#i can remember right before and like. me in the church bathroom getting my forehead dabbed with toilet paper and whatnot after

[gibbearish]

huh

[stray-cat-21]

Don’t tell Scotty

Summary: based on the song Scotty doesn’t know. Basically based on the TikTok trend lol.

Warnings: 18+ smut Minors DNI, affair, semi poorly written smut.

Scotty doesn't know that Fiona and me. Do it in my van every Sunday. She tells him she's in church but she doesn't go. Still she's on her knees and Scotty doesn't know. Oh, Scotty doesn't know. So don't tell Scotty. Scotty doesn't know. Scotty doesn't know. (So don't tell Scotty)

“Fuck sweet heart you look absolutely sinful.” Eddie groaned helping me into the back of his van. He had parked in one of our usual spots a small clearing in the woods about half a mile from the church. It was Sunday afternoon sermon already finished but now it was time for the teen bible study program that was split into the guys group and the girls group. My boyfriend Scotty Richardson was inside probably praying about Saturday’s game or to win homecoming king. While he preferred to spend his Sunday on his knees I preferred to spend mine on all fours in the back of Eddie ‘the freak’ Munson’s van.

I don’t really remember how Eddie and I went from being just kinda friends to friends with benefits fucking every second my boyfriend turned his back. From Eddie’s van parked at the church or in the school parking lot, to my bedroom in the late hours, or even in the hellfire room and school bathroom Eddie and I had a hard time keeping our hands to ourselves. It was so very wrong and I knew I should feel terrible about the sneaking around and cheating but to be honest the only hard part was not being able to kiss Eddie in front of everyone at school. Not being able to cheer him on at club meetings or hold his hand in the hallway, with every side glance and very quick turn of the head to hide a longing stare it sent a painful ping right to my heart.

I was dressed in my pink pleated skirt with my white long sleeve shirt paired with white Marry Jane’s and lite pink frilly socks. The perfect Sunday service outfit that would also suit the afterwards lunch with the Richardson family. “You like this Eds you should come see what’s underneath.” I teased leaning back onto the pillows he had spread around the floor of the van. It was a subtle hint to the fact that although the whole town thought he was a satan worshipping freak he was actually a sweet dorky gentleman who ‘didn’t want his princess just laying on the floor of his van’.

He climbed over top of me his hair tickling my face. His hands couldn’t stay put moving from my face to my hips to my ass touching every inch of skin he could get a hold of. “Shit princess need to taste you now, can’t wait any longer been craving you all morning.” He groaned kissing down my neck biting gently trailing his way down merely lifting my skirt to my hips. When his eyes landed on the red thong that barely covered anything he lout a throaty moan.

Fiona says she's out shopping. But she's under me. And I'm not stopping.'Cause Scotty doesn't know. Scotty doesn't know. Scotty doesn't know. Scotty doesn't know. So don't tell Scotty. Scotty doesn't know. Don't tell Scotty

Today Eddie was rough and possessive his grip tight his thrusts almost too hard. The basketball team had made him miserable with their taunting. He acted tough and unbothered then but it was soon after the school had emptied for the day that he was discreetly dragging me to our spot at the picnic table pushing me onto it. I didn’t get much time to protest not that I wanted to, before his tongue was in my mouth his hips grinding against me.

Far too soon his mouth pulls off of me and he’s dragging my panties down my thighs hastily. He pauses still holding my underwear in his hand suddenly looking at me completely serious with a hint of worry. “If this gets to be too much stop me, tap my arm, squeeze my hand any sign and I’ll stop and we can go grab ice cream.” He promised kissing my forehead. “Fuck me Eddie Munson.” I smiled reassuringly. He kissed me quickly before stuffing the panties into my mouth the lustful blown out look returning to his eyes.

He fell to his knees pushing my thighs apart. He wasted no time in diving in like he was starving. His tongue plunged into my core licking and sucking pushing his long tongue as far as it would reach. His thumb came up to roughly press circles around my sensitive clit. The roughness of his skin paired with being shoved deep into me my eyes were tearing up sobs hidden behind the panties.

