#him as a possible muse just means that i'm gonna go feral about him

[mvncesa]

why do the gloves make this a lil bit extra 👀

[konohadaddies]

💙‽

if you have any ideas for any of your guys throw them at me. i'm curious. and mostly down for anything granted plotting is included.

I'm gonna answer for my main active muses today which are Sasuke, Itachi, Hakai and Hiashi.

Sasuke:

I don't think he could do familial relationships with really anyone unless it was like a kid that he adopted/had with someone. As for romantic, I could see that maybe after the war and everything when Sasuke is completely accepting of himself and knows that no one really has power over him anymore (working for the village is his choice thank you very much), that maybe something making them spend time together (sauce as a body guard or something for him for a mission) where they could speak like equals that Sauce could eventually form feelings for him as he does prefer strong partners.

Itachi:

My Itachi is post war, the edo-tensei has never worn off and now his only real weakness is that he's blind in the one eye. Otherwise he's at his peak strength. He does miss having family, but it would take a lot for him to trust Orochimaru. Or forgive him for what he did to Sauce. But he might be able to catch some kind of feelings if they had a reason to spend enough time together.

Hakai:

Demon Dog would have little intimidation from Orochimaru even if the sage tried to intimidate him. Which means he'd probably just call Oro out about bluffing at him and to get off his high horse. He does do general work for Konoha at times, mainly in making soldier pills or tracking missions. Though there's also the possibility of a more feral Hakai where in he no longer cares about hiding his demon side. However, no matter the 'verse trying to use him for his power is not likely to go in anyone's favor lol He does get paternal vibes for people at times, especially if either he finds them at a weak point (such as injured) or they find him injured. But with someone who is strong enough, such as Oro, those feelings could also end up more shippy as his inner demon craves for a mate.

Hiashi:

This man is all sorts of messed up lol Familial threads? Not likely as he only knows family in terms of how the Hyuuga act and has no desire to have those sorts of conditional connections to anyone he actually cares about. Treating his daughters as the elders dictate has caused him much pain over the years. As for shippy stuff? Hiashi would be somewhat hesitant just because "Is this so he can laugh at me later? Or tell the elders about the way I've lied in regards to grieving my wife?" and such like that. But! He is very attracted to strong men and does find Oro quite pleasing to look at. He's just very aware of his clans expectations of him and isn't good at putting his own desires at the forefront of things generally.

[sunnyskiesmike]

Saving Grace || Michael Clifford AU - Chapter One

Setting: Los Angeles, 2015

TW: Child abuse

* 

Michael twiddled his thumbs nervously as he waited for his girlfriend of three years, Amy, to join him outside of the car. Their black Jeep was parked beneath a small oak tree, morning sunlight reflecting off of the shiny paint. Amy was still scrolling through her phone, transfixed with what was probably some Instagram post or Snapchat story.

Michael's hand reached into his left side pocket, where the small velvet box was concealed. His heart began to pound as he ran his thumb over the smooth material, the reminder of the events to come. He closed his eyes as he recollected the night before.

"Let's go to the park tomorrow morning, Amy." He had said before shoving another forkful of dinner into his mouth. "The weather's supposed to be quite nice, and you and I are both off of work."

Amy had smiled at him. "I'm always up for the park."

Michael was brought back to the present when Amy touched his arm. "You okay, Mikey?" she asked, wrapping her arm around his and leaning her head against his shoulder. Michael swallowed hard.

"Yes, yes I am." he replied, forcing a smile. Amy furrowed her eyebrows, but followed along as he began to lead them down a gravel trail.

Trees decorated both sides of the path, leaves green with the new growth of early spring. Michael loved spring. Everything was so fresh and vibrant; a symbol of new beginnings.

New beginnings.

He led Amy across the wooden bridge that the pair had crossed so many times. They'd had their first kiss here, three years ago to the date. There was no fancy music or cheesy words spoken; just the sound of wind rustling the trees and water rushing below, just as it was today.

Michael felt his stomach rise into his throat as they approached a large oak tree. They'd sat under it many times for picnics, long talks, and even stargazing one night. Something was special about that tree. He wasn't sure if it was the way the leaves fanned out so perfectly that they created a canopy of shade, or how the trunk was so wide that Michael and Amy could sit side-by-side with their backs against it, just to relax. Perhaps it was simply because they sat beneath it when he asked Amy to be his girlfriend. Whatever it was, Michael knew it was the place where he was going to ask.

"Are we going to have another one of our long talks about the meaning of life?" Michael was snapped from his thoughts by Amy's teasing tone. He rolled his eyes playfully and nudged her.

"Not this time." he replied as they crossed from sunlight to shade beneath the tree. His heart began to race yet again, his mouth going dry. Nothing was going to take away this moment from the two of them, absolutely nothing.

