitjackets in the hands of one drunk driver. The most exciting place in the world was now just another place where she was not, for all four of them. 

She’s a cruel thing, be smart. He would not let his children’s youth be lost to the rogue wave or motor failure. He would not be lost to the rogue wave or motor failure. 

He traded nets for school pick up, reels for sack lunches, lures for dance recitals and soccer games. 

Youth dies, the Sea survives. Old men’s calls rang in his ears like a gull at the chum bucket as he drove the ten miles off the coast. The roar of a diesel an irritating hum. He caught enough to sustain them for a stretch and went back to shore. A methodical mechanical maneuver repeated monthly. 

When the doctor prescribed him a chair with two wheels and clunky steering the sea might as well have died. So the boat sat in the harbor. 

He thought of selling it over the years. When pockets got tight. Young men trying to barter a deal littered the quiet fishing harbor. The insurance payment every year. Then his girls fled as fast as their legs could carry them and all he had left of her was the boat. So the boat sat in the harbor. 

He waited for the day a tsunami hit the shore and wiped out the harbor completely. Or the day it would spring a leak and sink to never be recovered. Perhaps someone would steal it in the middle of the night. The Sea would take the last bit of her, it was only a matter of time. So the boat sits in the harbor. 

There’s a creaky old fishing boat in the harbor. It’s Bill’s boat. It’s got rotting buoys and faded paint. But there’s a crayon drawing of a family of five taped above the steering wheel. There’s a cardigan hanging in the closet she knit him senior year. There’s five pillows and five sleeping bags stowed in the top cabinet. 

Its name is ‘Sarah Bee,’ and it reminds all who pass God is much crueler than Sea. 

[babyjamiebarnes]

Build-A-Bear

Part Three

Featuring: Bucky x Stark!reader, dad!Tony, Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, Morgan, various characters in other chapters

Warnings: language, sexual innuendos and implications

Chapter Summary: Reader has dinner with her family and gets grilled even harder than her food. But she’s turned to a light simmer when Bucky takes her out for their first date.

Author’s Note: This chapter is fucking monstrous lol. I did not expect it to be this long so it might be a couple extra days before the next chapter so I can catch up! I’m also not sure if my Italian is accurate so I apologize in advance. I used to work for a man named Gennaro from Naples and he called me “bella” so hopefully I’m sort of right? If you like the story so far, feel free to buy me a coffee!

Part One • Part Two

Tags: @kennedywxlsh

Dinner that night was tense, to say the least. It was nice to have your dad, step-mom, sister, and uncles Happy and Rhodey over again, but your dad wasn’t quick to forget what he saw earlier.

“What was that with Barnes today?” Tony asked as you all sat around the dining room table in your midtown flat, poking away at the remnants of your meals.

“What do you mean?” you asked innocently.

Your dad just gave you an incredulous look. “You know what I mean.”

You sighed and avoided meeting his eyes. “I was just working on his arm, dad. I didn’t wanna make him lie down on a hard lab table while I poked around to do what you wanted and quiet his arm,” you explained.

“Wait, Barnes as in Bucky Barnes?” Uncle Rhodey clarified.

“Yeah,” your dad confirmed, not taking his eyes off of you. “I found her kneeling between his legs while he sat shirtless on the couch.”

“You’re sleeping with Bucky?!” Rhodey asked.

“I’m not sleeping with anyone!” you defended, dropping your fork onto your plate. “I’ve known him for a month.”

“That’s never stopped your father,” Pepper mumbled under her breath, making you huff out a laugh despite your current grilling.

“Listen, when I said ‘no fraternizing with coworkers,’ I meant it,” your dad said.

“Please stop saying ‘fraternizing.’ It’s weird.”

Tony sighed and crossed his arms. “No ‘slumber parties’ with coworkers,” he rephrased.

This made Morgan perk up in her seat, having spent the past couple minutes confusedly watching you and your dad bicker.

“Can we have a slumber party, [Y/N]?” she asked.

“Yes, honey, we can have a slumber party,” you responded.

“Tonight?” she continued.

At this, you pointedly looked at your dad and raised your eyebrows as a way of saying ‘are we done now?’ You could tell he didn’t want to end the conversation, but you were grateful for the sudden change of topic. Tony uncrossed his arms and leaned against the table as he replied to your sister.

“If your big sister says it’s okay, you can have a slumber party tonight.”

Morgan lit up like the Fourth of July, quickly listing off all the movies she wanted to watch even though you knew she’d fall asleep halfway through the first movie.

As your family packed up to leave, leaving Morgan since she had a drawer of clothes for the impromptu sleepovers you’ve had before, you calmed your racing heart before saying the words that would either make your father more suspicious or completely quash his suspicions.

“You’ll have to pick her up by four tomorrow. I have a date.”

All of the adults turned to face you. Pepper had a huge smile on her face, clearly excited for you, but your dad and Rhodey looked ready to fight. Happy looked curious, maybe even worried, but he played a big role in raising you so while Tony was the overprotective parent, Happy was the comforting parent (not that he’d ever let anyone know that).

“A date?” The tone of your dad’s voice made you roll your eyes at him.

“I’m a grown woman. I’m allowed to go on dates.”

Your dad let out a quiet harumph at that, but understood where you were coming from. “I know, sweetheart. Forgive me for being a bit overprotective of my little girl.”

“I get it. I appreciate your concern,” you said with a smile, “but this is good for me. You want grandkids eventually, right?”

“Oh god,” your dad groaned, pressing a hand to his chest. “I’m not old enough to be a grandpa but I’m old enough to have a heart attack at the mention of it.”

You rolled your eyes. “You’re so dramatic.”

“So what’s this person’s name?” Pepper piped up. You visibly tensed and internally panicked. You couldn’t just admit it was Bucky after denying anything there. But his name was technically pretty common...

“His name is James.”

Rhodey snapped his fingers and pointed at you as he said, “I like him already.”

‘Yeah, sure you do,’ you thought. The sight of your dad narrowing his eyes at you and crossing his arms as he stood in the entryway of your apartment made you nervous. Maybe James wasn’t good enough to get him off your trail (probably because he was right).

“How did you meet this guy?” Tony asked.

If anyone else had asked, you would’ve said ‘work,’ but that’s the last place you could say to your dad — with whom you worked.

“Uhh, at the grocery store. We accidentally followed each other and got a lot of the same food so he jokingly accused me of stalking him and we just hit it off,” you rattled off. It’s a good thing he didn’t know how your friend Monique met her girlfriend or he’d know you were lying.

“That’s so cute,” Pepper cooed. She was definitely the more relaxed of your parents, possibly because she wasn’t your biological mom. She had been raising you since you were ten though, so she played a big part in your upbringing.

“Text me his last name so I can run a background check,” your dad said. You’d love to think he was joking, but you knew he was serious.

And as much as you knew you’d regret it, you had to make a joke��

“His last name is Barnes,” you said, keeping your face as serious as possible. “James Barnes. I actually know his middle name too: Buchanan.”

“[Y/N] [Y/M/N] [Y/L/N], you better be joking right now,” Tony said. He was already getting red in the face, clearly unenthused at the prospect of you dating the man who, admittedly, killed his parents — your grandparents. Yeah, understandable.

“I’m obviously kidding,” you said, forcing a laugh. “It’s just funny that they have the same first name and you’re so anti-Bucky.”

“You’re gonna send me to an early grave,” he muttered. “I’m going home before I actually have a heart attack.”

You said your goodbyes and ‘I love you’s before you and Morgan put on your pajamas and set up a pillow fort in the middle of your living room to watch her favorite sleepover movie: “Shrek.”

As the movie went on, you leaned back in the fort to take a photo of Morgan with the movie in the background. Well, the back of Morgan’s head as she was engrossed in the movie she’d seen a million times.

[Image attached] She’s got her teddy bear but where’s my Bucky Bear? 🥺

Across the city, Bucky’s phone buzzed from its spot on the kitchen counter as he made himself a late dinner. He didn’t recognize the number, but smiled when he saw the picture of who he assumed was your sister or niece.

I never got an invite. Looks like more fun than my night.

You smiled to yourself when you saw his reply, rolling your eyes at the lack of exclamation points and emojis. Typical man.

What does your night look like?

Eating a late dinner and talking to you.

Talking to me isn’t fun?! I’m hurt 😢

Not as fun as actually being with you.

Even though he wasn’t there and didn’t say it verbally, you could feel your cheeks get hot at his words.

There’s no way sweet talk like that didn’t get you in more than four beds.

You’re still on that? I swear doll, I have the same number as you.

Whatever you say! 🙄

There was a lull in conversation after that, giving you time to move your sister to lie on her back with pillows and blankets in the fort so she could sleep more comfortably.

Are we still going out tomorrow?

You let the next Shrek movie start automatically, but you didn’t pay any attention as you texted Bucky.

I’m still down if you are 👀

You sent him your address and let him know you’d wait on the front steps for him so he didn’t have to come all the way up. With the exchange of ‘good night’ messages, you drifted asleep to the sounds of Shrek 2.

•

The next morning, you somehow managed to wake up before your sister, then brought her back to the land of the living with the smell of French toast.

You spent your day watching another movie with Morgan before fixing lunch and taking her to a park down the road. Morgan’s childhood was definitely different from yours. Happy was the one who took you to parks and shopping, but Tony parented at home. Morgan would have the same early experiences, but the world knew Tony and Pepper had a daughter. They kept her identity hidden for now, waiting until she could decide if she wanted to reveal herself later in life. The world never knew about you.

And you had to be somewhat grateful for that. You still got all the perks of being a Stark — the money, the Tower, meeting the Avengers (and having James Rhodes as your godfather) — without the stress of fame. But part of you still wished you could talk about your father without keeping his occupation vague and referring to him as “Anthony” when telling stories instead of Tony.

Morgan also got to know her mom. You only spent the first seven years of your life with your mom before she was killed in a drive-by shooting. The police investigated it like crazy because everyone thought since it was Tony Stark’s wife, it had to be a targeted hit. But since she never took the same jogging route twice, all they came up with was an unplanned drive-by. You cherished the memories you had with her, but still openly welcomed Pepper when she came into the picture. She may not have played the same type of role in your life, but she helped shape your middle and high school years.

By the time you and Morgan got back to your place, she was exhausted, climbing back into the still-intact blanket fort to take a nap. When your dad and Pepper stopped by to pick her up, she was still knocked out.

“We’ll get out of your hair so you can get ready for your date,” your dad said with Morgan in his arms. “Send me this James guy’s last name. I still want to run a background check.”

“Dad,” you grumbled. “I already did my research. He’s clear.” Kind of. He technically has murdered hundreds of people, including your grandparents, but he’s reformed and fighting for the good guys now. Not that your dad would let it slide if you told him that.

“That’s my girl,” he grinned. “Let me know if you need to hide any bodies, okay?”

“You got it,” you said with a laugh as they headed out. You had two hours to get ready for Bucky, giving you plenty of time to look extra cute.

By the time six rolled around, you were all dolled up and ready to go. The autumn weather had you in a jacket and boots, but that just pulled your outfit together.

Your doorman Matt was standing inside the lobby when you ran downstairs, tossing him a small wave as you left.

“Have a good night, Miss [Y/L/N],” he said with a nod.

“See you later, Matt!”

You stood at the bottom of your building’s front steps, checking your phone and looking up and down the block for Bucky. It was six on the dot, so you figured he’d be there soon.

“Hey!” You looked up from your phone to see Bucky jogging toward you, a black leather jacket covering his arms and a black glove hiding his left hand. “Sorry I’m late. I couldn’t get away from Sam. Had to tell him I was gonna check out my old stomping grounds in Brooklyn.”

“You’re, like, 30 seconds late. I’m just glad you’re here,” you said with a smile. “So what are we doing tonight?”

Bucky’s smile faltered as he looked down at you. Your boots gave you a bit of a height bump, but Bucky still stood taller than you.

“I, uh, I kinda thought you had something planned,” he said softly.

“Oh, oops,” you laughed. “Well… what about those Brooklyn stomping grounds of yours? Care to show me around?”

Bucky lit up at the recommendation and started leading the way to the nearest subway stop. Before you started down the stairs, he paused and turned to you with a sour expression.

“I probably should’ve asked if you’d rather get a cab,” he said.

“Bucky, I take the subway to work every day. It’s fine.”

“Why do you take the train? You don’t live too far away.” You two made your way down the steps to the bustling station.

“It’s just easier. Less work for me,” you explained. “I didn’t take the train much as a kid so I like taking the opportunity now that I can.”

“Most people don’t willingly take the subway,” he laughed. “Steve and I always used to talk about how we’d be rich enough to have a car someday. But now that I could get any car I wanted, I don’t think I want one. I like the subway.”

“Even though it’s smelly and dirty?” you joked.

“Yeah,” he laughed. “It’s one of the things that still reminds me of home.”

The gentleness in his voice nearly brought you to tears. This man had been through so much and was still the sweetest soul you’d ever met. Forced into a war he didn’t want to join, experimented on, tortured and brainwashed, hunted by every government in the world, captured, frozen, and forced into another war and more battles he shouldn’t have to join. He just couldn’t catch a break.

“Well I’m excited to see what else reminds you of home,” you replied.

The trains to and through Brooklyn were relatively busy so you and Bucky couldn’t really talk much, but it was a Saturday night so you couldn’t blame people for getting out. It was tough to find seats, but Bucky was willing to stand to make sure you could have a seat. Ever the gentleman.

When you made it to Bucky’s Brooklyn stop of choice, he started telling you more stories from the ‘40s, like when Steve couldn’t get off the train in time and accidentally went down another stop so Bucky ran to the next stop and found Steve heading his way anyway. And how he and Steve followed his sister Rebecca on a date “to watch out for her,” he said, and her date thought they were stalking her and tried to beat them up. And all the fights he pulled Steve out of.

“Punk was a chihuahua who thought he was a Rottweiler.”

For a while, you two walked around the streets of Brooklyn just telling each other stories. You were careful about names you used, often just calling Happy “Uncle Harry” and Rhodey “Uncle James.”

Bucky showed you the movie theater he and Steve used to go to, which was surprisingly still in business. You walked past what used to be a diner Bucky frequented but was converted into a bridal shop.

“This used to be a magic store Steve loved,” he said, looking up at the bank on the corner of the street. “Things have changed a lot.”

You heard the nostalgia in his voice, clearly missing the New York he grew up to love. He had a soft smile on his lips as he reminisced, though.

“What about where you lived?” you asked. “Do you remember where that is?”

“Oh yeah,” he chuckled. “I could never forget that.”

Everything was within a fifteen minute walk of where you got off the subway so even though your feet were getting tired, you followed alongside Bucky as he led the way up and down the streets. Before too long, you strode up to a large brick building that had clearly been remodeled recently, if the fresh windows and front doors were any indication.

“It’s… a lot nicer than when I lived here,” Bucky said with a sigh. “But it’s been nearly 100 years so I can’t blame them for updating things.”

“Brooklyn is kind of booming now, too,” you added. “More people to appeal to, ya know?”

You stared up at him again, seeing that same lost look as before, like he wished to turn back time and show you the Brooklyn he knew. So you decided since he couldn’t do that, you’d show him the Brooklyn you knew.

“Come here. My turn to show you around,” you said, holding your hand out to him. He gave you a small smile before grabbing your hand in his and letting you pull him back to the subway.

Ten minutes later, you hopped off the train with Bucky in tow and headed to the little Italian restaurant you found while exploring the city a couple years before. It wasn’t anything elaborate; it was honestly more of a little hole-in-the-wall, but you liked the quiet atmosphere.

“Bella!” the owner shouted as you walked in.

“Hey Genny,” you smiled at him.

“Who’s this?” he asked as he approached you, raising his eyebrows when he saw Bucky.

“This is James,” you said. You opted against using his more common nickname to avoid any recognition.

“James, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Gennaro, but you can call me Genny. Welcome to my restaurant.” The two men shook hands before Genny ushered you two to a table and handed you menus. “Would you like to start with focaccia?”

“Yes please!”

“Con formaggi?”

“Si! Grazie!”

Gennaro left you and Bucky while he started your appetizer.

“You speak Italian?” Bucky asked.

“Definitely not,” you laughed. “I’ve just been coming here for a while and have picked up on some things Genny says. Like ‘bella’ means ‘beautiful,’ this pizza,” you pointed to your favorite pizza on the menu, “‘cinque formaggi’ means ‘five cheese.’ But I could never hold a conversation.”

“Un peccato,” Bucky sighed before flashing a smile at you.

“You speak Italian?!” you nearly shrieked. “No way! Don’t talk shit with Gennaro behind my back.” You pouted at Bucky, but knew he wouldn’t say anything bad about you. Maybe an embarrassing moment or two — like your dad walking in on you between his knees — but nothing negative.

“I picked it up pretty quickly back in the day,” Bucky explained. “Before I was sent to Germany, I was stationed in a small town in Italy for a while. The locals didn’t mind having us there because we kept the Nazis out, so they taught us some Italian when we were in town.”

“Maybe I should take Gennaro up on his offer to learn Italian,” you mused.

“Or you could learn from me,” Bucky was quick to offer. “I’ll teach you some stuff when you’re working on my arm.”

Your server arrived with the focaccia and water for both of you, before giving you more time to actually look at the menus instead of talking. You decided to split a bottle of red wine and two pizzas, one of your choice and one of Bucky’s. As the night went on, you and Bucky both opened up to each other even more than before. You could easily blame the buzz from a couple glasses of wine, but Bucky’s super soldier serum made you confused. His cheeks were flushed and he had more than half the bottle, so you wondered if maybe...

“Can you still get drunk?”

“Unlike Steve, yes. It takes more than this,” he said, lifting the nearly empty bottle of wine, “but since Steve and I received different serums, they work a little differently. I can definitely get drunk. Marijuana admittedly hits harder.”

You paused as you stared back at him, his elbows perched on the table and his clasped hands propped under his chin.

“Are you drunk now?”

“No,” he laughed quietly. “A little tipsy, sure, but not drunk by a long shot.”

You narrowed your eyes at him playfully, reluctantly accepting that he was just as buzzed as you but not quite drunk.

Before long, your server brought over your tab and you realized how empty the restaurant had gotten. Then you noticed the broom and mop the server had brought out to the floor, then the dark ‘open’ sign, and finally the clock on the wall.

“You closed 20 minutes ago and didn’t kick us out?” you shouted at Gennaro. “Genny, you can always kick me out! I feel bad!”

Gennaro walked over to your table as you scrambled for your wallet and handed the server your card to run.

“I can’t kick you out, bella. You and your moroso are welcome any time.”

“I think this poor girl would beg to differ,” you said as the server handed your card and signature slip back. She just laughed at your comment, agreeing without saying it outright.

You left a hefty tip and hugged Genny before you and Bucky, both still a bit tipsy, shuffled outside.

“Thanks for buying dinner,” Bucky said. “This means I get to pay next time, though.”

He said it so casually and you already planned on another date, but it still kind of caught you off guard.

“Next time?” You smiled up at him and took a step closer until you were almost toe-to-toe. “There’s gonna be a ‘next time’?”

“I sure hope there is,” he said quietly, his smirk sending a rush up your spine.

“If you insist,” you sighed. He knew better than to believe you weren’t excited for your future plans. “I’m cold. Care to get an Uber with me?”

He gently grabbed your shoulders and spun you around, pulling the loose opening of his jacket over your arms and wrapping his arms around you to help keep you warm.

“Well, yeah. I need to make sure you get home safe so ‘next time’ can happen,” Bucky said as he nuzzled his face into the crook of your neck.

“You know, I don’t usually let men spoon me on the first date,” you joked as you tapped away to order an Uber.

“I can stop, if you want,” he teased.

You gripped his arm as he started to pull away. “I never said that.”

Bucky rode back to your place with you, keeping conversation casual as you both avoided the controversy you were about to face: to kiss on the first date or not. You never really had any issues with it before, but you already really liked Bucky. You didn’t want to risk messing it up by moving too fast. But what grown man would think a kiss on a first date was too fast? Well… maybe one born in the early 1900s…

Before your thoughts could throw you into a downward spiral, the driver pulled up outside your apartment complex. Bucky stepped out first and held the door open for you to scoot out after him. As you stood at the bottom of the stairs to your building, you felt those nerves creeping up on you again. God, you hadn’t felt this nervous about a date since high school.