My reaction only seemed to egg him on making him speed up and push his tongue in harder. I was moaning and mumbling his name saliva dripping down my chin grinding my hips into his mouth. He swapped his fingers with his mouth attaching his lips to my swollen clit. Eddie nibbling and sucking on the ball of nerves made me see stars causing my orgasm to intensely wash over me. My legs shook my head falling back a loud groan barely making its way past my lips.

Eddie stood up wiping his mouth on his jacket. A proud grin on his features. He looks so prideful staring down at me like by making me orgasm he had done something great. It didn’t take long for his jeans and underwear to be around his calves hard member in his hand. “Ready for me princess?” He asked stroking his cock against my clit.

I nodded eagerly spreading my legs more desperate for him. He knew that better than he probably knew a lot of things, in fact he relished in it. “Anything for my sweetheart.” He beamed thrusting himself completely into my still dripping core. My eyes rolled back and he let out an almost animalistic growl. His pace started off hot snd heavy.

“Fuck sweetheart squeezin me so tight, gonna give me another one, need you to cum for me again.” He pleaded. A particularly hard thrust hit me in the perfect spot causing me to scream around the makeshift gag he had made out of my ruined panties. My head was spinning the build up of pleasure pushing me closer to the edge. “Stay quiet don’t want anyone finding you out here makin a mess on my cock now do we?” He taunted harshly. His free hand came up to my throat gradually squeezing it quickening his pace. 

“Who’s fucking you so good sweetheart? Huh who’s pussy is this?” He grunted sweat beading on his forehead. His brown curls were sticking all over to his face but he looks breath taking. For a moment he reaches up and pulls the panties from my mouth wanting to hear me say it. “Y-yours Eddie all yours please.” I begged needing him to make me cum again.

“That’s right the town freak is making you cum all over his fat cock.” He grunted. “You might be his girlfriend but this pussy is all mine.” He continued pushing my legs further up his hips. “I belong to you Eddie only you.” I gasped pushing his hair away from his face. “Should just send you to that asshole full of my cum, show him who you really belong to.” Eddie snarled with a particularly hard thrust pushing as deep as he could. Just at his dirty words I lost it my orgasm hitting me hard like a freight train my cum leaking down between us.

“Please yes Eddie cum in me please.” I moaned shocking us both. “Holy shit you sure?” He moaned. “Please Eddie wanna be full of your cum.” I begged kissing his shoulder and up his neck. That was all it took for the damn to break his cum spilled into me painting my walls. He let out a loud moan turning to stare at the mixture of our cum that leaked out when he pulled his cock from me.

His head fell to my chest as we caught our breath my hand coming to comb through his hair. “You okay?” I asked quietly pressing kisses to his head. He nodded finally looking back up at me. His face was much more relaxed the stress of the day long gone. “Yeah I’m okay thanks princess.” He giving me a quick peck.

After a few minutes of calming down he pulled my panties back up my legs eyeing my pussy that was dripping with his cum. He moved so he was sat on the table top leaving me in his lap. “Wasn’t too rough was I?” He asked his eyebrows knit together in worry. Eddie’s fingers delicately traced my skin looking for any bruising or marks. “No you were perfect.” I sighed happily.

My finger tips moved from the ink on his skin to the guitar pick around his neck. I picked it up lightly moving it between my fingers. “I wish I could go to your shows.” I mumbled almost not wanting to say it out loud. “Yeah princess? Wanna be my little groupie?” He teased.

“Yeah I’d be in the front row dancing and cheering the loudest.” I beamed admiring the way it made him brighten up even more. “That wouldn’t be hard considering it would be you, Jeff’s mom, and Gareth’s girlfriend but thank you.” He chuckled. “Still I could be there to support you and everyone would know I was there to be with Eddie Munson.” I sighed pulling my gaze away from his big beautiful eyes. “Hey well I know you’re Corroded Coffin’s biggest fan princess.” He said quietly directing me to look back up at him. “And I definitely know you’re with me.” He continued pressing his lips to mine in gentle yet possessive kisses.

“All yours baby.” I breathed out relaxing back into his embrace. Eddie pulled away his face lit up with excitement. He quickly clapped his hands together. “I’ve got it!“ I sat back looking confused at this strange beautiful man underneath me. “What’s up Eddie?” I asked amused. “Close your eyes sweetheart.” He commanded.