"Amy," Michael decided to get straight to the point. "I.... I wanted to tell you that I love you. More than anything, you know that. You've taken these past three years and turned them into something wonderful for me. I only hope you can say the same for yourself. I'd be absolutely lost without you, which is why I want to spend the rest of my life with you." he reached his hand into his pocket to grab the box. Amy's eyes began to sparkle. She knew what was coming. Michael gave a trembling smile.

"Amy," he began as he prepared to kneel. "Will yo-"

His query was cut off by a loud, sharp cry that caused the couple to jump. Amy looked at Michael with a look that said "what the hell?"

Michael turned around to face the trunk of the tree. Another cry, this time softer, came from behind it. He wondered if it was an animal of some sort. What a strange animal, to cause a cry that was almost human.

Amy's natural curiosity took over, and she walked over to investigate. Michael's heart dropped. His moment had been ruined. He hung his head and begrudgingly followed behind her, feeling slightly pissed that some dumb animal would tear away Amy's attention from him.

"Babe," he called. "I'm sure it's no-"

"SH!" Amy hissed, sounding frantic. Michael looked up to see her crouching, absolutely frozen with her hand held out in front of her. Her eyes were locked on something behind the tree with an expression of horror.

"What is it?" Michael whispered, slowing his steps as he came up behind her. She used her other hand to quietly pat the ground beside her. Perplexed, Michael slowly walked around her to sit.

Please be a dog. He thought. It better be a dog.

He peered around the large tree trunk as he sat down. His breath hitched his throat as the subject of Amy's attention came into focus.

A tiny child stared up at them, looking nothing less than petrified. She was an absolute wreck; her clothes were dirty and torn, her hair was matted, her skin was covered with dirt, bruises, and scrapes. She looked like a feral child.

"Oh my God..." Amy whispered, one hand covering her mouth. The child flinched, letting out a scream that caused both adults to jump.

"No, shhhh," Amy soothed, slowly backing away to give the toddler some space. "It's okay, we won't hurt you."

The tiny child furrowed her eyebrows as she stared up at the pair. She seemed to be interested in Michael's unnaturally bright red hair, but her gaze quickly shifted to the ground.

"No hurt Starlin.." she mumbled, her voice delicate, just barely above a whisper.

"Starlin." Michael repeated. "Is that your name, sweetie?" he was now on one knee, crouched down to try and get closer to the child's height. She was tiny, her size making her look no bigger than a year old.

She nodded in response, rocking side to side with her arms folded across her stomach. Michael gave her a kind smile.

"That's a nice name." he replied. "My name is Michael. This girl right here next to me is Amy."

"Where are your parents, honey?" Amy asked. Starlin recoiled at the mention of her mom and dad, her face twisting with fear.

"Bye-bye." was all she responded with. Michael and Amy looked at each other, the same look of confusion written across both of their faces.

"I'm gonna call 911." Amy said, pulling her cell phone out of her pocket. She dialed the three numbers before placing her phone to her ear.

Michael took this opportunity to try and talk to Starlin a bit more. "How old are you, Starlin?" he asked, grunting as he sat down on the grass, criss-crossing his legs. Starlin took a step back, hugging herself tighter.

"M'two..." she mumbled, continuing to rock herself for a moment before slowly sitting down in front of Michael, mimicking the way he crossed his legs. Michael slowly reached his arm out.

"It's gonna be okay." he assured her as he listened to Amy chatter to the police dispatcher about their location. "We have some nice people coming to help you."

Starlin retracted, pulling her body away from Michael's hand as if she were afraid of what it was capable of. Michael stared at her, astonished. How could a child so young be so mistrusting of adults? The marks on her body gave Michael his answer, each bruise and wound a symbol of the pain they couldn't have possibly known about before finding her. However, while bruises would heal, the irreversible emotional damage had already been done. Starlin obviously had absolutely no trust for other human beings.

What did they do to you? Michael asked inside his head, as if he could communicate with her telepathically. If I were your dad, I would make sure you never got hurt again.

He felt his facial features soften even more as the toddler yawned, fists rubbing at her eyes. Michael wondered how long she had been at the park. Even if he could get her to speak more than a couple of words, she was far too young to understand a concept of time. It could have been anywhere from minutes to hours, hours to days. Michael felt his heart break for this little girl who obviously had never known love or comfort.

He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't even notice he still had his arm outstretched towards Starlin. He felt slight pressure against his fingers, rushing him back to the moment.

She was holding his hand. Her body was rigid, her other hand covering her face as if she expected him to lash out. Michael swore for a moment that his heart stopped. He remained as relaxed as possible, not wanting to tense and scare her. He slowly and gently wrapped his fingers around her tiny hand, causing her to wince for a moment.

"It's okay," he assured gently. "C'mon, it's gonna be okay. Do you want a drink of water?" he asked. Starlin's eyes grew wide as she instinctively licked her lips. They seemed dry.