“I had fun tonight,” Bucky said first, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Me too,” you smiled back. “I’m excited for what you plan for next time.”

Bucky laughed at this, the crinkle of his nose making your own smile grow. God, you wanted to invite him inside already. In your defense, you’ve known him for a full month and spent even longer getting heart-eyes over him in college.

But you reined in your hormones and just took a step closer to him to rest your hands on his chest. His right hand came up to rest on your waist, but he kept the metal hand in his pocket. With your hand placement, you could feel the thrum of his heartbeat and judging by the pace, you knew you were both on the same page. As you were trying to shove your nerves aside, Bucky asked the one question you were hoping for.

“Can I kiss you?”

Knowing he wanted this as much as you did relieved some of your nerves, but also made the moment that much more real. You smiled up at him and nodded your head.

“Yes, please do.”

You perched up on your toes to meet him halfway, letting his lips mold to yours. His hold on your waist tightened as he pulled you closer; you gripped the lapel of his jacket in your fists. Suddenly the cold of the night no longer existed. All you could feel was the warmth radiating off of him as he held you close. He pulled back for a second before diving right back in, this time nipping at your bottom lip. You giggled against him, but didn’t stop him from taking the innocent kiss a step further. Your hands slid from his chest to the nape of his neck before tangling into his long hair. The vibration from his moan as you tugged on his hair ran straight down your spine, making it even harder to leave the date alone.

Reluctantly, you both pulled apart just enough for your noses to brush against each other, the stubble of his beard still tickling your nose. You opened your eyes enough to see the smile on his lips as he pulled back a bit more to see your face.

“I’ll see you Monday?” you said quietly, as if speaking any louder would break you two out of your bubble.

“See you Monday, [Y/N],” Bucky replied just as quietly. His hand slipped from your waist as you backed away, biting your lip at him before you turned and scurried up the steps. Bucky stood on the sidewalk until he could see the light in your apartment flick on, just to make sure you were safe.

[acreativeme]

Family Comes First

Family Comes First OA x Reader

Y/N rushed around the kitchen, trying to pack her kids lunch as they ate breakfast. She looked over at the stove clock, noticing that it was almost time for her husband to leave for work. She prayed that he would be down in time to see their kids off to school. “Momma, can I get some pretzels for lunch?” Aria, their daughter, asked, shoving a spoonful of cereal in her mouth. Y/N grinned at her daughter. “There is already a pack in both your lunchbox and backpack.” She pressed a kiss to her daughter’s crazy curls. “Will dad be here to see us off?” Their son,Odion, asked, shoving a strawberry from his fruit salad in his mouth. Y/N went to reply but was cut off by the sound of their front opening and closing. She frowned, watching OA get into his SUV and pull out of the driveway. “I don’t think so, Oddi.” After they finished getting ready for the day in silence, Y/N had opted to take them to school instead of having them take the bus. She noticed the sadness on the kids face, which sparked anger in her heart. Aria and Odion pressed a kiss to her cheek as they hopped out of the car. “Love you, Momma!” they called as they headed towards their friends. “Have a good day!” she replied as the door shut.

She stepped out of the elevator onto her husband’s floor. She had to take a deep breath as she stepped into the bullpen, where it seemed they were working on a case. Jubial was the first to notice her, but reframed from saying anything so as to not interrupt whatever Tech was talking. Maggie was the next to notice her and didn’t hold back her surprise. “Y/N? What are you doing here? Are the kids alright?” Maggie asked, alerting OA to his wife’s presence. He turned and frowned. “What are you doing here?” “Can I talk with you alone, Omar?” Y/N asked, not breaking eye contact with him. Maggie raised her eyebrows at Y/N’s use of OA’s full first name. “Everything okay?” She asked him. He shrugged, whispering to her. “I don’t know.” He led Y/N off towards an empty conference room. “What do you need, Y/N? I am in the middle of a case.” Y/N sighed, trying to remain calm. “You didn’t say goodbye this morning.” He rolled his eyes. “You know that there is a possibility that I would get called out to a case at any moment and can’t always say goodbye.” “Yes, I know that! But do you want to know who doesn’t know that?!” Her tone was tense, her calm resolve cracking at his lame excuse. “Who?” He asked, irritation evident in his voice. “Our kids! Remember them? Their names are Aria and Odion, if you have forgotten.” She hissed, face turning red as she spoke. He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. “I know our children’s names, Y/N. I am their father.” Y/N threw her hands up, “well, you aren’t acting like it! When was the last time that you had a conversation with our children? Was it before or after Aria took up painting or Odion joined the soccer team? Because they sure can’t remember when you saw them off to school last.” “Painting? Soccer? When did this happen?” He asked, slumping against the wall. “4 months ago.” She whispered, looking down at her ring. “Omar, I think that we should take a break.” He looked up at her, shock on his face. “What are you talking about, a break, we are married?” She slipped the ring off her finger. “You need to find somewhere else to stay for a while. You can come over today while we are out for your things.” He started to hyperventilate, panic filled his chest. “You can’t be serious, Y/N. That is our home, you can’t just kick me out.” She dropped the ring on the table, turning to leave. “It hasn’t been our home for a long time, Omar.”

After she left, Y/N sat in her car for twenty minutes and cried. It broke her heart to say those things to him, but the look on her children’s faces broke it even more. She was tired of seeing them get let down time and time again by him and his broken promises. When she was finished crying, she cleaned herself up and went to the store to buy snacks for after soccer practice. Afterwards, she headed into work for a few hours-- wanting to get her mind off what happened that morning. During this time, she ignored the numerous calls and text messages from both OA and Maggie. She didn’t have time or energy to worry about them as she needed to focus on caring for her children and getting work done. Around 2:30PM, Y/N left work to make her way towards her children’s school-- making sure that she had an afternoon snack for all of them. They had immediately started ranting about what had happened at school that day, which made her smile as it seemed like the events of this morning were long forgotten. They had arrived at the soccer field about an hour before the start of Odion’s practice, so she had them get a head start on their homework as she started editing a new manuscript. She would pause her work to help, whenever one of them had a question or needed help. When they got home from practice, Y/N had sent them up to clean up and finish their homework while she worked on dinner. Neither child asked about their father, noticing that his absence was hurting their mother. Despite her pain, she kept up a brave face as she went through their usual nightly routine. She tucked them into bed and gave them both goodnight kisses, before running herself a hot bath.

...Three Months Later…

Y/N had been throwing up for a couple of weeks, which has only happened one other time and it was when she was pregnant with the twins. She had to wait until after the kids had gotten on the bus, before she could test her theory. There was a part of her hoped that it wasn’t true, but that hope was dashed when the plus sign popped up. She was quick to schedule an appointment with her doctor to get a more official result, silently hoping for a false positive. Four days later, she was sitting in a cafe-- waiting for the only person she could count on to show. She had been ordered for them both, one black coffee with sugar and one peppermint tea. She was picking at a chocolate chip muffin, wanting to both shove it all in her mouth and throw it up from nerves at the same time. “Hey, Y/N. How are you doing?” Maggie asked, taking the empty seat in front of Y/N. Y/N jumped, surprised by her sudden appearance. “Maggie, you scared me.” Maggie raised her eyebrows, not used to Y/N being jumpy. “What’s going on? Are you and the kids alright?” “Yes, we are fine. I just got some life changing news today and I had to share it with someone that I could trust.” Y/N admitted, breaking eye contact with Maggie. Maggie reached across the table to hold her hand. “What’s going on?” Y/N took a deep breath. “I am pregnant… and it is OA’s. My doctor said that I am around 20 weeks along.” A tear ran down her cheek as she admitted to both herself and Maggie what she had been trying to deny. Maggie squeezed her hand, wanting to comfort her friend. “Are you planning on keeping it?” Y/N gasped at her question, releasing her hand. “Of course! Just because me and OA are separated doesn’t mean that I don’t love who we created.” She caressed her slightly swollen stomach. Maggie nodded, happy to know that she was not going to get rid of the baby. “How are you planning to tell OA?” Y/N closed her eyes, trying to control her anxiety and tears. “I don’t know..”

...Two Days Later… The sound of pounding on the front door at 2:30AM, woke Y/N from a dead sleep. She wrapped herself in OA’s abandoned rob, having kept it after he moved out. She grabbed the gun he had bought her after she got her license to carry, which he had her get after they found out they were pregnant with the twins. She had it resting at her side, with her finger off the trigger of course, as she looked through the peephole. Standing there in the pouring rain, was OA. She could tell that something was wrong as he looked like he had been crying. She stepped aside, wanting to get him out of the rain as soon as possible. “What are you doing here, OA?” Y/N asked, moving to grab a towel from their downstairs bathroom. He thanked her as he took it from her. “Maggie told me.” Y/N froze, halfway turned around to head towards the kitchen. “She told you what?” “She told me that you were pregnant.. With my baby.” He replied, sounding surprised with the last part of his statement. She glared at him. “Did you think that it was someone else’s?” She crossed her arms, waiting for his response. “N-no. I am more surprised that you didn’t tell me.” He stuttered. She sighed. “I didn’t know how to tell you, as it was a surprise to me as much as it was to you.” Y/N sat on the arm of the couch. “I wanted to think about how I was going to tell you, as you haven’t really been a big part of our other children’s lives.” He looked down in shame. “I know, and I have been thinking about that. I want to be a better father, and husband as I seem to have been lacking in both departments recently.” She took a step towards him. “Do you promise?” She looked up at him with big eyes. He cautiously wrapped his arms around her. “I promise. Family comes first, no matter what.” She smiled, meeting in the middle to share a kiss. “Okay.”

[thewidowsghost]

Daughter of the Sea - Chapter 1

So, I started this on my Wattpad, and if figured I'd just put it on here! Just tell me if you want me to add you to the taglist!

Percy's POV

My name is Percy Jackson.

I am twelve years old. I'm a boarding student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York, and my sister, (Y/n), taking online schooling at home.

Am I a troubled kid?

Yeah. You could say that.

I could start at any point in my short miserable life to prove it, but things really started going bad last May, when our sixth-grade class took a field trip to Manhattan—twenty-eight mental-case kids and two teachers on a yellow school bus, heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at ancient Greek and Roman stuff.

I know—it sounds like torture. Most Yancy field trips were.

But Mr. Brunner, our Latin teacher, was leading this trip, so I had hopes.

Mr. Brunner was this middle-aged guy in a motorized wheelchair. He had thinning hair and a scruffy beard and a frayed tweed jacket, which always smelled like coffee. You wouldn't think he'd be cool, but he told stories and jokes and let us play games in class. He also had this awesome collection of Roman armor and weapons, so he was the only teacher whose class didn't put me to sleep.

I hoped the trip would be okay. At least, I hoped that for once I wouldn't get in trouble.

See, bad things happen to me on field trips. Like at my fifth-grade school, when we went to the Saratoga battlefield, I had this accident with a Revolutionary War cannon. I wasn't aiming for the school bus, but of course, I got expelled anyway. And before that, at my fourth-grade school, when we took a behind-the-scenes tour of the Marine World shark pool, I sort of hit the wrong lever on the catwalk and our class took an unplanned swim. And the time before that...Well, you get the idea.

On this trip, I was determined to be good.

All the way into the city, I put up with Nancy Bobofit, the freckly, redheaded kleptomaniac girl, hitting my best friend Grover in the back of the head with chunks of peanut butter-and-ketchup sandwich.

Grover was an easy target. He was scrawny. He cried when he got frustrated. He must've been held back several grades because he was the only sixth grader with acne and the start of a wispy beard on his chin. On top of all that, he was crippled. He had a note excusing him from PE for the rest of his life because he had some kind of muscular disease in his legs. He walked funny, like every step hurt him, but don't let that fool you. You should've seen him run when it was enchilada day in the cafeteria.

Anyway, Nancy Bobofit was throwing wads of sandwiches that stuck in his curly brown hair, and she knew I couldn't do anything back to her because I was already on probation. The headmaster had threatened me with death by in-school suspension if anything bad, embarrassing, or even mildly entertaining happened on this trip.

"I'm going to kill her," I mumble.

Grover tries to calm me down. "I'm okay. I like peanut butter -" He dodges another piece of Nancy's lunch.

"That's it." I start to get up, but Grover pulls me back to my seat.

"You're already on probation," he reminds me. "You know who'll get blamed if anything happens."

Mr. Brunner leads the museum tour.

He rides up front in his wheelchair, guiding us through the big echoey galleries, past marble statues and glass cases full of really old black-and-orange pottery.

It blows my mind that this stuff had survived for two thousand, three thousand years.

He gathers us around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top, and starts telling us how it was a grave marker, a stele, for a girl about our age. He told us about the carvings on the sides. I was trying to listen to what he had to say, because it was kind of interesting, but everybody around me was talking, and every time I told them to shut up, the other teacher chaperone, Mrs. Dodds, would give me the evil eye.

Mrs. Dodds was this little math teacher from Georgia who always wore a black leather jacket, even though she was fifty years old. She looked mean enough to ride a Harley right into your locker. She had come to Yancy halfway through the year when our last math teacher had a nervous breakdown.

From her first day, Mrs. Dodds loved Nancy Bobofit and figured I was devil spawn. She would point her crooked finger at me and say, "Now, honey," real sweet, and I knew I was going to get after-school detention for a month.

One time, after she'd made me erase answers out of old math workbooks until midnight, I told Grover I didn't think Mrs. Dodds was human. He looked at me, real serious, and said, "You're absolutely right."

Mr. Brunner keeps talking about Greek funeral art.

Finally, Nancy Bobofit snickers something about the naked guy on the stele, and I turn around and say, "Will you shut up?"

It comes out louder than I meant it to.

The whole group laughs. Mr. Brunner stops his story. "Mr. Jackson," he says, "did you have a comment?"

My face is totally red, I think. I answer, "No, sir."

Mr. Brunner points to one of the pictures on the stele. "Perhaps you'll tell us what this picture represents?"

I look at the carving, and feel a flush of relief, because I actually recognize it. "That's Kronos eating his kids, right?"

"Yes," Mr. Brunner says, obviously not satisfied. "And he did this because..."

"Well..." I rack my brain to remember. (Y/n) would have known the answer. She was nuts for this kind of stuff. "Kronos was the king god, and —"

"God?" Mr. Brunner asks.

"Titan," I correct myself. "And...he didn't trust his kids, who were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them, right? But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his dad, Kronos, into barfing up his brothers and sisters—"

"Eeew!" says one of the girls behind me.

"—and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans," I continue, "and the gods won."

Some snickers from the group.

Behind me, Nancy Bobofit mumbles to a friend, "Like we're going to use this in real life. Like it's going to say on our job applications, 'Please explain why Kronos ate his kids.'"

"And why, Mr. Jackson," Brunner says, "to paraphrase Miss Bobofit's excellent question, does this matter in real life?"

"Busted," Grover mutters.

"Shut up," Nancy hisses, her face even brighter red than her hair.

At least Nancy got packed, too. Mr. Brunner was the only one who ever caught her saying anything wrong. He had radar ears.

I think about his question, and shrug. "I don't know, sir."

"I see." Mr. Brunner looks disappointed. "Well, half credit, Mr. Jackson. Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the Titan's stomach. The gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld. On that happy note, it's time for lunch. Mrs. Dodds, would you lead us back outside?"

The class drifts off, the girls holding their stomachs, the guys pushing each other around and acting like doofuses.

Grover and I were about to follow when Mr. Brunner said, "Mr. Jackson."

I knew that was coming.

I tell Grover to keep going; then I turn toward Mr. Brunner. "Sir?" Mr. Brunner had this look that wouldn't let you go—intense brown eyes that could've been a thousand years old and had seen everything. "You must learn the answer to my question," Mr. Brunner tells me.

"About the Titans?"

'"About real life. And how your studies apply to it."

"Oh."

"What you learn from me," he says, "is vitally important. I expect you to treat it as such. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson."

I mean, sure, it was kind of cool on tournament days, when he dressed up in a suit of Roman armor and shouted: "What ho!" and challenged us, swordpoint against chalk, to run to the board and name every Greek and Roman person who had ever lived, and their mother, and what god they worshipped. But Mr. Brunner expected me to be as good as everybody else, despite the fact that I have dyslexia and attention deficit disorder and I had never made above a C– in my life. No—he didn't expect me to be as good; he expected me to be better. And I just couldn't learn all those names and facts, much less spell them correctly.

I mumble something about trying harder, while Mr. Brunner takes one long sad look at the stele, like he'd been at this girl's funeral.

He tells me to go outside and eat my lunch.

The class gathers on the front steps of the museum, where we can watch the foot traffic along Fifth Avenue.

Overhead, a huge storm is brewing, with clouds blacker than I'd ever seen over the city. I figure maybe it was global warming or something, because the weather all across New York state had been weird since Christmas. We'd had massive snow storms, flooding, wildfires from lightning strikes. I wouldn't have been surprised if this was a hurricane blowing in.

Nobody else seems to notice, though. Some of the guys are pelting pigeons with Lunchables crackers. Nancy Bobofit is trying to pickpocket something from a lady's purse, and, of course, Mrs. Dodds isn't seeing a thing.

Grover and I sit on the edge of the fountain, away from the others. We thought that maybe if we did that, everybody wouldn't know we were from that school—the school for loser freaks who couldn't make it elsewhere.

"Detention?" Grover asked.

"Nah," I said. "Not from Brunner. I just wish he'd lay off me sometimes. I mean—I'm not a genius, not like (Y/n). She seems to know everything."

Grover doesn't say anything for a while. Then, when I think he is going to give me some deep philosophical comment to make me feel better, he asks, "Can I have your apple?"

I don't have much of an appetite, so I let him take it.

I watch the stream of cabs going down Fifth Avenue, and think about my mom's apartment, only a little ways uptown from where we sit. I hadn't seen her or my sister since Christmas. I want so bad to jump in a taxi and head home. Mom and (Y/n) would hug me and be glad to see me, but Mom would be disappointed, too. She'd send me right back to Yancy, remind me that I had to try harder, even if this was my sixth school in six years and I was probably going to be kicked out again. I couldn't be able to stand that sad look she'd give me.

Mr. Brunner parked his wheelchair at the base of the handicapped ramp. He ate celery while he read a paperback novel. A red umbrella stuck up from the back of his chair, making it look like a motorized café table.

I am about to unwrap my sandwich when Nancy Bobofit appears in front of me with her ugly friends—I guess she'd gotten tired of stealing from the tourists—and dumps her half-eaten lunch in Grover's lap.

"Oops." She grins at me with her crooked teeth. Her freckles are orange, as if somebody had spray-painted her face with liquid Cheetos.

I try to stay cool. The school counselor had told me a million times, "Count to ten, get control of your temper." But I am so mad my mind went blank. A wave roars in my ears.

I don't remember touching her, but the next thing I knew, Nancy is sitting on her butt in the fountain, screaming, "Percy pushed me!"

Mrs. Dodds materialized next to us.

Some of the kids were whispering: "Did you see—"

"—the water—"

"—like it grabbed her—"

I don't know what they were talking about. All I know is that I was in trouble again.

As soon as Mrs. Dodds is sure poor little Nancy was okay, promising to get her a new shirt at the museum gift shop, etc., etc., Mrs. Dodds turns on me. There was a triumphant fire in her eyes as if I'd done something she'd been waiting for all semester. "Now, honey—"

"I know," I grumble. "A month erasing workbooks." That wasn't the right thing to say.

"Come with me," Mrs. Dodds says.

"Wait!" Grover yelps. "It was me. I pushed her."

I stare at him, stunned. I can't believe he was trying to cover for me. Mrs. Dodds scared Grover to death.

She glares at him so hard his whiskery chin trembled.

"I don't think so, Mr. Underwood," she says.

"But—"

"You—will—stay—here."

Grover looks at me desperately.

"It's okay, man," I tell him. "Thanks for trying."

"Honey," Mrs. Dodds barks at me. "Now."

Nancy Bobofit smirks. I give her my deluxe I'll-kill-you-later stare. Then I turn to face Mrs. Dodds, but she isn't there. She is standing at the museum entrance, way at the top of the steps, gesturing impatiently at me to come on.

How'd she get there so fast?

I have moments like that a lot, when my brain falls asleep or something, and the next thing I know I've missed something, as if a puzzle piece fell out of the universe and left me staring at the blank place behind it. The school counselor told me this was part of the ADHD, my brain misinterpreting things.