I quirked an eyebrow but closed my eyes anyways trusting him. There was some shuffling around followed by the feeling of his hand moving my hair and something being placed around my neck. “Okay open your eyes look!” Eddie exclaimed. I opened my eyes and looked down to see his guitar pick necklace resting against my throat. I gasped looking up at him “Eddie really your necklace?”

He smiled nodding happily clearly proud of his idea. “Yup every time you look down and see it you’ll know you’re supporting my music and every time I see it at school or during our extra curriculars’ I’ll know you’re all mine.” He explained. I grinned from ear to ear staring at the pendant now resting between my breasts. “Thank you baby.” I beamed kissing him again.

Eddie pulled his bottom lip into his mouth to bite it a wave of nervousness washing over him. “You um don’t have to wear it all the time you know I don’t want him to get mad at you for it.” He coughed scratching the back of his neck. I shook my head crawling onto his lap. “I’ll never take it off I love it.” I beamed kissing his face. His smile returned as he wrapped his arms around me.

“We should probably get dressed.” I sighed looking around. Eddie nodded helping me up from the bench. There was a calming quiet while both got our clothes put back in place. “Wanna come over to my place till dinner?” He suggested lighting a cigarette and placing it between his lips. “Yes please I could go for another round or maybe three.” I teased poking his side.

Eddie grinned moving his leather covered arm around my shoulders. As we made our way to the van I grabbed the cigarette from his mouth taking a long drag. “Besides you promised to send me back full of cum I’m holding you to it.” I winked making his jaw twitch. “You’re gonna be the death of me princess.” He groaned. “What’s the matter baby can’t keep up?” I teased.

I can't believe he's so trusting. While I'm right behind you thrusting. Fiona's got him on the phone. And she's trying not to moan. It's a three-way call and he knows nothing, nothing. Scotty doesn't know. Scotty doesn't know. Scotty doesn't know. So don't tell Scotty. 'Cause Scotty doesn't know. Scotty doesn't know. So don't tell Scotty.

“Y-yes Scotty I’m fine just a headache.” I lied as my pussy subconsciously tightened around Eddie’s cock desperate to be fucked. A low quiet groan escaped his lips with a sharp thrust hitting the very spot that made me want to scream out his name loud enough to alert the whole neighborhood of what we were doing. I gasped quickly biting my lip hard. “Just go have fun with your friends you don’t need to come take care of me.” I sighed in annoyance wanting the phone call to end. I expected Eddie’s thrust to be a warning to quicken things up but it seemed he had no intention of stopping his movements wether I was done or not.

His ring covered hand came up and wrapped itself in my hair pulling it back shoving himself back deep inside my dripping cunt. He was hard and getting impatient so his thrusts were quick and deep shoving it in balls deep only to almost pull all the way out leaving me clenching at nothing. My eyes were rolling to the back of my head Scotty droning on about some nonsense over the phone. I was about to fake being sick just to get him to shut up and end the conversation but was caught off guard by Eddie’s hand moving from my hair to my clit rubbing in small circles with his calloused fingers. “Oh fuck- no S-Scotty I just stubbed my toe gotta go sorry.” I mumbled hanging up and tossing the phone aside.

“Finally princess Jesus he never shuts up.” Eddie growls pounding into me even harder his finger still toying with my clit. “Fuck Eddie feels so good.” I moaned arching my hips more my head hitting the pillow. The bed shook causing the headboard to freak against the wall thankfully no one was home to listen to me getting brutally fucked by the town freak. “Jesus Christ your so tight sweet heart.” Eddie cursed his grip on my hip tightening just hard enough to leave the slightest bruise. “Roll over wanna see your pretty face when you make a mess on my cock.” He groaned pulling out of my needy home.

I quickly obliged as soon as my head hit the pillow he was already wrapping my thighs around himself shoving his cock back into me roughly. “Eddie ah so big.” I moaned unable to form a cohesive sentence with his dick buried so deep in my pussy. “No idea what this dress did to me all day. Just wanted to bend you over the lunch table and fuck your brains out right in front of that dick wad.” Eddie gasped letting out a loud moan. “You should next time.” I teased reaching up to lightly tug on his hair.

Eddie’s eyes bore into my own searching for something almost sending a shiver down my spine as their intensity. A somewhat evil grin found it’s way to his soft lips. “Want the whole town to know you’re the freak’s whore huh? Want them to know how many times you’ve begged for my cum?” He taunted his thrusts getting harder pulling me closer to bliss. “Fuck Eddie I’m gonna cum.” I whined squeezing my eyes shut.