Amy rejoined Michael at his side, her phone in hand. Starlin jumped and covered her face.

"Wait, shhh, it's okay.." Michael cooed. "That's my friend, remember?"

"There's paramedics and police on their way." Amy said softly, touching Michael's shoulder. He nodded shortly, moving slowly as to not scare Starlin.

"Can I have your water bottle?" he asked, looking up at Amy. Amy furrowed her eyebrows and handed it to him. He twisted off the cap and stuck it in his pocket.

"C'mon little girl, I know you want something to drink." he urged, ever so patient as he waited for Starlin to look up. When she did, her eyes locked on the water bottle. Michael carefully brought it to her lips with intent to help her. However, the moment her little hands wrapped around the bottle, she took off running back behind the tree. Startled, Amy and Michael exchanged glances before sneaking back over to the tree.

Starlin sat against the trunk, taking big greedy gulps of the water, barely stopping to breathe. Michael slowly sat beside her again, but she hardly acknowledged his existence.

"Little one, slow down," he mused, reaching his hand out for the water bottle. "You're gonna cho-"

He was cut off by Starlin suddenly spitting out a mouthful of water as she began to cough violently. Amy rushed to her side and rubbed her back as Michael took the bottle from her hands, Starlin too busy choking to react. She spit up a little before reaching for the bottle again.

"Wait just a minute, you're going to make yourself sick." Michael said, setting the water bottle aside. She frowned, but complied. She inched herself towards Michael and Amy, taking half steps as she approached them. Finally, she turned around and sat herself between the two of them. However, she remained silent. The two young adults glanced down at her, both pondering ways to unlock the world that had been trapped away.

Before long, they could see the blue and red flashing lights through the trees. Help had arrived. Michael and Amy glanced down at Starlin. If they could barely touch her, how were they supposed to get her to the paramedics?

"Starlin," Amy called her by name. "Can I pick you up?"

Starlin vigorously shook her head no in response before turning around and pointing to Michael. "You." she said.

Michael furrowed his eyebrows. "Me what?" he asked. Starlin reached her arms up, and Michael got the message. He carefully lifted her onto his hip, frowning upon seeing the slightly hurt look on Amy's face.

"There are some people here to help you." he told Starlin as they began walking in the direction of the large vehicles. Starlin began shaking her head no, her hands latching onto his shirt.

"I know you're scared, but we promise it'll be alright." Amy soothed as they continued walking. Paramedics began jumping out of the large white ambulance and preparing for Starlin. Michael and Amy watched as they opened the back doors and pulled out a stretcher.

Starlin began to scream, desperately clinging to Michael and delving her face in his neck. There was absolutely no way she was going to let any other people touch her without a fight. It seemed that all adults besides this boy and this girl only wanted to scare or hurt her.

Once they got close, one of the EMTs rushed to them and took Starlin from Michael's arms. She screeched and began flailing her limbs in a pathetic attempt to escape. Michael and Amy followed close behind the EMT as he ran back to the car and placed Starlin on the stretcher.

"You two did the right thing," he said, his voice raised over Starlin's cries of fear. "We'll take it from here."

Michael and Amy exchanged a glance before looking back down at Starlin. She was thrashing against the EMT who was trying to get an IV in her arm, her eyes wide with the same terror that was there when she had first met the couple. She was crying, but no tears came from her eyes. Despite the water she had drank, she was still dehydrated.

"No." Amy replied to the EMT. "We want to go with her. She has no family to be there."

The EMT stared at her for a brief moment before giving the two a nod. "Only one of you can ride in the ambulance, however."

Amy looked at Michael. "You go." she said. "She'll let you get close."

Michael smiled empathetically and pulled the car keys out of his pocket, handing them to her. "Be safe. I'll meet you there."

"I love you." Amy said, kissing him on the cheek.

"I love you too." Michael replied. He turned and began walking to the ambulance, where they were loading the stretcher into the back. Starlin cried out and fought the EMT who was holding her down to prevent her from running away.

Michael climbed into the back and sat beside the stretcher. Starlin's cries quieted a little when she noticed he was there, but they didn't stop. Michael jumped at the sudden sound of the sirens outside of the vehicle, and became slightly off balance for a moment as the vehicle began to move.

Starlin gripped onto his hand tightly, reaching her other arm out to him as if asking for him to pick her up. An IV was attached to her small hand.

Michael sighed and rubbed her hand with his thumb as her cries grew louder, above the sounds of the sirens. She was so frightened, so mistrusting. Michael felt as if he'd betrayed her by letting the paramedics take her away from the small moment of comfort she'd had.

He hung his head and rubbed at his face.

What had he gotten himself into?

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And that's the first chapter! I hope you all enjoy!

Ciao!

- Hannah