I wasn't so sure. I go after Mrs. Dodds.

Halfway up the steps, I glance back at Grover. He is looking pale, cutting his eyes between me and Mr. Brunner, like he wanted Mr. Brunner to notice what was going on, but Mr. Brunner is absorbed in his novel.

I look back up. Mrs. Dodds had disappeared again. She is now inside the building, at the end of the entrance hall.

Okay, I think. She's going to make me buy a new shirt for Nancy at the gift shop.

But apparently, that wasn't the plan.

I follow her deeper into the museum. When I finally catch up to her, we are back in the Greek and Roman section.

Except for us, the gallery is empty.

Mrs. Dodds stands with her arms crossed in front of a big marble frieze of the Greek gods. She is making this weird noise in her throat, like growling.

Even without the noise, I would've been nervous. It's weird being alone with a teacher, especially Mrs. Dodds. Something about the way she looked at the frieze as if she wanted to pulverize it...

"You've been giving us problems, honey," she says.

I do the safe thing. I reply, "Yes, ma'am."

She tugs on the cuffs of her leather jacket. "Did you really think you would get away with it?"

The look in her eyes is beyond mad. It was evil.

She's a teacher, I thought nervously. It's not like she's going to hurt me. I say, "I'll—I'll try harder, ma'am."

Thunder shakes the building.

"We are not fools, Percy Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said. "It was only a matter of time before we found you out. Confess, and you will suffer less pain."

I didn't know what she's talking about.

All I can think of was that the teachers must've found the illegal stash of candy I'd been selling out of my dorm room. Or maybe they'd realized I got my essay on Tom Sawyer from the Internet without ever reading the book and now they were going to take away my grade. Or worse, they were going to make me read the book.

"Well?" she demands.

"Ma'am, I don't..."

"Your time is up," she hisses.

Then the weirdest thing happens. Her eyes begin to glow like barbecue coals. Her fingers stretch, turning into talons. Her jacket melts into large, leathery wings. She isn't human. She is a shriveled hag with bat wings and claws and a mouth full of yellow fangs, and she was about to slice me to ribbons.

Then things got even stranger.

Mr. Brunner, who'd been out in front of the museum a minute before, wheels his chair into the doorway of the gallery, holding a pen in his hand.

"What ho, Percy!" he shouts and tosses the pen through the air.

Mrs. Dodds lunges at me.

With a yelp, I dodge and feel talons slash the air next to my ear. I snatch the ballpoint pen out of the air, but when it hits my hand, it isn;t a pen anymore. It is a sword—Mr. Brunner's bronze sword, which he always uses on tournament day.

Mrs. Dodds spins towards me with a murderous look in her eyes.

My knees are jelly. My hands are shaking so bad I almost drop the sword.

She snarl, "Die, honey!" And she flies straight at me.

Absolute terror runs through my body. I did the only thing that came naturally: I swing the sword.

The metal blade hits her shoulder and passes clean through her body as if she was made of water. Hisss!

Mrs. Dodds was a sandcastle in a power fan. She explodes into yellow powder, vaporizing on the spot, leaving nothing but the smell of sulfur and a dying screech and a chill of evil in the air, as if those two glowing red eyes are still watching me.

I'm alone.

There is a ballpoint pen in my hand.

Mr. Brunner isn't there. Nobody is there but me.

My hands are still trembling. My lunch must've been contaminated with magic mushrooms or something.

Had I imagined the whole thing?

I walk back outside.

It had started to rain.

Grover is sitting by the fountain, a museum map tented over his head. Nancy Bobofit is still standing there, soaked from her swim in the fountain, grumbling to her ugly friends. When she sees me, she says, "I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your butt."

I answer, "Who?"

"Our teacher. Duh!"

I blink. We don't have a teacher named Mrs. Kerr. I ask Nancy what she is talking about.

She just rolls her eyes and turns away.

I ask Grover where Mrs. Dodds was.

"Who?" he asks, but he pauses first and he wouldn't look at me, so I figure he was messing with me.

"Not funny, man," I tell him. "This is serious."

Thunder booms overhead.

I see Mr. Brunner sitting under his red umbrella, reading his book as if he'd never moved.

I go over to him.

He looks up, a little distracted. "Ah, that would be my pen. Please bring your own writing utensil in the future, Mr. Jackson."

I had Mr. Brunner his pen. I hadn't even realized I was still holding it.

"Sir," I ask, "where's Mrs. Dodds?"

He stares blankly at me, "Who?"

"The other chaperone. Mrs. Dodds. The pre-algebra teacher."

He frowns and sits forward, looking mildly concerned. "Percy, there is no Mrs. Dodds on this trip. As far as I know, there has never been a Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy. Are you feeling all right?"

Word Count: 3159 words

So yeah, this is the first chapter of this book.

Not much (Y/n) yet, but we'll get there.

Love y'all!              Kaitlynn ❤️😍

[chaeiimimi]

06 𝓑𝓪𝓫𝔂 𝓟𝓪𝓷𝓲𝓬!

Synopsis: Sakusa Kiyoomi, a young ravishing man, an athlete for the Japanese volleyball team and comes from a very prominent family around Japan. He was perfect, looks, wealth and fame. But you can’t have everything in life, can you? Sakusa, the germophobic athlete, suddenly wakes up one day and sees a baby boy in a basket in front of his door step, in the basket was a letter, a letter from his past lover, saying that the child was his. The panic look on the spiker’s face was almost comical, knowing that his life would turn into a complete 360, that day was his first time ever to miss a volleyball practice and to call Komori to ask for a babysitter. You.

Notice: the only thing I own is the plot, the art and the characters aren't mine and they all belong to their respective owners.

Safe to say you didn’t get as much sleep as you hoped that night

“eh?” you were shocked, you didn’t expect him to do it so soon

“yeah, they work from home tomorrow, we should pay them a visit”

“we?” you were flabbergasted, you? You’re meeting the elite and respected Sakusa Family?

“yeah, do you have any problems with that?” yes, a lot

“n-no sir”

So now you left a note on the kitchen counter saying you are going to the market to get some ingredients for the dish you were going to cook for Sakusa’s parents

Since you were young, your parents always taught you that you cannot visit a home empty handed, it was proper courtesy and showed respect and appreciation for having you in their home.

You strolled along the market looking at fresh produce, you opted for seafood, since it’s healthier for older people

A huge salmon caught your eyes and miso-zuke salmon immediately popped in your head, you looked at your watch, it was only five in the morning, you can let it marinate for how many hours and grill it for 30 minutes, which will be enough time to bring it for lunch

You bought it from the vendor who was very kind and even gave you a discount, after that you went to a bakery supplies to get some carrot décor and some ingredients to make icing, you were planning to make a cake less sweet so Sakusa’s parents can eat as well

With that, you head home

You saw Sakusa seating by the coffee table, sipping coffee and reviewing the forms you filled out

“good morning sir” you say as you take the things you bought to the kitchen

“we really don’t need to bring them anything you know” he says as, eyes still not leaving the papers

“I know, but my parents always tell me to not visit anyone’s house empty-handed, it’s a sign of courtesy”

He just nodded and said “suit yourself”

You begin making the marinade, thankfully the fish vendor was kind enough to slice the salmon up for you

About half way through you heard Kaito’s cry and you were about to wipe your hands to get to him when Sakusa stood up

“I got him, continue your work”

You nodded and did exactly that, it took fifteen minutes to make the marinade, you soaked the salmon in it , coverd it, and put in inside the freezer

Sakusa went out with a calm Kaito, he sat in the coffee table , his son carefully cradled in his one arm as his other hand held the forms he hasn’t reviewed yet

Looks like he got the hang of carrying Kaito you said inside your head as you smiled to yourself

You slowly mixed the ingredients together not noticing that Sakusa was now behind you

“what are you doing?” you flinched , surprised by your boss sudden speaking

“I’m making a cake sir” you said holding your chest

It wasn’t clear, heck if you didn’t spend your three months with him you wouldn’t have noticed the small smile grazing his lips

And you regret noticing because you were now flustered

You cleared your throat

“where’s Kaito?” you asked, focusing your attention back to your task

“he’s sleeping” he answered

Your mouth formed into an ‘o’

“is it normal for babies to sleep so much” he asked, his voice genuinely concern

You chuckled  “apparently, it is sir, sleep is actually healthy for baby, aside from them having small stomach and get full easily, their tiredness can also be the cause of a growth spurt or developmental leap” you say in as-a-matter-of-fact tone

He nods as he watches you pour the mixture to a cake mold, which he didn’t even know he had

“does your parents like cake sir?” you asked as you put the dough into the oven

“my mom eats it occasionally, my dad is a sucker for it, we try to make him cut it out for a bit, it’s bad for his health”

You nod, Sakusa has been a bit talkative since your talk last night

“in that case, I’ll make the buttercream frosting less sweet” you say as you washed your hands to prepare to make the frosting

Sakusa watched you as you make the frosting, a lot of thoughts inside his head

“is she doing this to impress my parents?”

“why would she want to impress my parents?”

“does she likes-“

Sakusa shook his head profusely muttering small no’s you were just nice and polite, yea, that’s it

He cleared his throat and went to the coffee table, he finished reviewing the forms you filled out and all of them were perfect, he opened his desktop and began with his work at the company again

The timer went off and it was time to take the cake out of the oven

Kaito was awake and mindlessly babbling in his crib while Sakusa watched replays of some volleyball games

You set the cake on a cooling rack to let it cool down for a while

You decided to clean the house while waiting for the cake to cool down

you wiped some shelves, throw out the trash and vacuumed, by the time you were finished cleaning , the cake was already cool, you begin frosting it, putting crushed nuts at the side of the cake and decorating the top of the cake with candy carrots and some edible decorative leaves, you slowly put it in the fridge

you sighed

“you need to rest” Sakusa says as he gets himself some water

You looked at the time and it was already 10

You shook your head “I just need to grill the salmon sir” and so you did grill the tuna for thirty minutes, gave Kaito a bath for twenty minutes, showered and changed yourself into a simple sundress

By the time you were done packing everything it was already 11:30

You and Sakusa made your way to his car, Kaito was in his baby seat and his father placed him on the back seat, you were about to seat beside Kaito when he cleared his throat

“won’t I look like a personal driver if the both of you sat there?”

You immediately got up and sat at the shotgun seat

The ride was quiet, it was a comfortable silence though, Kaito’s occasional babbles while you were still amazed by the rich neighborhood and Sakusa’s eyes are focused on the road

You arrived at his paren’ts place in fifteen minutes and you could hear the voices of people from afar

You entered the house-no, this was a freaking castle, it was huge, there was a guard, some gardeners and maids

Sakusa parked his car, you got out, he carried Kaito’s baby seat which had a handle while you carried the cake and the salmon-sizu

You walked to the backyard where you saw some children, you recognize some of them as Sakusa’s older siblings’ children, they looked like they were having an outdoor barbecue by their pool-side

Sakusa cleared his throat

They all stopped dead in their tracks eyes wide open

Sakusa glared at them “geez you guys don’t need to act like you saw a ghost”

“well what do you expect you barely visit us here?!” you assumed that it was his brother you spoke

His mother and father looked at you, and you felt very small

“woah and you- you- holy crap your married?!”

And with just one sentence there was a fiasco

“Uncle Kiyoomi is married? We have a new aunt?” a kid who was about nine said and rushed towards new but his sisters were already all up on you

“woah when did you guys get married?”

“when did you meet?”

“what company does your family own?”

“your dress looks so good?”

“do you like chanel?”

You were overwhelmed and couldn’t talk

Your boss sighed “she’s not my wife, she’s my son’s nanny and househelper”

They stopped on their tracks, as you stood there and smiled awkwardly

“but you’re too pretty to be a nanny!”

One of his nieces explained

“you have a son?!” Sakusa’s brother exclaimed

“I know right” Sakusa says nonchalantly

Sakusa was a calm compared to his very lively family

“you impregnated your househelper?” Sakusa’s father asked confused

Your eyes widened and you shook your head profusely

“it’s Nami’s” Sakusa sighed and handed his parents a letter, his brother and two sisters stood beside their parents to read the letter as well

They were dumbfounded when they finished reading, you can’t blame them, you had the same reaction when you first read that letter as well

“what a cruel woman…” Sakusa’s mother says, it seems like she was the first one to recover

Sakusa looked at his son who was looking up at him while sucking on his pacifier

“I don’t need her to raise my son” Sakusa says sternly, his family members looked at him

Sakusa took Kaito in his arms “everyone, this is Sakusa Kaito, my son” he says while Kaito babbles and cracked a toothless smile

There was a moment of silence

When...

 “Oh my lord! what a handsome baby!” Sakusa’s mother gushed and approached Sakusa and took Kaito from him

“holy hell bro he looks just like you!” his brother also says, as he pinch Kaito’s cheeks

“I want him to model for my baby line AAAHHHHH” his sister, which you assumed to be Aiko Sakusa a famous fashion designer

Sakusa Kairo the eldest among the siblings, a pilot and owns an airlines company

Akemi, the third child, a famous architect, she owns an architectural firm

And Sakusa Kiyoomi the youngest, Athlete-Entrepreneur manages a chain of hotels and restaurants

And of course Sakusa Arisa and Sakusa Katashi, the founder of Sakusa Empire

These people are one of the most influential family in japan, yet when you looked at them they look quite normal

Sakusa looked kind of distant, but you could see the softness in his features as he stares at his son being cradled and passed around by his family members

You did notice that his father was emotionlessly staring at the scene

“Kiyoomi you haven’t introduce your “helper” to us yet” Akemi says teasingly

Sakusa shook his head

“this is Y/N she’s Komori’s friend , she helps around my house and takes care of Kaito” he says as stood beside you

The whole family except for Komori’s dad looked at you with almost teary eyes

“thank you for dealing with our ill-mannered kiyoomi” his mother says

“You’re too pretty to be a nanny though, if you ever consider modeling come to me” Aiko says as she held both of your hands

You bowed to them politely “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Kiyoomi is a good boss to me” you said, feeling all stiff and awkward

“chill out Y/N-san we don’t bite” Kairo chuckled

You nodded awkwardly, Sakusa nudged you and pointed at the items you were holding

“oh, we bought you some salmon-sizu and carrot cake, I hope you like it” you said as you showed them the things you bought

“Y/N-chan I love you already” Akemi says as she took the carrot cake from you and led you to the table

 In no time the family were all eating and having fun, you had Kaito in your arms and was feeding him

“Y/n dear, this salmon and cake are so delicious, where did you buy them?”

You quickly realized that your boss’ mother was a sweet lady

“oh, I made them ma’am, my mother is a baker, it’s her recipe, I tweaked it a bit for it to make it less quick, my father is a fish broker, he told me that salmon is a healthy fish to serve” you smiled at her

“Y/N-chan you’re too kind, I hope my brother isn’t being a jerk to you” Aiko says as she eats cake

You chuckled at them

“Y/N-chan, how is our Kiyoomi?” Akemi asked

“Sir Sakusa is doing fine I think, he’s just a bit tired from volleyball and the company, he also makes time for Kaito whenever he can, he’s still a little bit confuse and clumsy”

Kairo, Akemi, Aiko and Mrs. Sakusa nodded together

“Y/N-chan do you like Kiyoomi?” Aiko asked which made you flustered

“I-I- yes-yes b-but- as a boss- I like him as a person-like a boss-“

“geez no need to get flustered now, we were only asking” Kairo said as he chuckled

“we don’t mind if you like him though, we’ll be delighted to have you here” Akemi says and smiled at you

You were now as red as a tomato

After the conversation, you were left with Kaito, he was now wide awake and you were playing with him

Only then did you noticed Sakusa’s father staring at you two

You cleared your throat, you got up, carrying Kaito, you cleaned up the plates near Sakusa’s father

Kaito pointed at his grandfather

You quietly approached the man

“sir, do you want to hold him?”  you asked

He looks up at you, you smiled at him and slowly sat Kaito on his lap

He looks at Kaito emotionlessly, when Kaito smiled at him and babbles “babababa!”

For the first time today, you saw a soft smile made its way to Sakusa’s father’s face

“he looks just like him” the elderly man mumbles

“I can see that sir” you smiled softly at them, slowly taking out your phone and quietly took a picture of the scene, not knowing that some of the eyes of the family were on you

 “she’s a good woman” Sakusa’s mother says to his son

“she is” Kiyoomi says as he stares at you, having a small conversation with his father, it’s very rare for him to communicate or interact with people other than business matters, but he doesn’t seem to have any trouble conversing with you

“do you like her Kiyo?” his mother asks teasingly

“mom, no” Kiyoomi sighs and takes a sip of his lemonade

Although his parents were mostly absent during his childhood, him and his siblings maintained a close relationship with them, and both his mother and father always made time for them on the weekends

A lot of people assumed that they were like the rich family from dramas, the tension and stuff but it was far from that, they were pretty normal, and chaotic at times

 “Your salmon-sizu was very good” your boss’ dad says as you took Kaito from him, the baby has already fallen asleep

“thank you sir, it was my dad’s recipe, he says it’s good for your health” you smiled as you cradled Kaito

He smiled and got up from his seat to join the rest of his family, you laid Kaito on his baby seat and wiped the sweat off his forehead

 The rest of the day were spent with you helping the maids with grilling, but Aiko quickly swooped in and wanted you to join the party, so there you were surrounded by your boss’ nieces and nephews

“you’re not uncle Kiyo’s girlfriend?” Arata, who was around seven years old asked you, he was Kairo’s son

You chuckled and shook your head

“but I want you to be my aunt, aunt y/n” Chizu who was Aiko’s daughter, said with pleading eyes

You just chuckled at them and diverted their attention to something else, you told them stories your parents and sister used to tell you when you were young, their eyes sparkled with fascination, even Mika and Eichi who were both teenagers were interested in your stories as well that they tore their eyes off of their phone screens

Later in the night you guys played uno, you taught them the basics, these kids didn’t know anything about games outside their phones

You couldn’t really relate to the adult’s conversation since they were talking about businesses so you hang out with the kids, and you were loving every moment of it, despite being born from rich families, they were really nice and humble, Eichi was very similar to his grandfather and his Uncle KIyoomi but he was polite nonetheless

It was finally time to leave, the kids were tired and the same to the adults

“come visit us soon aunt y/n” Mira says sleepily she was Akemi’s only child

You smiled at them and waved

“you better come back Y/N-chan we want another one of your carrot cake” Aiko says as you bowed to them

“dear, if ever Kiyo fires you, you are free to apply at our house” says Kiyoomi’s mother says as you leave

Your boss sighs as you finally entered his car

“they really like you” he mumbles

“I guess they do?” you chuckled

“hey y/n, thank you”

You tilt your head in confusion “for what sir?”

“just, thank you”

Taglist: @meri-soni-meri-tamanna @seashellmichellee @tetsuhoes @akaashislovelywife  @strawberryzos  @kuroohoeee @underratedmage @popping-cherries @uwu-iwanttodie @wonhyuksstuff @  @knmsapplepi    @stormcastello @si-m-p

[lillywillow]

Papa Bird

Summary: When Sam’s oldest daughter is chosen to represent her dojo in a state-wide taekwondo championship for her age group, she requests that her mother take her to the fight, leaving Sam home to take care of his youngest daughter

 Word Count:1871

 Square Filled: Next Generation Fic

 Pairings: Sam Wilson x Female Reader

 Warnings: Fluff, breaking objects, protective/ proud father

Written for @star-spangled-bingo

That morning, Sam was busy helping his wife prepare their daughter for her upcoming tournament. He was kind of sulking that Darlene wouldn’t let him come with her.

 “Remind me why I can’t go again...”

 “Daddy, I love you but sometimes you can be a little bit... extra. Remember when I won the finals?”

 “Can’t a father be proud of his daughter?”

 “You can be proud but you celebrated so loud, they had to escort you out the dojo... Oh! And remember when I lost that spelling bee final? You threatened to beat up the judge...”

 “Hey, you and I both know they were cheating,” he countered.

 “Daddy...”

 “Sam, you know your daughter has a point. Besides, it’ll give you a chance to spend some time with Amelia,” Y/N stated, pointing to the small girl who was happily enjoying her Cheerios. Sam smiled and kissed her head.