“Uh uh princess eyes open want you to watch me ruin you.” He demanded squeezing my face. He tilted my chin so I opened my eyes to stare down at where his cock was disappearing into my slick covered pussy. His movements were being sloppy and less even signaling he was close to his own orgasm. “Cum on my cock honey I know you can do it.” He whispered. His lips met mine in a sweet tender kiss lingering with every one.

The coil my stomach snapped causing the intense orgasm to wash over me. I let out another loud moan of his name against his lips my legs shaking around his hips only being held in place by his strong grip. It didn’t take long till his cum was flooding my already soaked cunt. His breath was heavy forehead pressed against mine lips just ghosting over my own. The scene felt much more intimate than two fuck buddies using each other for pleasure.

Eddie placed another soft kiss against my lips pulling himself from the bed. “Stay here princess.” He smiled leaving into the bathroom. I couldn’t help the lazy smile that graced my lips. If only it could be like this forever. Although Scotty and I had only had sex once it had been far from this intimate and involved a lot less orgasms on my end.

Eddie finally re-emerged from the bathroom a damp washcloth in his hand. He climbed back in bed and began to gently clean off my thighs and wipe away the excess cum from my lips. His strokes were soft and steady as if he pressed to hard my skin would break like glass. The washcloth was warm as Eddie had taken the time to even let the water warm up. “Thank you for doing that.” I sighed running my fingers through his crazy hair.

The smile that graced his features was warm and genuine. “Anything for you sweetheart, gotta take care of my girl.” He beamed almost proud of the words he spoke. Earlier in our relationship he would have backpedaled not bold enough to call me his but if our encounters had taught us anything it’s that I was his in any matter of the word. Tossing the cloth into a bin near my bed he leaned back against the bed. I crossed one of my wobbly legs across his waist leaning into his chest.

My fingers reached up to trace my favorite tattoo of his on his chest. I loved the way it made small goosebumps form on his arms. “You’re so pretty Eddie.” I whispered kissing any skin I could reach. He blushed gently turning my chin so I was looking up at him. He didn’t say anything just let his hand rest on my cheek as he stared at me. So many words went unspoken between us but they didn’t need said out loud with how strongly you could feel it in the air.

“Idiot didn’t even realize he was in a three way call.”

“I can’t believe you fucked me while I was on the phone with him.”

“He had it coming after that shit today.”

“What shit?”

“Nothing don’t worry about it princess.”

“No tell me what did he do?”

“Just wouldn’t shut up about your guys date yesterday all things he supposedly did to you. Talkin about how you were screaming his name all night.”

“Leave it to him to over exaggerate about a lousy three minutes of ‘making love’ followed by him quickly snoring.”

“Making love?”

“Yeah at least that’s what he calls it to my face.”

“Have you told him you love him?”

“Well yeah I mean he’s my boyfriend Eddie you kinda have to say that stuff.”

Eddie scoffed pulling himself from the bed silently pulling his boxers on. He was scowling as he fumbled with his jeans that were partially inside out. I sat up worried moving to the end of the bed in front of him. When my hand brushed against his own he tore away like my touch burned him. “Eds what’s wrong?” I asked.

“Nothin I just thought as since I’m just the fuck buddy not the boyfriend I should leave I mean you got what you wanted, jobs done.” He huffed getting his belt back together. “Eddie what are you talking about?” I gawked standing up in front him. He seemed to tower over me more than normal but rather than having an intimidating presence it almost seemed sad. “You know that’s not what this is!” I continued grabbing his wrist in my hand. “Then what is it?” He whispered his words shaky.

The phone ringing both turned our attention to the bedside table. “Don’t answer that please.” He pleaded. “Eddie I have to what if it’s my parents.” I argued releasing him from my grasp. He huffed again rolling his eyes. “We both know it’s not your fuckin parents.” He grumbled snatching the vest and jacket off my floor.

“Please just don’t leave yet let me answer this and we can continue this conversation.” I begged pulling the phone off the receiver. “Hello?” I questioned trying not to let my emotions creep into my voice. “Hey babe you hung up pretty quick earlier just wanted to make sure you’re okay. You sure you don’t need me to come make you feel better?” Scotty asked. Something about his tone made my skin scrawl knowing exactly what he meant.