 “You wanna hang out with daddy today, kiddo?” Amelia nodded and offered him some of her Cheerios which he took making her give a cheeky grin.

  Sam couldn’t help but smile in return before helping Darlene get her stuff ready to go.

Once Amelia was done eating and the breakfast stuff had been cleaned up, Sam went to say goodbye to Darlene and his Y/N.

 “Say, bye, mama.”

 “Bye, mama,” Amelia cooed, opening and closing her small hand in a wave.

 “Bye, Darlene. You go out there and kick some major a-butt,” Sam caught himself before he swore in front of Amelia and after seeing the reproachful look from his wife. Darlene grinned at her father and got in the car.

 Sam watched with Amelia as they pulled out down the drive.

 “What do you want to do now, pumpkin?”

 “Red Wing?”

 “You wanna play with Red Wing? Okay, let’s go play with Red Wing...”

 A few moments later, Sam was controlling the drone while Amelia gleefully chased after it, squealing in delight. He got a little carried away and accidently knocked a vase from its perch and shattering on the floor as a quasi-violent reminder as to why he was not to use the drone inside the house. This time, Sam did let out an expletive.

 “I tell mama!”

 “No, no, no! Don’t tell your mother! Here, let’s get you a cookie. Do you want a cookie?”

 Sam ran to get a cookie for Amelia which bought him a few moments of silence as he cleaned up the broken fragments of the vase.

 “Okay, let’s go to the park instead. You wanna walk to the park?”

 “Yeah! Park!” Sam smiled at her and went to prepare her little outing bag.

...

 At the park, Sam watched Amelia run around playing and giving him a rest for a while.

 “Hey, man...” Sam looked up to see Clint standing there, coffee cup in one hand and Lucky’s leash in the other.

 “Hey, Clint. What are you doing here?”

 “Taking Lucky for a walk... and your missus wanted us to check on you,” Clint replied, getting his phone and showing Sam the group message and sitting next to him. Sam grumbled a bit.

 “She just wants to make sure you’re not driving yourself crazy... So, Darlene has a tournament today, huh?”

 “Yeah... I am so proud of that girl. She’s already got her red belt and almost up to her next...” Before Clint could respond, a shrill scream filled the air. The two heroes jumped to their feet in preparation for danger only to see Amelia tearing across the yard.

 “Doggy! Doggy, doggy, doggy!” Amelia was so excited to see Lucky.

 “Amelia, what do you say?”

 “I pat doggy? Pwease?” Amelia looked up at Clint with her big brown eyes and melting his heart.

 “Yeah, you can pat Lucky,” he smiled. Amelia threw her arms around the dog’s neck and snuggled him. Lucky licked her head in return.

 Clint let Lucky off his leash so he could go off to play with Amelia.

 “That girl’s gonna be the death of me,” Sam sighed and sat back down. Clint laughed and sat back down next to him.

 “Takes after you...”

 “I know and that’s the bit that scares me...”

 The two men continued talking and catching up when they were suddenly alerted Lucky’s frantic barking. They looked up to see Amelia had climbed up a high piece of playground equipment and was about to jump down to a lower platform. To the older and bigger kids, the jump may have not been so bad but to a child as small as Amelia, it could be disastrous.

 “Amelia! Get down from there right this instant!” Sam bellowed, getting up to stomp over to her.

 Amelia gave her father a sidewise glance before deciding she was going to make that jump anyway. Sam managed to get there in time just as her feet launched from the surface, catching her midair.

 “Again, again!” she cheered.

 “No, no more,” Sam breathed, walking back to Clint. “I think we’re going to go home for lunch. Besides, one of us needs a change of diaper.”

 “Not me! I big girl! I use potty!” Amelia stated as a matter of factly.

 “Right, just daddy then...” Clint laughed and called Lucky over to him.

 “Listen, you won’t tell her mother about that little incident, will you?”

 “Hey man, I won’t bring it up but if she asks, I’m not gonna lie,” he grinned.

 “Great thanks,” he grumbled. “Anyway, see you later.” Clint said goodbye and headed off as Sam packed up Amelia’s things.

 “Daddy mad?” Amelia asked her little lip stuck out in a pout.

 “No, daddy’s not mad. You scared daddy.”

 “I sowwy.”

 “It’s okay, baby girl. What do you want for lunch?”

 “PB ‘n J sammich?”

 “A peanut butter and jelly sandwich? I think that can be arranged.”

...

 After lunch, Sam put Amelia down for a nap which gave him the chance to complete a few chores without being interrupted by an enthusiastic three year old. He never thought he’d be suited to the quiet domestic lifestyle but he settled into it reasonable well. One thing Sam could never say was that it was dull. His daughters always kept him on his toes. When Darlene was Amelia’s age, she was just as mischievous and spirited. Sam wouldn’t trade his girls for the world.

 An hour had passed by the time Amelia woke up from her nap and wandered out into the living room and by now, Sam was watching some trashy day time TV.

 “Hey, Milly. Did you have a good sleep?” Amelia nodded, climbing up onto his lap and cuddling close to her father’s chest.

 “Daddy, I hungwy.”

 “You’re hungry? Let’s see what we can do about that. You want some... frog’s legs and wine? No? I thought all kids liked that stuff. How about some coffee and caviar? Not that either? What about...” Sam continued listing ridiculous food/ drink combinations that he knew a child wouldn’t eat as he made his way to the kitchen with her.

 “Cheese! I want cheese!” she blurted out before he could get out the next combo.

 “Oh, you want cheese... Should have guessed, huh? Let’s see if we have some,” he said, going to the pantry.

 “Hmm... well, it doesn’t look like we have any. Guess you’ll have to have broccoli and green tea after all.”

 “Daddy,” Amelia whined, pointing to the big bag of string cheese, her face visibly pained.

 “Look at that. We do have some after all. Guess you’ll want a juice box with that?” Sam laughed at the eager way she nodded her head.

 Once Amelia had finished her snack, Sam went back into the living room and changed the channel to the one that was locally streaming the tournament. Darlene’s division wasn’t yet up but it was coming soon. As he watched, Amelia got up and wobbled in front of the TV, ‘punching’ and ‘kicking’ like the big kids. Sam smiled and took a video of it to send to his family and friends later. He was sure that they were getting a little annoyed with the amount he could send in one day but he didn’t care. Sam loved each and every one of his girls’ achievements no matter how big or small.

 Finally, Darlene’s age group was up. Sam watched as she stepped up to the mat. From his seat at home, he was cheering her on as if he was there. Amelia cheered too, not entirely sure why but daddy was happy so it had to be good.

 Round after round Darlene won until it got to the last round. Darlene’s opponent was a girl much taller and bigger than her. Sam was on the edge of his seat as the match commenced. The girl was good but Darlene was better. It lasted a little longer than the others but in the end, Darlene won. Sam jumped up with a loud cheer.

 “Yes! She won! Darlene won!”

 “Yay!” Sam picked up Amelia and spun around with her. “Sissy won!”

 Sam felt his eyes tear up a bit as pride swelled in his chest. He quickly wiped them away and continued celebrating with Amelia. Sam couldn’t wait for Darlene to come home.

...

 Later that night, Sam had just given Amelia her bath and was putting her to bed when he heard the sounds of the front door.

 “I think mama and your big sister are finally home,” he smiled.

 “Yay!” Amelia ran to meet them, her little legs going as fast as they possibly carry her.

 Darlene scooped her up as soon she got close enough.

 “Hey there, baby sis!”

 “Sissy! Sissy! I saw’d you won! Watch me! Watch me!” Darlene put Amelia back on the ground so she could show her some of the ‘moves’ she had learned earlier in the day which included an attempt at a headstand for some reason.

 “Oh, wow! So good!”

 In the meantime, Y/N walked over to Sam, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and kissing him. Sam smiled against her lips.

 “Hey, handsome. Had a good day?” she smiled.

 “Pretty good. We went to the park this morning, came home for lunch, Amelia had her nap, then we watched Darlene kick some butt,” he grinned.

 “I see... you want to tell me why the vase in the hallway is no longer there?”

 “I would very much not like to...” Y/N could help but chuckle and shake her head. She looked over at the girls who were happily playing together.

 “We made some pretty awesome kids, Mr. Wilson,” she smiled.

 “We sure did, Mrs. Wilson,” he smiled back.

 For Sam, every day with his daughters was a new adventure as he watched them become the amazing people they were growing into. Sam loved every second of fatherhood and he couldn’t wait to see what tomorrow’s venture would bring.

[suituuup]

crushing it

A day in the life of Bechloe with triplets and a seven-year-old. For the lovely @snowonebutyou as a birthday gift <3

rated: G

word cout: 1,600

ao3 link

*

Mornings in the Beale-Mitchell household are often chaotic. 

(who is Beca kidding. Always. Always chaotic.) 

When Abigail turned three, Chloe and Beca decided they wanted to have another baby. 

To their utter shock, it wasn’t one heartbeat that showed up on the ultrasound, but three. 

Three babies. Triplets. 

Following a few hours of panic (mostly on Beca’s end, because she would be the one birthing them), Chloe reminded Beca that they were the best team, and that they would, in Amy’s words, crush it. 

Fast forward four and a half years, Beca does believe they’re crushing it, even if it’s hectic from waking-up to drop-off and from pick-up to bedtime. 

Honestly, though? Beca wouldn’t change it for the world. 

“Mama, I’m lost!”

Beca glances over her shoulder to find Jacob struggling to put on her sweater as his head is stuck in the sleeve. 

She chuckles, abandoning Jamie for a second to crawl on all-fours over to her other son. “Hold on, baby.” She pulls on the sleeve and twists the sweater, Jacob’s head popping through in the right hole this time. “There you are. Now put your pants on, quick! We don’t wanna be late for school.” 

“Mamaaaaa!” Eleanor, the youngest of the tribe and by far the most mischievous one, zooms into the room from the bathroom. “My teeth are all brushed!”

Beca manages to bite back the f-word when she realizes Ellie also smeared toothpaste all over her top. She doesn’t want to stomp on her daughter’s pride by scolding her for being messy when she accomplished a task all by herself, and takes a deep, centering breath. 

“Good job. We might wanna change your top, though.” She pushes to her feet, rummaging through the dresser top drawer for something clean. “Here you go.” 

“That’s Jamie’s!” Eleanor cries, pouting. “It’s got a dinosaur on it, Mama!” 

“Yeah well lucky you, because dinosaurs are really cool.” 

That seems acceptable for Ellie, who accepts to switch without further argument. 

“Alright, let’s brush our teeths boys and go downstairs!” 

While one of them gets the triplets ready for school, the other puts their lunch boxes together and cleans up breakfast. 

“All good?” Chloe asks when they round the corner to the kitchen a few minutes later. 

Beca huffs, making a bee-line for the counter to take a much-needed sip from her coffee. Great, it’s cold. She grimaces and sets the mug down. “Ugh.” 

“I poured fresh one in your travel mug,” Chloe lets her know with a soft wink as she gives each triplet their backpack containing their lunches.  

Beca groans, snagging it. “I love you.” 

“Love you, too.” Chloe pecks Beca’s lips before calling upstairs, “Abigail, time to go!” 

“Alright monsters, shoes.” Beca ushers the triplets to the entryway where their shoes are stored. 

“I do it, Mama,” Jamie says, because they’ve obviously got time to practice shoe lacing this morning. 

Summoning the patience she definitely didn’t have before becoming a mom, Beca smiles, observing. She’s gotta admit, Jamie sticking his tongue out in concentration is adorable. “Cross, loop, loop and tie. Good job!” 

She high fives him, then grabs their three coats, handing them over. Their oldest appears and quickly puts her shoes on, standing on the tip of her toes to unhook her coat herself. 

“Alright, let’s roll, fam!” Once Chloe’s kissed each child goodbye, they step out of the house and pile into the van (yep, they’ve got a van now) with only two minutes behind schedule. 

“Mama play the song!” Eleanor requests once Beca’s pulled out of their driveway. 

Their children have impeccable taste in music, much to Beca’s pride. Ellie’s been obsessed with Lizzo’s Truth Hurts lately though, which… does include a few bad words and which landed Beca and Chloe a meeting with her Kindergarten teacher after Ellie apparently belted out “Turns out I’m a hundred percent that bitch” during recess. 

Later that day, Beca explained to their four-year-old daughter that the word bitch shouldn’t be said in public, even through song. 

They make it to school on time, Beca pulling up in the drop off section and watching her kids step out. “See you tonight guys, love you!” 

She enjoys the ten minutes of relative quiet over the drive to the office, contentedly sipping at her coffee as she hums along to the radio. After parking in her spot in front of the studio, she checks her phone to find a message from her wife. She chuckles, her cheeks warming up as she reads Chloe’s words. 

My love

Didn’t have time to tell you, but you’re rocking that work suit 🥵

Beca

Oh yeah? 

My love

Any chance you can stop by the clinic for lunch and… entertain me? 

Beca

Jesus, woman. 

I would, but today’s packed with meetings. 

I’ll make it up to you once the kids are asleep 😉

My love

Fine, I guess I’ll settle for that, then. Have a good day. Love you!

Smiling to herself, Beca replies with the same sentiment. 

Her work day is busy with meetings left and right and finishing up a project to meet the deadline, and Beca’s brain has turned to mush by the time she steps through the threshold of their home at the end of the day, a bit later than usual. 

Jacob, the most affectionate of their four kids greets her with a much-needed hug when she rounds the living room corner. Beca closes her eyes and inhales his shampoo, his hair still slightly damp from bath time. 

Bless her wife for handling the pre-dinner routine all by herself. 

“Thank you baby. Mama really needed that.” She lets him go, walking over to where Ellie and Jamie are playing on the floor and kissing each forehead. “Hey munchkins.” 

Abigail is coloring at the table while Chloe stirs something at the stove when Beca ventures into the kitchen next. She cards her fingers through her daughter’s red hair. “Hey baby. Whatcha drawing?” 

“Flowers,” the seven-year-old replies as she reaches for a different crayon. 

“Very pretty,” Beca says, bending down to kiss her head as well. She steps up to Chloe, wrapping her arms around her waist from behind. “Hey you.” 

Chloe leans back against her briefly. “Hi. Busy day?” 

“So busy. Thanks for handling everything by yourself, babe.” She brushes a kiss to Chloe’s cheek, squeezing her waist as she steps away. “Can I do anything to help?” 

“It’s almost ready so just get the kids to wash up?” 

Dinner is mostly entertained by their kids talking about the activities they did at school. Following a bit of playtime, both she and Chloe head upstairs to put them to bed. Abigail handles herself now, but she does still like for one of her moms to read her a story. 

“Mama?” She asks as soon as Beca closes the book to set it back on the shelf. 

“Yeah baby?” 

“What’s it like to be in love?” 

Beca blinks in shock, far from expecting that question from her seven-year-old. She supposes it’s better than the where do babies come from? bomb, but still. 

“Um, well…” she clears her throat, shifting so that she’s facing Abigail as opposed to sitting beside her. She thinks about her wife, and tries to put how she feels in clear words. “Basically, it’s… thinking about that person all the time, and feeling safe and really happy and… at home whenever you’re around them.”

“And you wanna kiss?” 

Beca purses her lips for a moment. “Um, sure. You may want to kiss them if you’re in love with them.” 

Abigail seems to mull that over for a little while. “Benjamin kissed me today, does that mean he’s in love with me?” 

Jesus Christ. Beca really wishes Chloe was here right now to handle this conversation. 

“No, not necessarily,” she says once she’s gathered her bearings. “People kiss other people without being in love. It might just be… an attraction, like, thinking someone is pretty.” 

Abigail grins. “I think he’s handsome.” 

Watching her seven-year-old daughter swoon over some boy is very unsettling and something Beca was definitely not ready for for another ten years at least. 

“So you wanted him to kiss you, then?” Beca asks tentatively to make sure that boy didn’t force Abigail to kiss him. 

Abigail nods. “It was cool.” 

Cool. Cool. Cool?! 

Beca sucks in a breath, mustering a smile. “Okay, as long as you agreed to it, that’s fine. You know that if a boy or a girl wants to kiss or hug you and you don’t want to, it’s okay to say no, right?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Good.” She bends down to kiss Abigail’s forehead. “Anything else before I go?” 

“Nope. Night, Mama.” 

“Goodnight, baby.” 

She tucks the covers up to Abigail’s chin and hits the main light on her way out, her brain reeling as she heads back downstairs. She finds Chloe folding a load of laundry on the couch with the TV on low, and lowers herself beside her. 

“What’s wrong?” She asks immediately, frowning at Beca’s expression. 

Beca clears her throat. “Our daughter is apparently… kissing boys.” 

“Which one?” 

“Abigail,” Beca hisses, shocked that Chloe would think that Ellie is old enough to be kissing anyone. 

Chloe simply smiles, picking up a pair of toddler jeans from the basket and folding them. “She’s seven, it’s pretty normal for her to explore those things.” 

Beca squints. “How old were you?” 

“About that age, I think. It was just a tiny peck.” She tosses the jeans on the folded pile and picks up another item. “My first real kiss was at thirteen.” 

“Who was it?” 

Chloe laughs, cocking an eyebrow. “What is this, an interrogatory?” 

“No, I’m just curious, I guess.” She shrugs, grabbing a towel from the basket to fold it. 

“His name was Jeremy. Too much tongue. Did not kiss him again.” 

“Ew. What is it with dudes and tongue?”

Chloe giggles. “Beats me.” She eyes her wife. “Who was yours?” 

“My neighbor Trevor. I was fifteen.” Beca closes her eyes and shudders exaggeratedly. “If I could erase it from my memory I would.” 

“Good thing you’re married to an excellent kisser to make up for the trauma, huh?” Chloe smirks and waggles her eyebrows, pulling a chuckle from Beca. 

“Dude, not to boost your ego even more or anything, but that first kiss sent me into another dimension. I just about forgot my own name.” 

“Aww. You were still a useless baby gay back then. Discovering the power of women.” 

“Shut up,” Beca mutters, shoving her wife as she flushes. She eyes the basket and groans. “How do we have so much laundry?” 

“Four kids, babe.” 

Beca sighs, then glances at Chloe, a smirk curving her lips. “Wanna leave it for tomorrow and make out?” 

Chloe’s on top of her before she can register it, muffling her squeak of laughter with a heated kiss. 

[honey-dewey]

Take me Home, Country Roads

A Writer Wednesday Story

Pairing: Jack ‘Whiskey’ Daniels/GN! Reader

Word Count: 2,313

Warnings: Mentions of Jack’s late wife, but this is entirely fluff

Permanent Taglist: @phoenixhalliwell @star-wars-hell

You and Jack had never had an easy relationship, but it all seems to be coming together now. Especially after you and him decided to have a kid via surrogate. The only issue? Your daughter is nine hours away. I guess this calls for a road trip. 

The prompt for this week’s Writer Wednesday was given, as always, by the lovely @autumnleaves1991-blog. 

“Baby,” Jack shook your shoulder, making you groan and roll over in bed. “Baby.” 

“What?” You said slowly, sufficiently cranky after having been woken up before the sun rose. The clock over Jack’s shoulder read 2:37, and you really wanted to hit him. Why the hell were you awake?

Jack kissed you, and you had half a mind to bite him for waking you up so damn early. “Daniels,” you said against his lips. “You aren’t winning yourself any points with me right now.” 

“Mhm,” Jack hummed. “C’mon. We have to go.” 

“Go?” You sat up, rubbing your eyes. “Go where?” 

One of Jack’s old shirts was tossed in your direction, and he smiled. “We’re picking Frankie up today.” 

Immediately, you felt giddiness fill your stomach as you jumped up, suddenly very eager. You passed Jack, the both of you going about your morning routines in a very rushed way. Today was the day you and Jack were going to drive from your house in Texas all the way out to the middle of New Mexico to pick up your newborn daughter, Marie Francesca Daniels. 

It was nearly three in the morning by the time you were ready to go. Jack yawned, filling a travel mug with coffee and handing you your own travel mug. “Do we have everything?” 

You nodded. “Car seat is in the car already,” you said, checking the items off your fingers as you went. “Diaper bag was packed yesterday, I have that audiobook downloaded, you have the address in your phone, and I just packed snacks.” 

Jack smiled, kissing your forehead. “Are you ready?” 

“No,” you admitted. “But at the same time, yes. I can’t wait to have her here.” 

“I can’t either,” Jack reassured. “C’mon, we have to hit the road.” 

Despite the early hour, you didn’t sleep at all in the car, opting to instead listen to the audiobook you had picked and relax, watching night darkened landmarks pass you by. Exhilaration kept your eyes as open as they’d get until breakfast, and you paid half attention to the book while Jack drove beside you. 

Nine and a half months ago, you and Jack had sat down to have a very serious discussion. Did you want kids or not? Jack had, obviously, said yes, but after the catastrophe that was his late wife, he was hesitant. You were in a similar boat. Kids would’ve been nice, especially considering your ranch house was built for a family, but the process of having kids was something you could never see yourself doing. So after much discussion and a few angry nights, you and Jack found a surrogate. She wasn’t that far away, and she was super sweet. The three of you had met once, to confirm the pregnancy, and all of you had cried. Since then, her health had been well and steady, and last week she’d given birth to your baby girl. She was named after two of Jack’s great grandmothers, one from his mom’s side and one from his dad’s. 

The sun rose earlier than you expected, peering over the hills as Jack continued westward. The hospital in New Mexico was nearly nine hours away, meaning you wouldn’t even reach it until a bit past noon, and you wouldn’t be returning home until well after nine pm. But you didn’t mind, not for this. 

Nearly four hours into the trip, at 7 in the morning, Jack found a relatively healthy place to stop for breakfast. He walked in and got two bagels while you sat in the car, texting the surrogate. She had just woken up, and was almost as excited as you and Jack were for today. 

“Whatcha doing?” Jack asked, getting back into the car and handing you a paper bag with your bagels in it. 

“Texting Jackie,” you said. “She says Frankie is doing a-ok, and is eager to come home with us.” 

Jack smiled. “Still can’t believe you let me name her Francesca.” He handed you your bagel, and you grinned. 

“We made a deal,” you said. “You could name her Francesa as long as it wasn’t her first name. No matter what, I knew we’d be calling her Frankie.” 

“We can call her Marie when she’s in trouble,” Jack said, leaning in close and giving you a kiss. “Thank you.” 

“For what?” You asked, laughing as Jack trailed his kisses down, tickling your skin with his facial hair. 

Jack smiled, humming against your skin. “For letting us have a baby.” 

“Oh Jack,” you murmured, abandoning your breakfast so you could turn your full attention to your cowboy husband. “I wasn’t ever going to stop you from raising a family. Ever.” 

“I know,” Jack reassured. “What do you think about having another one? That house has room for three or four.” 

That brought a huge smile to your face. “Jack,” you said seriously, humor tinting your voice. “Let’s focus on one for now. We can revisit this conversation in two years.” 

Jack pouted, but accepted, leaning back so he could eat his bagel and get back on the road. You ate slower than Jack, absorbing the audiobook you’d started playing again and enjoying seeing all the passing land outside the car. 

A few more hours into your trip, and you were bored out of your mind. The book was super good, and you kept trying to focus your attention on that, but nothing could kill the boredom that was building in your chest. 

“What time is it?” 

Jack sighed. “Ten minutes since the last time you asked,” he said, taking your hand and kissing your knuckles. “It’s about ten thirty.” 

You groaned. “Fuck,” you said, dragging the word out. “I’m so damn bored.” 

Jack chuckled. “My laptop is in the back if you want to screw around with that solitaire program.” 

It was better than doing a whole load of nothing, so you grabbed Jack’s laptop and set it up on top of your thighs. “Am I even allowed to use this?” 

“Why wouldn’t you be allowed to use it?” Jack asked. 

“What if I uncover some big Statesman secrets,” you said, logging in regardless. “What if I destroy the world?” 

Jack smiled. “You cannot destroy the world from my laptop,” he reassured. “Not that one, at least.” 

“This one?” You looked up, surprised. “You mean to tell me you can destroy the world from a laptop you own?” 

Now Jack was full on laughing. “Yeah!” He said. “My work laptop. It stays at work though.” 

You made a face. “Well that’s boring,” you decided, clicking on a solitaire game. “When do you want to grab lunch?” 

Jack shrugged. “According to the GPS, we’ll get there a little after noon, so what do you say to eleven thirty? That way we have time to eat and stuff, plus the car won’t smell.” 

It seemed reasonable to you, so you nodded. “Sounds good,” you said, sliding down in your seat and beginning a forty five minute long solitaire tournament with yourself. 

“Babe,” Jack said softly after you finished the tenth game, nudging you. “Take a look at this.” 

You shut the laptop off and looked up, immediately feeling yourself gasp. Outside the car was a sight you wished you could experience forever. The road stretched on as far as you could see, empty except for you and Jack. The sky was a beautiful picturesque blue with only the barest clouds, none of which dared block the sun. The earth was a gorgeous orange dirt, striped in various shades. Ahead of you stood a few mesas, breaking up the flat expanse of land. It was perfection, and you couldn’t help but pull out your phone to snap a picture. 

“It’s beautiful,” you breathed softly. “Absolutely beautiful.” 

Jack smiled. “There’s a small town ten minutes from here,” he said. “We can stop to grab lunch, and then it’s only another half hour until we’re there.” 

You looked at Jack, surprised. “Was I really playing solitaire for that long?” 

“Yes you were.” 

Lunch ended up being from a food truck, considering that was all you could find in the middle of nowhere, New Mexico. When you got out of the car, you immediately groaned, stretching your legs out and feeling your back pop. 

Jack smiled, grabbing his hat. “Feeling okay over there?” 

You shrugged. “I’ve been through worse,” you decided, looking around. “This place is so cool.” 

“Reminds me of where I grew up,” Jack said, putting his arm around you. “Although my hometown had more grass and less sand.” 

While you two ate at a small picnic table, you texted Jackie, telling her you were only half an hour away. She responded with enthusiasm, and you sent her the picture you took of the landscape. 

The final leg of your trip was very quiet. The audiobook had finished, and neither of you wanted to break the delicate silence in the car. Well, silence was relative, considering Jack was humming John Denver while he drove, but you didn’t mind. 

When you finally pulled into the hospital parking lot, you had trouble getting out of the car. Inside that building was your baby, your little girl. When you looked over at Jack, he looked just as nervous as you. “Ready cowboy?” 

“Ready,” Jack confirmed, taking your hand. “Let’s do this.” 

Finding the room wasn’t hard. A very sweet nurse led you to Jackie’s room, and you stared at the door for a solid minute before knocking. 

“You’re here!” Jackie said, smiling as Jack opened the door. “She’s been an angel for me all morning.” 

You nodded, unable to speak. Wrapped in a soft blanket in Jackie’s arms was your baby. You and Jack had both seen photos, but it seemed nothing would compare to the real thing. Jackie stood, still holding Frankie. “Do you want to hold her?” 

Jack stepped forward, and Jackie put Frankie down in his arms. Jack smiled, cradling Frankie close to his body. “Hey baby,” he said softly. “It’s me, your daddy.” 

Jackie stepped back, towards you. “He’s a natural,” she whispered to you. 

You nodded. “Thank you so much,” you said. “I don’t ever think I’ll be able to thank you enough for what you’ve given us.” 

Jackie smiled. “I’m just glad I was able to help you two.” 

After nearly half an hour of sitting and waiting, you and Jack both holding Frankie, a doctor came around to release her. He checked your daughter over and deemed her okay to leave, and the four of you all walked out together. Jackie waved and smiled from her car as she drove away, rolling her window down to give you one final goodbye. 

You got into the driver’s seat, looking back at Jack, who was settling Frankie into her car seat. “How goes it back there cowboy?” 

“Got it!” Jack said triumphantly, smiling and kissing Frankie’s head. “Sleep tight baby girl.” He closed the backseat door and got into the passenger seat. “Still can’t believe she’s ours.” 

You smiled, taking his hand. “We have a daughter.” 

Jack nodded, his eyes watering. “A daughter,” he said softly. 

By the time you were half an hour away from the hospital, it began to feel more real. Every so often, Jack would check the backseat, finding Frankie asleep every time. She slept soundly, and you almost recommended Jack do the same. He’d been up since really early, and you could tell he needed rest. 

Two hours towards home, you realized that would’ve been disastrous. 

Frankie started to cry, and almost immediately, Jack looked at you. “What’s going on?” He asked, eyes wide. “Is she okay?” 

You nodded. “She’s probably hungry,” you said, carefully pulling over and putting the car in park. “Her bottle is in the diaper bag.” 

Jack took a breath and nodded. “Okay,” he said. “I got this.” 

He got out of the car and picked Frankie up, carrying her to the front seat with him. “That’s it,” he said softly, grabbing the bottle and beginning to feed her. 

You smiled, grabbing your phone to take a picture and send it to every single one of Jack’s coworkers who you had contact with.

“What are you doing?” Jack asked, barely looking up at you. 

“Giving Tequila sufficient blackmail,” you said with a smile. “And showing Ginger her new niece.” 

Jack made a face, laughing when he looked back at Frankie and found her copying his scrunched up face. “Aren’t you just a little troublemaker?” He said. “I know my mama can’t wait to meet you, bumblebee. How’s that sound? Wanna get spoiled by your abuelita?” 

You couldn’t help but smile at that. “Jack,” you said. “Put Frankie back in her car seat, I have to keep driving.” 

“Can I hold her for a bit?” Jack asked, looking up at you with his pleading puppy eyes. “Please?” 

Taking a deep breath, you sighed. “Fine,” you said. “But only for a little bit.” 

Jack smiled, twisting a bit so he could get himself buckled back in. As he did so, you turned the radio on, dialing the volume down a bit. 

You drove like that for a bit, with Jack cradling Frankie in the front seat. He hummed along to the radio, rocking Frankie as he hummed. Finally, the cursed song began to play, and Jack lit up. 

“Almost heaven, West Virginia. Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River. Life is old there, older than the trees. Younger than the mountains, growin' like a breeze,” he sang along softly with John Denver, and you smiled, turning the radio up a bit. Jack continued to sing, putting a gentle lull over the car as you continued your drive home, your tiny family of three comfortable and together at last. 

“Country roads, take me home, to the place I belong. West Virginia, mountain mama. Take me home, country roads.”

[baekhypnotized]

daddy’s little boy

ღ Genre: fluff, family au, daddy baekhyun

ღ Pairing: Baekhyun, You and Hyunnie

ღ Summary: Baekhyun was busy with work when suddenly you came with your son to surprise him. 

ღ A/N: I was inspired with the preview of Baekhyun with a small kid during his schedule with TirTir!! This prompt came in my mind and I can’t handle myself from the fluffness so I decide to write it!! Hope you guys enjoy it!! 

ღ  Word count: 3,408 words

It had been days since Baekhyun came home late almost every day because he’s busy with his schedules. He will leave the house early in the morning and come home when it already passes the bedtime. Why? It was because he feels really bad these days in which he didn’t spend much time with his son, Dohyun. And the only way for him to bask in the guiltiness, he would try to avoid leaving and coming back home when he’s widely awake. As he couldn’t bear to look into his sparkling and adorable eyes that will make him weak. 

On the other hand, Dohyun is such a cheerful and bubbly boy just like his daddy. The cute smile never fails to appear across his face that will make his cheeks bulge into mochis. But, being the only child and baby in the family makes him feel sad knowing that Baekhyun spends less time with him now. Although he was told many times that Baekhyun will try hard to complete all his works fast to play with him.

But within these days too, Dohyun acts pretty much upset because he missed Baekhyun too much. You couldn’t do anything, even when you tried to cheer him up, the same pouty lips will come out as he’s demanding for his daddy. 

Baekhyun’s name doesn’t stop from leaving this little child’s lips. Even when Baekhyun called him during his short break, Dohyun insisted to stay silent most of the time and simply stared at the phone’s screen that revealed Baekhyun's face. Then you finally realise that even though a lot of people say that most of the sons would like to be pampered by their mothers but it’s wrong. Because right now, Dohyun missed his daddy so much. 

A new day finally begins as the sun rays slowly penetrate through the blinds to lit up the master bedroom. You slowly toss around to check on Dohyun, who’s still silently asleep and you see that Baekhyun is finally awake from his deep sleep too. He abruptly sits up with his eyes slightly open, also with his messy bedridden hair. He rubs the back of his nape a few times as he yawns softly. You are tittering quietly seeing how cute he looks especially when he wakes up. 

Baekhyun’s doing nothing except sitting and when he begins to blink his eyes a few times, he turns towards his side as a soft smile creeps on his face when he sees you looking at him. “Good morning, babe,” He greets, bending forward to give you a short peck on your lips before he kisses your crown. You simply hum, turning your body sideways as you support your head with your elbow propping your hand. 

“How’s your sleep?” You ask him with such an endearing tone. A clear yet soft sigh can be heard coming from him when Baekhyun threads his hair with his fingers. He doesn’t need to reply to me when I already got the answer to my question.  

Then, Baekhyun faces Dohyun who’s sleeping at the middle of the bed with his parted lips. He brings his fingers to caress Dohyun’s cheek softly. As your heart feels so full seeing the moment of your husband and son, the expression that Baekhyun gives, makes you worry. 

“Hey… You okay, baby? Is there anything that you want to share with me?” You place your hand on his shoulder and pat it a few times. He just shakes his head, keeping his stare locked on the small figure. 

“I just-,” Baekhyun stops for a second, caressing Dohyun’s hair before he gathers all his strength to continue, “I felt so bad right now because I’ve been busy lately and when he keeps on saying that he’s missing me, it hurts me so much, baby…” He softly sighs as his tears start brimming in his eyes. “I promised to him that I’m going to spend much time with him after my job is done but he seems…” His voice begins to choke a bit, “disappointed.”

“Baekhyun…” You sit up with your legs crossed as you face him. Cupping his cheeks with your hands and you say, “Look at me.” He slowly moves his gaze to look at your eyes and you can see how his eyes are glassy with tears. “He will never be disappointed with you. He understands that you’re sacrificing everything for the sake of us.” You brush his cheek with your thumb, grazing it in circles. 

He doesn’t speak and instead, he keeps his lips tightly shut. “Dohyun is really proud of you and yes, although he’s longing for you, he will never stop loving you because you’re his father.” You try to comfort him from all his worries and when Baekhyun’s lips stretch into a thin smile, you lean closer to give him a kiss. “We love you, daddy. Always and forever will.” 

Baekhyun softens when the word ‘daddy’ comes out from your mouth. He nuzzles his nose with yours that causes you to giggle softly as it tickles. And again, he seals the lips back again before Dohyun starts to toss and turn, which makes the two of you abruptly pull away from the kiss. Both of you are grateful that the rustling sound that you both made didn’t wake him up. 

He stretches his body towards the little boy, he caresses his hair before planting a kiss on the top of his head. Then, he nuzzles his nose to inhale the sweet heavenly scent of his baby and once again Baekhyun kisses Dohyun’s small lips. “I promise that I’ll be home very soon, okay? Hyunnie gonna be a good boy to mommy, right?” He lightly taps the cute button nose that makes the boy scrunch it. “Daddy loves you so much, baby.”

Hearing him whispering to your son causes you to tear up a bit. Despite his hectic and pack schedule, you know that Baekhyun couldn’t stop thinking about you and the little bundle of joy. 

“I’m gonna have a quick shower because I have one last shooting today.”

I was about to get off from the bed when suddenly Baekhyun stops me as he asks, “Where are you going?”

“Making you breakfast. Why? You can’t just leave the house with an empty stomach, Baek. You’re gonna get caught with a tummy ache. Let me do at least waffles or pancakes for you, mhm?” You insist on doing it since it’s your job as his wife but as predicted, he once again stops you by placing his hands on your shoulders.

“Don’t worry ‘bout me, okay? I’ll just grab some coffee and sandwiches on my way. You don’t want to wake up our little monster, right?” Baekhyun smiles, his tone was soft with his eyes expressing such an endearing gaze. Without trying to fight with him, you comply as he comes closer to you to plant a kiss on your forehead, your hand placed on top of his. 

Baekhyun pulls away from you and before he’s going to leave to take a shower, he leans his body to give one last kiss on Dohyun’s kiss. But this time, he almost wakes him up. Being such an alert daddy, he quickly makes hushes sound and at the same time, he pats the little boy’s small bum. Dohyun lets out a faint whine as he tosses around on the bed. You were afraid if he would wake up in such a bad mood but grateful that your husband manages to calm him down back to sleep. 

You couldn’t stop smiling the entire time seeing him patting your son even though he’s already late for his work. Only a few tasks left and he is finally able to come home with such a delightful smile on his face. Knowing that the two of his precious gifts will safely be in his embrace because, at the end of the day, the three of you are gonna be together, that was called home.

Dohyun woke up when Baekhyun’s already gone for work. You were folding the clean clothes when the little one finally woke up with such messy hair, with his tiny hand rubbing his eye. Chuckling over the adorable sight of your son, you waited for him to wake up fully when the first thing he did was searching around the big master bedroom, searching for someone. Deep inside, you knew he was searching for him. He then crawled towards you, landing his head on your thighs. 

You caress his hair from covering his forehead. “Good morning my little monster!!” Your hands start to tickle Dohyun’s tummy and attack his face with endless kisses. The boy is literally giggling loudly, his face shines the brightest as he’s trying to push away your hands from him. You can hear him calling for you in between his waves of laughter but you insist to continue. He even tried to get away from you but you manage to get a hold of him. “You’re not gonna run away from mommy, Hyunnie!!” 

When he started to feel tired, you let him go with giving one last kiss on his sweaty forehead. “Now you’re stinky, baby. Let’s have a bath, shall we?” Dohyun definitely understands the cue for taking a bath because he loves to play around in the water. And most of the time, Baekhyun would accompany and play along with him. Then, you lift him in the air and carry him to the bathroom for the morning bath session. 

Right after you help him wear his clothes, the two of you went downstairs and decided to spend the free time in the living room while you’re waiting for the right time to prepare lunch. The television is airing Hyunnie’s favourite cartoon series and you join him too. He sits on the playmat, toys in his hands but his eyes glued on the screen and you, on the other hand, laying on the couch as you amuse seeing how focused your son is watching the tv. 

Watching Dohyun reminds you of Baekhyun. What is he doing? Has he grabbed his lunch? Is he doing well with his shooting? You suddenly miss and worry about him at the same time. He said he would text you but he hasn’t replied to yours. Suddenly, something pops up in your mind just like your bulb lights up instantly. 

“Hyunnie,” You softly call the smaller one that causes him to tilt his head to look at you. Sitting up from your lying position, you pat your thigh a few times to invite Dohyun to sit on your lap as he obeys. He waits patiently for you to speak, tilting his head sideways curiously. “Baby, do you miss daddy?” The boy nods his head a few times, his lips turn into a pout. You tap the button of his nose lightly, “Then, how about we go and visit him today? Do you want to meet daddy?” His pupils dilate bigger, sparkling with cuteness overload.

“Should we make rice rolls for daddy too? Will Hyunnie help mommy?” 

“Yes yes!!” He chants, making you pepper his cheek with kisses. Giggling softly, you pinch his nose lightly as you pat a few times on his bums. 

“Let’s go and make some food for daddy!” You peck his lips before the two of you head towards the kitchen. You ask Dohyun to sit at the dining table first as he sits on his own chair. After giving him some snacks and banana milk to distract himself, you start preparing the ingredients for the rice rolls since you want to prevent the boy from getting into a small accident during the preparation. 

After everything is all prepared, you bring them to the front where Dohyun is already clapping in cheerfulness because you’re pretty sure he’s excited to help you. Especially when he knows the two of you going to visit his daddy. He helps you to arrange and roll them, also in decorating the lunch box. “Hyunnie, which lunch box do you want to use? A cute doggie or panda?” You show him the two different designs of lunchboxes. He has his lips turn into a pout when he’s thinking before he points out his index finger at the printed lunch box with dog design. Dipping for a kiss on his chubby cheek, you let him decorate it with the rice rolls that you both made.

Once you confirm with Baekhyun’s manager that you guys can pay a surprise visit, Manager Noh tells you the details about their whereabouts. The two of you are pretty excited to meet him and right after the meals for lunch are ready, you quickly bring the little boy to change his clothes before you change yours. Throughout the changing process, he couldn’t stop telling you that he has many stories to tell Baekhyun.

“Mommy, Hyunnie wants to tell daddy about a big dinosaur!!”

“Mommy, mommy!! Daddy loves Hyunnie’s rice rolls, right?”

“Mommy! Hyunnie wants daddy.”

Seems like the smaller one is super excited to meet his daddy. So as you.

“Hyunnie,” You help him unbuckle his seatbelt, lifting him from his kid’s seat as you put him on the ground. “Daddy doesn’t know we’re here, okay? Once you found him, give him the biggest hug and kisses, okay baby?” Dohyun nods his head with an elated face. You kiss his forehead before you continue, “also, Hyunnie needs to behave too. Hyunnie is mommy’s and daddy’s good boy, right?” And again he bobs. 

“Mommy faster!! Hyunnie wants to meet daddy!!” You’re about to lock the car when your son already pulls your hand to enter the building. Nonchalantly, you chuckle in amusement and know how Dohyun’s anticipation is similar to Baekhyun. Your boys have low patience in waiting.

Dohyun’s hand is securely in your hold as you have the lunchbox on the other hand. Both of you stride into the lift, bringing you guys to the floor where Baekhyun is. The excitement that you have right now is quite the same as the little boy. This is the first time you’re doing a surprise visit in the entire time you know Baekhyun and it’s extra special since you’re bringing your firstborn together with you. 

As the two of you arrive at the venue, there are quite an amount of people in the spacious room. Lights every corner, advance cameras too and you can see Baekhyun’s standing as he poses in the middle of the room. He looks elegant and charming every time he strictly focuses on his work. He exudes dominance and cuteness at the same time. And it’s like destiny, Baekhyun’s wearing a blue shirt with black pants, matching with a darker cardigan and Dohyun wears the same colour too. 

You guys sneak in quietly through the staff, hoping that Baekhyun wouldn’t see the two of you. After greeting Manager Noh, he gives us the cue to butt into the photo shooting session, in which Dohyun immediately runs towards his daddy with his cute little feet. 

“Daddy!!!” Dohyun calls him with such a loud voice, his arms spread wide as he’s already giggling in happiness. Shock appears on Baekhyun’s face but in a split of a second, he squats and ready to invite his son. Dohyun comes running into his embrace as Baekhyun hugs him tightly, peppering his face with endless kisses. The little boy’s giggles brighten up the whole place, making everyone witness such a loving moment between a father and a son.

“Hey my little champion,” He mutters and pecks Dohyun’s lips. “Oh my, daddy misses you too much, Hyunnie.”

“Hyunnie misses you too, daddy!” The little boy has his hands cup Baekhyun’s cheeks. Baekhyun smiles fondly, connecting their foreheads together before he kisses the boy’s nose. 

“Did you come here with mommy, baby? Where is she?” Baekhyun asks his son. Dohyun turns around and points towards you who was standing with the staff with such teary eyes. You lift your hand slightly, whispering a ‘hi’ to him. He chuckles with so much love and once again, he plants a kiss on Dohyun’s cheeks before he cups them. 

“Hyunnie made rice rolls for daddy!!” Dohyun informs him. 

“Really? No wonder daddy smells something delicious!! Should we go and eat with mommy too?” He asks as he receives multiple nods from the boy. Baekhyun holds Dohyun’s hand and the two of them walk towards you. Manager Noh told you that he’s almost finished with his task so the three of you are able to spend some time during his break. 

“Hello, mommy,” Baekhyun greets, slipping his hand around your waist as he plants a quick yet passionate kiss on your lips that make you smile in contentment.

“Let’s eat! We brought lunch for you too,” The three of you pace into an empty room where Baekhyun would get ready for his shooting. You place the lunchbox on the table as Baekhyun settles down on the couch with Dohyun’s on his lap. The kid doesn’t stop clinging with his daddy and you can see how much he’s been missing Baekhyun. 

The moment you open the lid, Baekhyun awes in astonishment, “Wow! Hyunnie did all of this for daddy?” Baekhyun looks at him as Dohyun nods with such a sweet smile. He picks up the chopsticks and gives a bite, showing an amaze and yummy tone to indicate how scrumptious the rice rolls are. The little boy already has his hands clap because he’s happy. You can witness such an adorable moment of your favourite boys, feeding each other. 

“Mommy, say Aaahh!!” Dohyun instructs you while Baekhyun prepares to feed you. You comply as your husband feeds you with the rice roll. While eating, Dohyun literally tells him everything that he’s been wanting to say and Baekhyun listens to him wholeheartedly. You also immerse yourself in the little boy’s stories. 

“Daddy’s going to bring Hyunnie and mommy for a holiday! Does Hyunnie want to follow?” Baekhyun questions him.

Dohyun’s expression lit up brightly with a wide smile spread across his face, “Yes yes!! Hyunnie loves holidays!!” Baekhyun leans to smash the boy’s cheek with ticklish kisses. Dohyun tries to run away from him and your husband places him on the ground before he leaves the two of you to go somewhere.

“How are you, mommy?” He slides his fingers to intertwine with yours, you place your head comfortably on his shoulder. 

“Just good. How about you? Is everything going well? I heard that you’re almost done with it,” You reply and he simply nods his head. After a few minutes being alone with Baekhyun, you start to worry about Dohyun. Trying to peek your head from the room, you suddenly chuckle in disbelief as Baekhyun looks at you curiously.

“Why are you chuckling, babe?” He asks as you show him towards the crowd where you can see your little boy is surrounded by the staff, probably conversing with them using his overload cuteness charm. Baekhyun elicits a soft chuckle too. 

“Seems like your son is such a charmer.”

You scoff when you listen to his statement, “His your doppelganger and that’s mean he got that trait from you, daddy.” You giggle, answering him with a playful and mocking tone. He glares at you as he pinches your waist, causing you to shriek in surprise. The two of you enjoy in the silence, feeling content seeing the little boy having so much fun. Also with the smile that etched on his face when he met Baekhyun. 

“God, I can’t imagine if we have a girl like just look at how attached and clingy our Hyunnie is, especially when you’re not around.” You mutter as Baekhyun grazes your hand with his thumb in circles. “If we have one, I bet she will be sulking with you like forever and you’ll get into trouble to coax the little princess.” 

“Babe.” He calls you and you lift your head upwards to look at him. 

“Since Hyunnie almost turns four…” He murmurs, his other hand safely landed on your thigh that instantly makes you shiver. Then, you can sense that his moving towards you as you’re guessing he tries to hover on top of you. You stop him by placing your hand on his chest, glaring at him before he continues.

“How about we give Hyunnie a younger sibling?” He recommends an idea with a smug smirk on his face.  

Do like or reblog if you like this prompt!! Thank you for reading!! :D

[glassbxttless]

can we learn more about Matty in college?

Warnings: Swearing, (Month Six) nsfw

Day One

Packing up his mattress and tv doesn’t seem real to him in the moment. The last kiss to the forehead his mom will give him in forever doesn’t seem real either. And neither does that fucking hug and kiss in his hair that Han gives him. He doesn’t seem phased by the fact that he only has $300 in his bank account for gas, and it’s a long fucking drive to Seattle.

Matt’s upset. He’s leaving behind his home, Everything he’s ever known, trying to make things better for himself. He’s got the glove Randy bought him in the front seat of his Camry, ready for the first season that’s going to put him through college. And when he starts driving, he doesn’t want to stop. Even when his eyes are drooping and he’s too fucking tired. All he’s done is cry, everything is changing, why should he take a break now? But he does. He pulls off at a rest stop and just curls up in his front seat.

Day Two

Matt’s hungry. He’s been driving for a day and a half it seems like, and he’s only just in Montana. He’s stopped for gas too many times for his liking, and he tries to ignore the rumbling in his stomach for a little while. But after another hour and realizing he hasn’t eaten since he left his parents, he pulls into a small diner off the side of the main road.

Matt sits in a booth by himself, staring at the menu in front of him. He can’t afford anything right now. He’s still got so much driving left to do, and he’s sure he’ll have to stop a few more times for gas. So he orders a coffee and settles on the fact that he’ll douse it with honey to fill him up a bit. The waitress smiles, she’s seen this type of kid so many times before. The kind that are just, trying to do their best. But they’re hungry and tired. And Matt’s tears are real when she places a stack of pancakes in front of him, smiling at him and telling him they’re on the house.

Week Three

Matt’s adjusting. Seattle isn’t as busy as New York, but it’s still not as quiet as Ben had assured him it would be. He’s sleeping on a mattress on the floor, organizing his cards and doing his homework to keep himself busy. He goes to class, he goes to work, and he comes back home to eat a bowl of microwaved ramen and hope his mom doesn’t call and ask about his time here. He doesn’t want to have to lie to her.

He’s exhausted. He’s always on the go. He never gets a second to relax he feels. Until he meets her in his Spanish class. And then he feels like everything’s just simple now. He wakes up to good morning texts and smiles when they go to lunch. He gets to walk someone home at night, and finally tell his mom he made a friend.

Month Three

Randy gets some time off and flies out for a visit. Matt’s embarrassed when Randy wheels his things in. There’s just his mattress, tv, and PlayStation from home on the floor. With a binder of his most expensive cards next to it. And Randy just sighs, dragging Matt to an ikea.

Matt follows him around the store, just watching as Randy helps him pick out furniture to actually put in his two bedroom apartment. Randy has enough. He hardly spends money on anything, he can help his little brother out. And he helps him put everything together, in their respective rooms. And by the time they’re done, he’s got a sofa, an entertainment center, bed frames for each bedroom, a spare mattress for the second room, night stands, and a cheap dining room table. And Matt’s never cried to himself harder.

Month Six

Matt is passing just about every class he has with flying colors, except Spanish. She’s always catching his attention more than the subject is. She’s more than his friend. She’s his first girlfriend. She’s the reason Seattle is a little less grim.

And when he finally invites her over, and she kisses him on his couch, he doesn’t know whether to run or to seize his moment. And maybe she decides for him, dragging his joggers down his thighs and settling down onto him, Matt feels like he’s in heaven.

Month Eight

Summer is here, he’s passed every class, and Matt’s in love. And Rey won’t stop pushing about getting married at this point. He’s not even 19 yet. But he’s saved a decent amount of money and maybe this is okay. It’s not been too long since they’ve started dating. But it wasn’t too long for his parents either and mom tells stories of how in love they were. How much she still loves him.

So Matt finds a ring, as pretty as his soon-to-be fiancée is. And he has reservations to the nicest place he could afford. Maybe he has the ring hidden in their dessert. And maybe he’s more than uncomfortable the entire time, but his love has the prettiest smile on her face— and it just causes his cheeks to heat up when she says yes and kisses him then and there.

Month Eleven

Matt’s scheduling classes and Rey’s redecorating his entire apartment, making space for her things. She’s showing off her ring to her friends, Matt’s yet to tell his mom. And Matt notices the little quips she makes about him. About how he shouldn’t be doing that, or how Pokémon is for kids and he really needs to grow up.

But he chalks it up to her just having differences and leaves it at that. He is hard to live with, you know?

Year Two

Matt’s stressed about money. Their wedding is huge. It’s expensive. He’s got two personal loans out just for this. He’s 19 now. He’s having a hard time adjusting to Mrs. Matthew Solo changing the way he wants to live his life.

It starts off by asking for little things here and there. But he’s a broke college student with two fucking loans out in his name? How can he afford that? But of course, she’s his wife and he finds a way. Until she quits her job and everything is left on Matty’s shoulders.

[captainseaweedbrains]

The Dance of the Color Guard, Op. 64 Ch. 4

Katniss and Peeta used to be best friends when they were kids, but now in high school, they're barely on speaking terms. It isn't until they are forced together as the titular star-crossed lovers for their marching band's field show that they will have to face their past mistakes and try to get along if they ever hope of defeating the notorious Capitol Height's Imperial Marching Crusaders in competition.

It's all about winning and if that means pretending to be in love with Peeta Mellark, so be it.

A/N: Thank you to @rosegardeninwinter​ for editing and helping push me to finish! You are the best and any mistakes found are mine. :) 

Start at the beginning on Ao3: X

Ch. 4 Ao3: X

June

“Peeta really isn’t that bad,” Madge said for what felt like the millionth time. Katniss rolled her eyes and flipped the page of her magazine. Ever since learning that Peeta was going to be the Romeo to Katniss’ Juliet, Madge had been defending him every chance she got. “He’s really not. And he’s so smart, Katniss. Picks up on things real quickly. So all this moping around you’ve been doing all week is stupid.”

Katniss frowned and shoved her sunglasses further up her nose, preferring the screams of the children running around them on the pool deck to Madge defending Peeta Mellark to her once again. Was she being overly dramatic about this? Maybe. Was Madge right that Peeta wasn’t as bad as she made him out to be? Perhaps. But it still sucked and she couldn’t stop complaining about it.

“I know you’re Team Peeta,” she sighed, “but would it kill you to see things from my perspective just this once? Isn’t that what girl friends are supposed to do? Side with their other girl friends?”

“Maybe if you were right about him being a bad person, I would,” Madge sniffed, picking up her own gossip magazine to flip through. “But as of right now, you’ve provided me no evidence in support of your claim.” It was times like these Katniss wished her friend wasn’t the daughter of a prestigious lawyer.

“Gale sides with me,” she argued, pointing at her tall friend standing in line between two twelve-year-old kids for their slushies. “Doesn’t that count for anything on my behalf?”

“Gale’s an idiot.”

“An idiot you’re dating.” Madge stuck her tongue out at that, unable to refute her long-standing relationship with Gale and Katniss smiled. Of all the relationships she’d seen throughout the years—and band romances had provided plenty of weird, random romances, the weirdest being Johanna Mason and Melinda “Cashmere” Hewitt—Madge and Gale’s was the only one she saw that made no sense on paper yet made complete sense in person. The spoiled rich girl with a heart of gold and the rough-around-the-edges boy from the bad part of town? She never used to buy it in the movies, thinking the concept too ridiculous, but Madge and Gale proved her wrong time and time again.

Even when they had broken up sophomore year, claiming they were just too different, Katniss was still proven wrong because they couldn’t shut up about each other—griping about how she just didn’t understand and he always has to be right and I can’t believe I lost my virginity to that, a fact Katniss could have gone her whole life not knowing. When they got back together, it was hard to say who was more thrilled about it: the happy couple or Katniss.

“Come on, Madge,” she sighed, flopping back in her lounge seat. “Why must you always be the diplomatic one?”

“Someone has to be between your impulsiveness and Gale’s anarchy attitude.

“Did someone say anarchy?” the anarchist himself joked, handing Madge her lime-flavored slushie with a kiss on the lips for a tip. He handed Katniss her watermelon one and jokingly asked where his tip was. Katniss threw her three dollars at him with a “Keep the change” rebuttal. Gale laughed and pocketed the cash, lifting Madge’s legs up and over onto his lap so he could sit.

“So what did I miss?”

Madge snorted and offered her boyfriend a sip of her slushie. “Here’s a hint: it’s Katniss’ favorite subject.”

Gale rolled his eyes and accepted the drink. “Mellark again?” He took a large sip and winced at the sudden brain freeze, handing the large cup back. “God, I’m so sick of hearing about that guy. Katniss, get over it and move on already.” Even Gale was getting sick of her talking about it? Somehow, that hit lower on the pathetic scale. Gale was her complaining companion. Her bitch buddy. The person she reserved all her annoyances for because she knew he’d have his own trivial things to complain about. Hell, their friendship was founded upon complaining, starting in 8th Grade Science when their teacher kept giving them busy work to cope with the very public scandal of his wife sleeping with their school principal. They complained about everything with each other.

And now even Gale had said enough.

Well this sucked.

“Fine,” she said, not really feeling fine about it. “I won’t talk about it anymore.” Her friends looked doubtful. “I mean it! No more talk of Peeta Mellark and how my whole summer is practically ruined because I have to have extra practices to teach him how to dance on the field. And I’m not going to talk about how that cuts into my shifts at Aunt LuLu’s store, which means my spending money is going to be next to nothing by the time school starts. So if you two ever want to do anything more fun than hanging around the school parking lot, I guess you’re shit out of luck.”

Gale smiled sweetly at Madge. “I’m so glad she’s not talking about it anymore.” Katniss scowled and gave them the middle finger, causing them both to laugh.

“I think you both are very biased over this whole thing,” Katniss said after a while. Gale and Madge didn’t say anything, too focused on tanning and summer reading homework. That didn’t seem to stop Katniss from continuing. “You’re both too friendly with him because of classes and band. He’s gotten to you.”

“One of us is biased,” Gale said, “and it’s not us. It’s you. You’ve hated him for as long as I’ve known you.”

“With good reason!” she huffed, crossing her arms. They didn’t ask her to elaborate on that, already making it clear they were done talking about Peeta Mellark and all the annoyances he brought to her life, and she hated the fact that she did want to keep talking about him. About marching band. About the whole stupid situation. But she kept her promise and kept her mouth shut. 

No one said anything further until Madge declared herself starving and Gale suggested they stuff their faces with greasy burgers and fries at Sae’s.

**********

Sae’s Diner was packed with its usual lunch crowd—men and women from the factories nearby on lunch, sitting at the worn pastel-colored counter; a couple of kids they recognized from school goofing off in the corner booth, shooting straw wrappers off the straws; and a book club filled with women in their fifties discussing some brick of a book over coffee and Sae’s famous blueberry and cream pie sitting in the center of the small diner. The old woman herself smiled warmly at them when they’d walked in, asking if they were wanting the usual. 

“You’re the best, Sae,” Gale thanked as they waved and headed to their booth next to the front door. 

As they waited for their cheeseburgers and chocolate milkshakes, Gale chatted about some war movie he and his brothers saw that sounded god awful boring, no matter how much he tried re-explaining the plot to them. Madge and Katniss rolled their eyes and told him if he wanted to see the movie again so badly, to go see it by himself. “I’m not going to the movies by myself like some weirdo,” he scoffed, taking his hands off the table as the waitress deposited their plates of food and drinks. 

“Why not?” Katniss asked, picking up a french fry to dip into her milkshake. “I do it all the time.” 

“Because you hate people.” 

“So do you.” He shrugged, not having much to argue there, and picked up his burger. 

“So what time is Trinket summoning you tomorrow?” Gale asked, changing the subject completely, and tearing into his burger. Grease dripped down his hands and Madge tossed a pile of napkins at him. He accepted with a smile and slid his side of pickles over to her, something he purposely ordered more of because he knew how much she liked them. Madge happily bit into one, her eyes gazing at him with such adoration, Katniss rolled her eyes. Their coupling was too much for her sometimes. 

“I thought you didn’t want me talking about marching band,” she said innocently enough, taking a bite into her own burger.

“I didn’t want you talking about Mellark,” he said pointedly, wagging a fry at her. “Marching band is different. Less annoying and less boy drama. So what time does Miss Cream Puff have you coming in?”

It irritated her that Gale simplified her great dislike for Peeta Mellark as mere boy drama because it was far more complicated than that, but there was no point trying to explain it to Gale. He understood a lot about her, but when it came to Peeta… Well, it was best to let him believe whatever he wanted. “Eight a.m. sharp,” she said sourly, dipping another french fry into her milkshake.

Gale winced. “That sucks. Why so early?” 

“Peeta couldn’t get out of working his afternoon shifts and it was either that or not have a single weekend off until November.” She was still bitter about the change in schedule. Originally Miss Trinket wanted them twice a week outside of color guard’s normal rehearsal times, but with Peeta’s work schedule not being as flexible as Katniss’, she’d decided to make it morning rehearsals and make those shorter, which forced them to add another day of rehearsal to make up for the cut time. Now instead of having rehearsal four times a week, Katniss had five with her weekends full of shifts at Aunt LuLu’s shop for the extra cash she desperately needed. This summer was going to blow.

“I still think you should’ve been picked for Juliet,” Katniss told Madge teasingly. “You and Gale, maybe?” she cooed. “The true star-crossed lovers of Athens Ridge.” 

Gale scowled. “I’d rather drop dead than have to deal with Trinket when she’s in choreographer mode. She’s a total tyrant.” 

“She’s not so bad once you get used to her.” 

“Tell me what you think after dealing with her for a whole season, oh captain, my captain.” 

Point taken.

Much like at the pool, they talked for a bit about things going on in their lives—Madge taking some online French class because her grades last semester weren’t great; Gale’s successful find for parts with Thom in the junkyard. Katniss didn’t say much as she munched on her burger and fries, afraid Madge would lecture her again on Peeta Mellark and her inability to let things go with him. That and she promised she was done talking about him. But outside of marching band and him, not much was going on in her life. She felt a bit pathetic about that. 

Conversation picked up when Sae came over, asking how things were doing. The three smiled at the old woman, happy to fill her in on all the small details of their lives. Sae was the unofficial grandmother of the Seam. Always there to show her support for her kiddos. Her small diner was covered with pictures of sports teams she’s sponsored over the years, pictures of her and kids dressed in dance gear, holding certificates. 

“Did you hear the news about Katniss, Sae?” Madge asked when the topic of marching band came up. Sae was always interested in that, loving watching her talented kids play as they wove around the field. “She’s going to be our Juliet this year! Isn’t that exciting?” 

Sae’s grey eyes warmed, turning to Katniss. “Is that so? Captain and the lead part?” She shook her head in astonishment, her salt and peppered colored hair coming loose from her hair tie. “You were always so talented with those flags. I’m not surprised. Who’s your Romeo?” 

“Peeta Mellark.” The name felt lodged in her throat, but thankfully, it squeezed out without too much of a squeak in her voice. 

Sae didn’t know all the kids on the west side, but she definitely knew Peeta. He would often tag along with her and her dad on their trips to the woods, stopping at the diner after for hot chocolate and pie. In fact, his picture was one of the first ones you saw coming in—Sae and six-year-old Peeta smiling at the camera, her arm around him as he proudly held up his lost baby tooth. Her dad had taken the picture, she remembered, and if the camera’s lens had shifted a little more to the right, it would have also captured five-year-old Katniss pouting on the side, upset that he kept losing his baby teeth when she’d lost none. It was a picture her gaze avoided whenever they visited Sae’s, unable to stomach the sight of an old friend turned asshole, the memory of her dad’s laughter as he took the photo. 

“Oh, Peeta,” Sae chuckled, the familiar twinkle she always got in her eyes when he was around. The old woman doted on him when they were kids and he ate up her attention like there was no tomorrow. “How is that boy? Staying out of mischief, I hope?” 

Gale and Madge looked to her with knowing smiles, wondering what she would say. Katniss cleared her throat and looked down at her half-eaten plate for a moment. “Fine, I guess. We don’t hang out anymore. You know that, Sae.” 

She did know that, but it never stopped her from asking whenever he came up. “Aye, girl, I do. I suppose you aren’t happy with Effie Trinket’s choice, then?” 

Gale snorted. “Happy? More like obsessively pissed. She hasn’t shut up about it since May.” She glared at her friend and he shrugged, popping a fry in his mouth. “What? You haven’t.” 

Sae gave one of her warm, crooked teeth smiles. “Maybe this is the push you kiddos need to kiss and make up.” Katniss’ cheeks warmed at the mention of kisses, remembering Leevy’s comment how they were so going to have sex by the end of the year. She still hadn’t fully forgiven her friend for that suggestion.

“I’m afraid that’s impossible, Sae,” she said, her voice still a little strained. “We’re just too different.”  

“Ah, well. I suppose we grow in different directions sometimes,” the woman sighed with a shake of her head. A woman from the book club table called for her and Sae gave them a parting wave and smile. “Tell Peeta ol’ Sae misses her boy and that he needs to come in more. I haven’t seen him in ages.”

Katniss pointedly avoided Gale and Madge’s amused smirks, focusing on the burger in front of her. “I’ll be sure to pass the message along,” she muttered, taking a big bite of her food to avoid continuing this conversation. She loved Sae. Thought of her like a grandmother. But there was no way in hell was she telling Peeta that. No way. Then he’d think she was gushing about him to anyone who would listen, thrilled to be his Juliet, a role many girls at school would kill for (Probably. Maybe. She thinks.), and then his stupid ego would just get bigger and he’d be even more obnoxious to deal with. No, best not to mention anything and lie next time she saw Sae. 

A small part felt guilty at that, though, because Sae was like a grandma who wanted the best for her, and Peeta too, she guessed, but again, Sae didn’t know what happened between them. And Katniss wasn’t going to fill her in on their broken history six years too late. 

Her phone next to her plate vibrated, signifying a text message just came in. Wiping her greasy hands, Katniss frowned, picking up her phone. Who was texting her? Everyone who’d text her was either sitting right across from her or were busy at work or camp. The little text message lit up at her touch, showing it was from an unknown number, and her frown turned into a scowl as she read it. 

Hey!!!!!!!!!1!1111!!!!!!! the message read with a thousand typo-filled exclamation marks. God, who text like that? Trinket gave me ur ######## Hope thats cool. Thought Id give mine!!!!!!!111111 🤗 Ill see u  Mon dearest Juliet ❤️❤️❤️❤️!!!!!!!!!!!!111!😘😘😘😘!!!111!!!!!! 

For the briefest of seconds, Katniss swore her vision blacked out. One moment she was staring at her phone. The next, darkness. Like her brain couldn’t process the simple text on her phone and chose to shut down instead. When her vision cleared, the message was still there, glaring brightly at her with those thousand exclamation/number marks. 

Peeta Mellark texted her. He had her number.

         Her stomach churned and now she feared that what her mother always warned about Sae’s greasy food would come true now and she’d throw it all up. 

Peeta Mellark texted her. It was truly official. He had her number and she had his and they were partners now. If she had any doubts about this whole thing before—as if she had dreamt the last four weeks of her life—they were wiped clean now. Replaced with this typo-filled text message from the very boy who hurt her. 

“You okay?” Madge asked.

Katniss nodded and clicked out of the message, tossing the phone into her bag. She’d deal with it later.

[mypassionfortrash]

Biology lessons (part one)

After parents’ evening doesn’t go according to plan, Roger schedules in some one-to-one time with you – his son’s biology teacher. Roger wants to brush up on his biology knowledge and you quickly realise that he’s a very hands-on learner.

Pairing: Roger Taylor x f!Reader Warnings: Implied smut; STRICTLY 18+ Notes: Just a cheeky one-shot inspired by some dad!Roger thirsting. This’ll have two parts, maybe more if people respond well to it. If you’ve enjoyed this and want to be tagged, please let me know. And if you made it to the end of this chapter, please be a courteous reader and reblog it or leave feedback!

Tags: @jennyggggrrr​ @wineandwanderings​ @scorpiogemini​

Parents' evening. Arguably the worst part of your job. One after the other, parents would file in and out of your classroom. Some of them liked to think they knew how to do your job better than you. Others felt that their kids could do no wrong. Some parents couldn't even be bothered to show up.

That was the case with your last appointment of the night – Mr Taylor. So, exhausted and dying to get home, you packed up and left. 

The following morning, you arrived at work and sank down behind your desk with a cup of coffee and some last-minute marking. But something caught your eye. Propped up on your pen pot was a crisp white piece of paper. It had your name on it. And you recognised that scrawled, slanted handwriting; it belonged to Angela from the office. Straightening out the note, you read it: 'Rufus' dad ran late. He's furious. Call him asap.'

Puffing out your cheeks, you smacked the note back down on the desk. It was too early for this. You picked up the phone and jabbed out the phone number. It rang three times before someone picked up.

"Hello?" a groggy voice said. "What do you want? It's half-seven."

"I'm sorry, Mr Taylor. It's Rufus' biology teacher here. I think I might have missed you last night."

"Biology teacher? A bloody time waster is what you are! I was twenty minutes late with the music teacher. Couldn't you have held on?"

The thing was, you didn't even know that Rufus' dad had shown up to parents' evening anyway. He hadn't actually bothered to sign in at reception. But now wasn't the time to tell him he was in the wrong. "I'm really sorry about that again, Mr Taylor. Do you still want to speak to me."

"Oh, I suppose so," he sighed.

"Are you busy just now?"

"It's half-past seven."

"Right," you agreed, glancing down at your watch. You mentally kicked yourself for that. "When are you free?"

"When's lunch for you?"

You rolled your eyes. You had a million and one other things to do on your lunch break, and dealing with Mr Taylor, as delightful as he was, didn't factor very highly on that list. "Twelve-thirty until quarter past one. But I don't have a class until two."

His voice perked up. "Just in case I'm late?"

"You said it, not me."

"I'll be there at twelve-thirty. On the dot."

"Good."

"Good."

"I'll see you then, Mr Taylor."

"I look forward to it."

Slamming the phone down, you decided to wander down to the staff room for another cup of coffee. You figured you would need it after agreeing to prolong the parents' evening agony. When you walked in, you were greeted by the usual familiar faces. Half of them were so organised that it pained you to listen to them. The other half loved to gossip and arrived at work early to do precisely that. As you flicked on the kettle and spooned a heap of cheap instant coffee into your mug, something caught your attention.

"…And did you speak to Rufus' dad last night?"

"Oh! Don't get me started on Mr Taylor!"

"Those big, sad eyes. Gorgeous hair that I'd just love to…"

"I'm telling you if I were his wife, I'd never let him out of my sight!"

"Well that's the thing, I heard she left him!"

"Never?!"

"It's true. It was all over the papers. Big scandal."

"I wish I had known that last night…"

You knew exactly who was speaking. You tried your hardest to ignore it. To just pour your coffee and go. But on your way out, they caught you. Ms Ferguson from Art and Miss Hunter from English. Right as your hand grasped the door handle, their voices made you wince.

"You were supposed to speak to Rufus' dad last thing, weren't you?"

"Was that where you disappeared to?"

You turned around to look at them. "He was running late. So I left."

"You were missing out!"

"I'm sure I was," you said, grimacing as you left the room.

As your last class before lunch filed out of the lab, you noticed Angela linger at the doorway. But you couldn't resist being drawn to the man standing beside her; absentmindedly tousling his fingers through his messy blonde hair and looking bored to death and effortlessly cool in his button-up shirt and skintight jeans. There was no mistaking him. He was Rufus' dad. 

After introductions, you and Roger sat down in silence on opposite sides of your desk. You shuffled through your pile of report cards and notes from the night before, attempting to concentrate on anything but how snug that denim looked on him. "I'll try to make this quick for you, Mr Taylor. You must be a busy man," you began, skimming over Rufus' report card.

"Please, call me Roger," he said, rolling up his sleeves and shooting you a wink. "I've got all the time in the world… especially for you."

You glanced down at the report card again, hoping your face wasn't giving away your embarrassment. "Look, Mr Taylor, there's no easy way of saying this. Rufus isn't doing too well in my class."

Roger's eyes widened. "Oh boy."

You almost felt bad for Rufus. He was a pleasant enough kid. "He doesn't pay attention, and he's… unruly. Doesn't do his homework. Constantly chats away in class. I'm really concerned he might be falling behind. I get it, biology isn't for everyone, and I know he has other ideas, but I need to make sure all of my students are getting the most that they can out of each class."

"I mean it's not hard to see why he'd be distracted." Roger grinned, gesturing towards you. "He's a bit of a chip off the old block," 

Sitting up straight, you tried a different tactic. "Mr Taylor, I really want to see your son do well and I'd appreciate it if you took this as seriously as I do."

Roger nodded. "Right. Right… you're right."

"We've got lots of opportunities for extra tuition. We're actually running an Easter school this year during the holidays. That might help Rufus to catch up."

The corner of Roger's mouth twitched. "Are you going to be there?"

Slotting your fingers together in front of you, you leaned forward. "I'm going to be taking some of the classes, yes."

"Good," he said, leaning back in his chair. He looked like he was analysing every detail of your appearance. "Good. I'm sure I – Rufus, I mean – could make it."

"Is there anything you would like to bring to my attention, Mr Taylor?"

Roger's teeth sank into his lower lip as his eyes batted back and forth beneath his half-moon glasses. You couldn't help but notice just how blue they were. "You know," he began, scratching the back of his neck. "I studied biology at uni. Maybe I could help him?"

"That sounds like a fantastic idea."

"I'm a bit rusty, though. As you can imagine, that was a long time ago," he smirked. "I might need a bit of extra tuition myself." An awkward hush dangled in the air between you. Did you just mishear him? Before you could muster a dry comeback, Roger cleared his throat. "You know… just so I know what I'm talking about. Where are we up to?"

"Um…" you hesitated. If you cracked an egg on your face at that moment, it would have fried in seconds. You swallowed hard and looked Roger dead in the eye: "Reproduction."

Roger's face lit up with a devilish grin that forced his lips wide apart. "Right. Survival of the fittest? The strongest, most successful male gets the female?"

"Not quite, but I'm sure you'd know a thing or two about all of that," you muttered before you could think. 

Roger was quick to blurt back. "You know drummers have exceptional stamina?"

You raised an eyebrow. "Is that right?"

"It's an excellent workout."

You just couldn't resist digging yourself even further into that hole. "I can think of better workouts to test your stamina."

"How long did you say you had again?"

"I have until two, why?"

"Just… thought you could give me a bit of extra tuition. Just now. So that I can get to work teaching Rufus about the birds and the bees as it were." Roger pretended to be meek, darting around what he really wanted. 

But you knew he had been checking you out since the second he stepped into your classroom. And who were you to pass up an opportunity like this? It had been a while since anyone checked you out, or did anything more for that matter. "Extra tuition?" you repeated slowly, widening your eyes.

Roger's thigh went limp, swaying off to the side in a casual kind of way. You couldn't resist gawping at how his jeans strained at his crotch. "That's right," he smirked. Even the way that he absentmindedly chewed at the skin around his fingernails while he looked at you made you forget how to breathe.

"I mean… I'm sure I can give you a copy of the curriculum and the learning outcomes," you began, fumbling with the sheets of paper on your desk, suddenly remembering that he was a parent. And you were a teacher. You couldn't risk it, could you? "And Rufus has a textbook, I'm sure you can…"

"I'm actually more of a hands-on learner. It might be helpful if you could walk me through the unit on reproduction in person. It's been a while since I…" He paused, fighting back a small laugh. "Reproduced."

"Of course. I need to actually prepare for my next class," you wittered, handing Roger a bundle of notes to sift through. "Some other time, maybe?"

The look of wild excitement wiped off of Roger's features. Now he just seemed concerned. "I'm sorry if I–" he began, standing up.

"It's fine," you said as you ushered him towards the door. "You're not the first to throw the odd innuendo my way." Lingering just at the door, you and Roger stood inches away from each other. The smell of his aftershave drew you closer, and the little details – the laughter lines and patches of sunburn – on his face held you there. "You have the school's number if you need anything else?" Inching the door open, you averted your gaze.

"And my offer still stands about that extra tuition," he said with a coy tap on your shoulder.

"I'll bear that in mind."

"Well, it was lovely meeting you."

"And you, Mr Taylor. Hopefully I'll see you again at Easter school."

Roger was halfway into the empty corridor when he looked back at you. "Oh, you will. Don't worry."

Closing the door and leaning against it, only then did you realise how ferociously your heart pounded. You could feel every breath hitch in your throat as you tried to unscramble your feelings. You raked your fingers through your hair. You could still hear Roger's footsteps echo down the hallway. You had everything to lose from this. But that didn't stop you from going after him.

"Mr Taylor!" you called, sprinting down the hallway on legs that felt like jelly. "Mr Taylor! Wait!"

Roger was barely a foot away from the front door when he turned around, smirking.

You stopped in your tracks, glancing around for prying eyes. Then you tried to regain your composure as much as you possibly could. "I…" you trailed off, searching for a reasonable excuse to drag him back to your classroom. "You've forgotten something, Mr Taylor."

"Have I?" He raised his eyebrows.

He might have played dumb, but Roger followed hot on your heels as you marched back to the lab. You could already feel your insides starting to churn at the thought of what was about to happen, but you were helpless to stop it.

When you got back to the classroom, you locked the door behind you, leaving you alone with the dull chatter from the playground outside streaming in from the window. Roger waited in the middle of the room, glancing around at the diagrams on the walls as he trailed his fingertips over the edge of one of the benches. You were about three steps behind what you wanted to happen; taking deep breaths with your back to the door. Sussing out your next move. "Someone might see us," you murmured. Then you made a beeline for the cupboard at the back of the room. "Come on, in here."

Roger's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets as he crammed himself inside, pressing up against your body and closed the door behind him. His hands found their way to your waist as if by sheer instinct. But for the first time since he arrived in your classroom, he looked just a tad more serious, peering down at you over the rims of his glasses. "Are you sure about this?"

"You're not?" You raised an eyebrow. "Those eyes of yours haven't stopped straying since the second you met me. Now cut the bullshit, Mr Taylor."

Off the back of that bold move, you could have died when he so nonchalantly reached up and unfastened the buttons on your blouse. He didn't even change a shade. "Just don't want you getting in trouble is all."

"I won't if no one catches us."

Roger was already peppering kisses along your jawline, rendering you utterly at his mercy. All you could do was grasp at his hair. "I'll try not to make you scream too loudly then."

That was a goddamn lie. You could already tell that he wasn't going to hold back. The way his lips crashed against yours told you that much. You were too distracted by Roger's efforts to move. You had to fight to drive your hands lower, tentatively dragging your nails down Roger's chest. Lower still, down to his belt. Unbuckling it. Making for his zipper.

But he kept his lips locked on yours, eager to distract you from his hands hiking up your skirt. Pressing his fingertips into your thighs so harshly you'd probably bruise. When he realised he was touching your bare skin, something clicked in his brain. He pulled away, his lips swollen and pink and breathless, and glanced down. "Stockings?" he grinned. "God, I wish we had teachers like you back in my day."

"That's just a bit weird," you giggled and rolled your eyes. 

"Oh, is that something you just save for the parents?" he asked, delivering a smack to your bottom.

"Only the rich, handsome ones."

Roger chuckled, slowly closing the gap between you both again. But then you were forced apart by the shrill sound of the bell. The end of lunchtime.

"Fuck," you hissed under your breath. You smoothed down your skirt and buttoned up your blouse.

Roger scowled, leaning back against the wall, almost sending a shelf full of beakers toppling over. "Well, that's a shame," he said, springing on the balls of his feet.

"You're telling me."

"Maybe some other time?" Roger suggested. He had a coy, hopeful look on his face.

"Yeah. Sure," you sighed, breezing out into the classroom. "You really should get going. Some of the older kids sometimes drop in when they have free periods. This has been… Nice."

Roger seemed taken aback, but nevertheless, he followed you to the door and kept up the act when you opened it out on to a bustling corridor. "I'll speak to Rufus about Easter school. Maybe I can bribe him with one of those violent computer games or something. Make sure he behaves, just for you."

"Thank you for your time, Mr Taylor."

After Roger left, you spent the rest of the day, and well into the night, torturing yourself with thoughts of what might have happened between you and Roger if you hadn't been so rudely interrupted. Wondering if he could play just as filthy as he talked. If he fucked as good as he looked. But then, you also wondered how you were going to look poor Rufus in the eye. After all, he was in your first class the following day.

At a quarter to nine, a steady stream of tired, grumpy teenagers invaded the lab and perched themselves behind each bench. As usual, Rufus straggled a good ten minutes behind his classmates. You were already at the board, going through yesterday's homework when he came in and tapped you on the shoulder. 

"Dad told me to give you this, Miss," he said, handing you an envelope with your name on it. Feeling warmth surge to your cheeks, you glanced out at the room, hoping none of your students somehow knew about what happened in the cupboard. "That's fine, Rufus. Go and sit down."

"Aren't you going to tell me off for being late?" he prodded.

"I'll let it slide this time." Then you turned your attention to the rest of the room. "Answers are up on the board; swap jotters. Mark each others' work."

Slipping your fingers underneath the seal, you pulled out the piece of paper inside. Your heart raced, and your eyes widened with every word.

'Dinner? 

'Friday? 

'You should have my number. 

'Let me know, 

'Mr T.

'P.S: Wear those stockings.'

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

Friendly reminder: you’ve made it this far! Congratulations! Please, if you enjoyed reading this fic, reblog it.

You spent 20 minutes reading this for free. I spent six hours on this (I currently have about £500 in freelance writing work that I could’ve done). I love writing fanfiction, but it’s really demoralising to rarely get feedback, and for tumblr’s algorithm to bury posts because no one shares them. And honestly, I don’t want to guilt you, but I’m kind of close to quitting sharing my writing on here because of it.

So please, support writers. Reblog fics (even if you don’t think you have a lot of followers)! Leave feedback (even just a key smash, don’t be shy)! I’d really appreciate it and I’m sure other authors would, too!

>>NEXT CHAPTER>>

[detectivecarlosreyes]

In Case of Emergency (Ch 4/10)

Ao3 | 2.7/6.1k | Eventual Buddie | Status: Incomplete

Prev. Chapter | Next Chapter

Chapter 4: A shoulder to cry on  They haven't heard from Eddie in 3 days since Shannon's passing and Buck is worried. An additional scene set between 2x17 and 2x18

It was months later when Buck used Eddie’s key for the second time, half wishing it was for an actual emergency because at least then he would know what to do.

It had been three days since Shannon had passed away and he couldn’t help but worry about Eddie. Realistically, he knew that Eddie had Chris, his Abuela, and Tia to keep him company, but it wasn’t enough to stop him from worrying until he heard from or saw the man in person.

No one had heard a word from the man since the accident, not that he expected to hear from the grieving man, but all of his attempts to contact the man had him stonewalled and left on read with nary a reply, so he could only begin to imagine how the man was doing.

“Any word from Eddie?” He asked while they took the opportunity for a 3 pm lunch, passing Hen her sandwich, hoping that maybe he’d reached out to someone.

“Haven’t since the hospital,” Chim responded in between mouthfuls of his sandwich and looked to Hen who shrugged and shook her head empathetically.

“Last I spoke to him was when I let him know he could have a much time as he needed and that wasn’t much of a conversation.” Added Bobby as he packed away the sandwich fillings.

Buck nodded along in understanding but still feeling uneasy, unsure of what he could do to help his grieving partner. It takes him the rest of the shift to decide but eventually he figured it would be worth it to at least check on him in person on his way home after shift.

Before leaving the station, he sent a quick message to Eddie.

Me: I know you haven’t answered any of my other messages but thought I might stop by on my way home tonight, just thought I’d give you a heads up if you didn’t want me to.

Eddie: Read 8:28pm

It was nearing 9 pm by the time Buck made it to Eddie’s place. He intended to be there much earlier, but he ended up stopping along the way to pick up a Nutella pizza and beer figuring Eddie might like some comfort food.

Buck checked his phone when he parked outside Eddie’s house. Taking the lack of response as a sign that he didn’t not want him to come over. He slid the beer and pizza from the passenger seat into his lap before getting out and locking the truck.

As he walked up to the house, he hesitated a few steps from his Jeep briefly reconsidering this whole idea, doubt colouring his thoughts about whether or not he was overstepping just to give himself peace of mind. With a bite of his lip, he surged forward to the door pushing past the indecision and gave it a cursory knock before using the key to unlock it.

Upon entering, he could hear the faint sound of the tv as he tentatively made his way inside calling out to Eddie, wondering if he was even going to accept his presence. Moving through the house he passed the empty living room immediately noting the lack of Chris’ presence and energy within the walls despite the hour, the heavy weight of sorrow taking his place.

He found his partner in the kitchen peering absentmindedly into the fridge seemingly unaware Buck had been calling his name and watched as he startled slightly when he closed the fridge door having taken nothing out of it.

“Uh, hey man. Thought you might like some company.” Buck said cautiously, unable to read Eddie’s face like he normally could. Eddie’s eyes momentarily flickered with what looked to be gratitude before taking the beer out of his hand and carried it to the living room.

Taking that as an invitation to hang around, Buck followed him, concern blossoming in his chest. Eddie set the beer down, immediately taking one, and opened it as he collapsing on the couch. Buck did the same, placing the pizza down next to the beer and fell into the adjacent armchair.

The tv was quietly playing some kind of nature documentary and it was only now that Buck noticed looking around that most of the lights were off except the lamp sitting behind the couch bathing them in muted light.

He turned his attention back to Eddie, who has slouched down into the couch, staring glassy-eyed at the tv with the beer resting on his leg, untouched. He looked exhausted, with dark shadows under his eyes and hair mussed. It looked like he hadn’t shaved since Buck last saw him which, considering the circumstance was unsurprising. All in all, he looked like what you’d expect of a man who had recently lost his wife.

“I – Uh, brought a Nutella pizza, it’s not the healthiest of choices but I’ve always found that it’s surprisingly good comfort food. Though, you don’t have to eat it if you don’t want to.” Buck rambled, unsure of what else to say. Eddie barely acknowledged that he heard aside from a quick glance at him and the box, staying silent as he turned back to stare off in the direction of the tv.

Buck rubbed the back of his neck feeling kind of awkward, “Look, man. I don’t know how you must be feeling right now, but I’m here if you wanted someone to talk to or I can just sit here quietly…” he took in Eddie’s far off expression, “…or I can just go if that’s what you want.”

He moved to get up taking the quiet as an answer, but Eddie quickly snagged his wrist, halting his movement. Buck looked down at him, who in turn was looking up at him with glistening eyes.

It was then that Eddie uttered a small, “Don’t go, not yet.”

With a look like that, Buck couldn’t imagine being able to deny such a request, his heart just wouldn’t allow it.

He sat back down, choosing instead to take a seat next to Eddie on the couch, shuffling closer to him until their legs were pressed together. Eddie sagged into the couch following Buck’s seating choice and released what sounded to be a relieved sigh, seemingly taking comfort in the contact. After some moments he leaned forward and set the still untouched beer on the coffee table and then rested his forearms on his knees with his hands hanging between them and head bowed.

“The house is so quiet when Chris isn’t here, even when he’s asleep it never feels like this. My Abuela and Tia have been here ever since they found out about the accident but today, they thought it might be a good idea for Chris to stay with them tonight just so I could have some time for myself to process.”

He absentmindedly reached for a slice of pizza and took a small bite of it before setting it on top of the box, “I just don’t know what to do with myself. The funeral is a day from now, my family and her family are coming, and I have no idea of what I’m going to do or say.”

He continued, voice now thick with emotion, “I was ready to be a family again, I thought we were having another kid together and then we weren’t. I was ready to be a family again and she wanted a divorce and then she died just like that,” Eddie choked back a sob, “Even after all of that and everything that we went through, I still loved her.”

It was then that he started to cry in full force over this admittance, letting the grief and the emotions that were mingled in with it flow through him through his tears.

Not knowing what to say, Buck did the only thing he could think to do and silently wrapped a supportive arm around Eddie’s shoulders as he crumpled in on himself.

Eddie’s body shook with the heavy sobs as he turned his head into Buck’s shoulder, soaking the material of his shirt with his tears. Feeling his heart break for the man that he’s grown to care for, Buck rubbed soothing circles into Eddie’s shoulder as he cried, knowing there was nothing that he could say that would ease this kind of pain.

They stayed like that for some time, Buck just holding Eddie until the flow of tears start to dry up and Eddie pulled away, wiping at his face and looking embarrassed. Buck let his arms fall away, allowing Eddie as much space as he wanted.

“Sorry, I’m never like–”

Buck interrupted him with a stalling hand before he could finish what he was about to say, “Don’t say another word, you have nothing to apologise for. I’m here for you, whatever you need, even if it meant just being a shoulder to cry on.”

“Thank you,” breathed Eddie softly as he gave him a small smile.

“Did you want me to stay?” Buck asked gently, seeing now that Eddie might need the company.

He watched as Eddie slouched down and rest his head on the back of the couch, tilting his head to the side look at him. “Could you? You make it feel less quiet, you always do.”

Buck slumped down, mirroring Eddie as he took in the smoothed lines of his face in the glow of the tv, making himself more comfortable while keeping his knee in contact with Eddie’s.

“Okay then, I’ll stay.” He breathed, knowing that he would do anything Eddie asked of him

They stayed like that for a couple of hours, with Buck quietly telling Eddie about all the calls that he had missed over the last couple of days, embellishing where he could. Eddie for his part, did his best to respond and ask questions when appropriate, but as the time passed, his answers shortened and started turning into hums, and eventually he slid sideways against Buck, lightly snoring.

Buck carefully moved out from under him and gently set him down on the couch, lifting his feet up so that he was lying more comfortably on his side. He then went to Eddie’s room and grabbed the comforter and a pillow and brought them back to the lounge room, easing the pillow under his friend’s head before draping the comforter over him.

With hands on his hips, he tore his gaze from the sleeping man to survey the rest of the room and decided to, at the very least, clear up the coffee table, gathering the beers and pizza, moving them to the kitchen. Placing both onto the bench, he scratched his head in dismay.

There were a number of dishes piled up beside and in the sink. It looked as though nothing had been washed in a few days, that is not to say that Eddie didn’t have or use his dishwasher, he did, except for the fact that it was currently half full of clean dishes.

Realising that it was too late to get stuck into them now as it was past midnight and not wanting to wake Eddie with the clattering of dishes, Buck made a mental note to tackle the cleaning in the morning and instead put both the pizza and what was left of the beer in the fridge.

When he returned to the living room, he kicked off his shoes and set them by the door before grabbing the blanket draped on the back of the armchair and settled into the chair for the night watching the quiet rise and fall of Eddie’s chest, letting the rhythm lull him to sleep as he kept his promise to stay.

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

Eddie woke up suddenly for no discernible reason, confusion muddling his thoughts as he took in his surroundings. Why was he sleeping on the couch? And how did his comforter and pillow get from his bedroom to the living room? He jolted upright, now realising that the reason he woke up was because there were noises coming from the kitchen.

A quick surge of panic rose within him and he threw back the comforter preparing to defend himself against the intruder as he heard the footfalls travelling towards the kitchen doorway. Almost as quickly as it had come, the panic vanished and was replaced by relief as soon as Buck came into view carrying two mugs of coffee, bringing forth the memory of the night before.

“Morning.” Buck greeted as he set down a mug in front of Eddie on the coffee table before sighing and falling into the armchair.

Looking him up and down, Eddie noticed that Buck was wearing exactly the same clothing as he was the night before, minus the shoes. The blanket that was usually folded and draped on the back of the armchair was now bundled and spilling over the arm.

Eddie took a sip of the coffee, watching Buck as he did so.

“You stayed.” He murmured over the lip of the mug, both unsurprised and surprised that the man had stayed in the awkward chair for the night just because he asked him to stay.

“I said that I would,” answered Buck easily.

They fell into a companionable silence after that, not feeling a need to fill the air with words, instead sipping contentedly at their coffees. It wasn’t until he had finished half of the mug that Buck announced that he answered a call from Pepa on Eddie’s phone earlier, saying that she would be over with Christopher in an hour or so.

Once their coffees were drained, they straightened up the living room, gathering up the bedding from the couch and took it back to the bedroom, it was here that Buck cleared his throat, “Hey, Eds.”

Eddie hummed in response, focusing on smoothing out the comforter.

“I know we’ll be on shift when the funeral is scheduled, but if you want, I’ll ask Bobby if we can stop by…”

“You don’t have to Buck, it’s okay if you guys can’t make it, I’ll have my family there,”

“I want us to. To be there for you.”

Touched by his insistence, Eddie looked up and gave him a small smile, “That would be nice.”

Buck matched his smile with one of his own, “Okay then.”

And that was that. Buck left shortly after once everything was in order, claiming that Eddie should take some time to himself to clean up and sort himself before his son came home, to which he didn’t disagree as he ran a hand across his jawline.

It was only after Buck had left and Eddie had taken a shower did he notice that the laundry hamper in the bathroom was void of any clothes causing him to do a double take. Puzzled, he headed to the laundry, still wrapped in his towel, only to discover two neatly stacked piles of freshly washed and dried clothes, one for him and one for Christopher.

He smiled to himself taking his stack to his bedroom and got dressed. Stomach now grumbling from the lack of breakfast, Eddie made his way to the kitchen to discover that Buck had also cleaned every inch of the kitchen. All the dishes had either been washed by hand and stacked or been put in the dishwasher which was only a few minutes away from finishing its cycle.

He opened the fridge revealing the last surprise of the morning, a jug of pancake batter with a post-it note attached to it, “Eat Me! :)” was inscribed on it in Buck’s scrawl causing Eddie to actually chuckle to himself, something that he didn’t think was possible since Shannon had passed. He pulled out his phone and send Buck a text.

Me: I hope that note isn’t suggesting that these pancakes will make me a giant like Alice. Me: Thanks again for everything you’ve done.

Buck’s response was almost immediate.

Buck: Can’t say I can promise anything about the pancakes ;) Buck: No worries man, I said I’d have your back.

Eddie smiled at the phone before putting it in his pocket and turned his attention to making some pancakes wondering how he could even come close to returning the favour. As it turned out, that opportunity came about sooner than he expected.

[tabloidtoc]

People, May 10

Cover: Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade

Page 3: Chatter -- Mindy Kaling on technology woes, Amy Adams on wanting to go into acting because of Grease, Gal Gadot on telling her daughters Maya and Alma about her pregnancy, DJ Khaled on using Rihanna's skin-care line, Christie Brinkley on showing off her body on Instagram at age 67, Whoopi Goldberg on writing a superhero movie about an older Black lady

Page 4: 5 Things We're Talking About -- Michael Keaton returns as Batman, Jane Fonda recalls her first and best kiss, Maya Rudolph would give Bridesmaids another go, the stars of ER scrub in one more time, popcorn and donuts team up

Page 7: Contents

Page 8: StarTracks -- one day before Prince William and Princess Kate's youngest child Prince Louis turned 3, Kensington Palace released a new portrait of the little royal to mark the occasion; Kate snapped the photo of Louis, who wore a school uniform and backpack as he rode his bike outside their home in London ahead of his first day of preschool

Page 9: JoJo Siwa and mom Jessalynn went for a roller-coaster ride at Disney's Hollywood studios in Florida, Madonna in a three-piece Gucci suit for dinner at West Hollywood staple Craig's

Page 10: Stars on Set -- Rachel Brosnahan was pretty in pink while filming season 4 of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel with costar Alex Borstein in NYC, John Cena flashed a peace sign when he took a coffee break while filming The Suicide Squad spinoff series Peacemaker in Vancouver, Tika Sumpter and James Marsden shot an action-packed scene for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in Vancouver

Page 11: Katie Holmes was spotted on a Connecticut set preparing to film the drama The Watergate Girl in which she'll play Watergate prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks, Awkwafina and Bowen Yang filmed the upcoming season of Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens in NYC, Melissa Benoist suited up for Supergirl in Vancouver

Page 12: Brooke Shields who is recovering after breaking her femur in a gym accident walked arm in arm after a lunch with husband Chris Henchy, Britney Spears and boyfriend Sam Asghari posed for a photo before attending a friend's wedding

Page 15: Stars in the Sun -- Maren Morris flaunted her new tan while enjoying a tropical getaway, Simone Biles and boyfriend Jonathan Owens cuddled up during a trip to Florida, Lindsey Vonn caught some waves and some rays while paddleboarding in Tulum, Derek Hough cooled off in the ocean during a beach day in L.A., Brie Larson enjoyed a dip while on vacation in Hawaii

Page 17: Scoop -- Life After Their Split -- how Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez are moving on

Page 18: Inside Caitlyn Jenner's run for governor

Page 20: Heart Monitor -- Tarek El Moussa and Heather Rae Young ready to wed, Pete Davidson and Phoebe Dynevor going public, Zac Efron and Vanessa Valladares split, Billie Eilish and Matthew Tyler Vorce new couple?

Page 23: Jana Kramer and Mike Caussin's messy divorce

* Susannah Constantine -- my royal friendship with Princess Margaret

Page 24: Open House -- French Montana

* Baby Boom -- the latest on Hollywood's growing families -- Marie Kondo and Takumi Kawahara welcomed a son, Nick and Lauren Carter welcomed their third child

Page 27: Ed Helms talks life after The Office

Page 29: Passages, Why I Care -- Lisa Kudrow is working with doctors at UCLA to end the stigma surrounding mental health issues

Page 31: Stories to Make You Smile -- most cats can't stand the water but 8-month-old Marlin can't get enough and his Instagram is @carolinejarvis, a first grader's airplane kits give wings to kids' travel dreams

Page 35: People Picks -- Tom Clancy's Without Remorse

Page 36: Limbo, One to Watch -- Shadow and Bone's Jessie Mei Li

Page 37: Pose, Pet Stars

Page 38: The Handmaid's Tale, Thomas Rhett -- Country Again: Side A, Q&A with Olivia Holt

Page 39: The Mosquito Coast, Inspiring America: The 2021 Inspiration List

Page 41: Books

Page 42: Oscars 2021 -- The Return of Glamour -- the show was unconventional, just 170 guests were allowed in L.A.'s Union Station, and COVID restrictions were strictly enforced, but stars did their part to bring back some movie magic

Page 43: Andra Day

Page 44: Fabulous Fashion -- crop tops, ball gowns and bows ruled the red carpet -- Angela Bassett, Zendaya, Carey Mulligan, Maria Bakalova

Page 45: Margot Robbie, Reese Witherspoon, Viola Davis, Amanda Seyfried

Page 46: Behind the Scenes -- Regina King -- the actress closed out awards season in a custom Louis Vuitton creation

Page 48: Shine Bright -- there's no such thing as too much bling -- Laura Pausini, Vanessa Kirby, Zendaya

Page 49: Maria Bakalova, Daniel Kaluuya, Glenn Close, Tiara Thomas

Page 50: Very Well Suited -- these sharp dressers put their own twists on the tuxedo -- Lakeith Stanfield, Colman Domingo, Paul Raci, Tyler Perry, Sacha Baron Cohen, Alan Kim

Page 53: Getting Ready with Andra Day

Page 55: Getting Ready with Angela Bassett

Page 56: Romance on the Red Carpet -- these couples only had eyes for each other -- Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher, Halle Berry and Van Hunt, Chloe Zhao and Joshua James Richards, Riz Ahmed and Fatima Farheen Mirza

Page 57: Steven Yeun and Joana Pak, Leslie Odom Jr. and Nicolette Robinson, Paul Raci and Liz Hanley Raci, Aaron Sorkin and Paulina Porizkova

Page 58: Best in Show -- there were A-list stars, groundbreaking moments and social distancing as Hollywood gathered safely to honor the best movies of the year -- Reese Witherspoon

Page 61: Alan Kim, Angela Bassett, Rita Moreno

Page 62: Major Moments -- these artists broke barriers during the most historic ceremony ever -- Emerald Fennell, Chloe Zhao, Daniel Kaluuya

Page 63: H.E.R., Anthony Hopkins, Yuh-Jung Youn with Brad Pitt, Mia Neal

Page 65: Yuh-Jung Youn and Daniel Kaluuya and Frances McDormand, Elton John and Dua Lipa, Andra Day and Winnie Harlow

Page 66: Cover Story -- Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union -- Dream Team -- the actress and NBA champ open up about protecting their family, fighting for what's right and why they're stronger than ever

Page 72: George Floyd's Killer Found Guilty -- We Can Breathe Again -- friends and family of the Minneapolis man killed by police rejoice after a jury's verdict and vow with supporters to keep fighting systemic racism

Page 76: Bethenny Frankel -- what I know now -- the irrepressible former Real Housewives star and businesswoman is newly engaged and back as a boss with a new show

Page 80: A Son Lost to Suicide, A Father's Mission -- we loved him every day, but it wasn't enough -- after the shocking death of his 12-year-old son, Brad Hunstable has a message for parents: talk to your kids about suicide

Page 84: Andrew McCarthy -- I was never suited for fame -- the beloved actor, and author of a new memoir, looks back on his enduring films, surviving his '80s stardom and how his affiliation with the so-called Brat Pack was a mixed blessing

Page 88: Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton's 10-year anniversary -- remembering the big day -- those who made the wedding a fairy tale share their memories

Page 92: Country Singer Thomas Rhett -- fame, family and finding my way -- the star opens up about overcoming struggled with his wife Lauren in their 8-year-marriage and learning to put their family first

Page 98: Murdered Soldier Vanessa Guillen's Fiance -- every day I pray for justice -- a year after losing the love of his life, Juan Cruz is determined to make sure the Army specialist's legacy is never forgotten and that her tragic death inspires lasting change

Page 102: George W. Bush -- painting with a purpose -- the former president avoided making waves, until his party's nativist prompted him to use his art to celebrate immigrants

Page 106: Pop Star Julia Michaels -- how I learned to love myself -- the singer talks falling in love, managing anxiety and writing hits for Britney Spears and Selena Gomez

Page 116: One Last Thing -- Josh Duhamel