“No Scotty I’m fine really like I said just a headache. I have to go I’m in the middle of something important.” I snapped. “Oh is it that time of the month is that why you’re being such a bitch?” He teased. Eddie had clearly heard what was said and it only seemed to make him angrier. He stepped into his sneakers glaring at the floor.

I hung up the phone not bothering with an explanation. Eddie was already facing the window avoiding my eyes. “That’s the guy you love really?” He asked in an almost mocking tone. My steps faltered at his new harshness to me. I had never even heard Eddie even get close to angry before.

“Eddie please-”

“No! He just called you a bitch and that’s the guy you love? The guy who talks about having sex with you with all his friends? The guy who who doesn’t give a shit if you cum? The one who treats you like some trophy.”

“It’s not like that, you know how this town is. We’re just high school sweethearts that’s it.”

Eddie spun around so he was facing me staring down at me intensely. His eyes were piercing but hidden behind their anger his brown irises were glossed over with tears on the brink of spilling over. “Yeah for now, then after graduation you’ll trade in that that silver spoon in your mouth for an engagement ring. You’ll be his little trophy house wife. He’ll get you the big house with the three kids and the picket fuckin fence.” He spat.

Tears were falling down my cheeks now my heart sunken into my stomach. “He’ll give you everything I can’t.” He finished one of his own tears slipping out. I wanted to protest swear none of it was true but the words were caught in my throat. Eddie shook his head disappointed turning back to my window and sliding it open. The phone rang again causing me to spin around in surprise but by the time I looked back at the window Eddie was long gone.

We'll put on a show. Everyone will go. Scotty doesn't know. Scotty doesn't know. Scotty doesn't know. The parkin' lot, why not? It's so cool when you're on top

“Fucking shit you’re so beautiful tonight baby, so gorgeous all dolled up.” Eddie groaned leaned against the van wall. My legs burned from moving my weight up and down to fuck myself on his cock. I let out another loud moan feeling him completely fill me up. “Jesus so pretty sitting on my cock.” He groaned bucking his hips up into me completely bottoming out. “Fuck Eddie not gonna last.” I moaned steadying myself on his shoulders.

Eddie grabbed my hips taking over being in control fucking up into me. Each thrust hard and quick desperate to finish me off. His movements weren’t much better wobbly and sporadic. He was close to cumming too but always made sure I went first. Something Scotty had never been to worried about.

“Want you to cum with me okay baby can you do that for me?” He panted between sloppy kisses. I nodded letting his intense eyes stare into my own. His pointer and middle fingers were drawing lazy circles on my clit. Our lips met in a soft needy kiss no tongue just lips that were desperate for the feel of each other. The minute I felt his hot cum spill into me i let go my orgasm hitting me hard causing me to collapse against his chest.

Eddie’s hands were all over me soothing my hair caressing my side his fingers leaving a comforting trail. After pulling myself off of him I leaned back against his chest holding him as close as I could. I wanted to disappear into his embrace not go back into that stupid school with my so called friends. “You okay sweetheart?” He question gently pulling me back enough to look at my face. ���Yeah I’m okay just enjoyed that a lot.” I sighed happily sending him a kind smile.

“So not that I’m complaining but you wanna tell me why you skipped out on the winter formal to come seduce me?” He asked amused. I rolled my eyes exhaling. Tonight was our senior year winter formal the last big dance before prom. I had a nice black tule dress, my makeup and hair neat and done. I was going with one of the most popular guys in school dancing with the cheerleaders but I was miserable.

Thankfully Scotty had been to busy trying to get the cheer captain’s attention to notice when I snuck out the gym doors. My heels clicked against the pavement creating an echo into the quiet night. My chest felt heavy eyes burning from tears yet to fall. There was only one person I wanted to dance with tonight and there was no way he’d be caught dead at the school when he wasn’t required to be. He especially wouldn’t want to after our fight.

The two of us had hardly spoken since they day at my house. We definitely hadn’t hooked up in the last two weeks. Things had gotten so much harder without Eddie being a constant in my life. I really didn’t have the right to be upset either since he was completely justified in being mad. Hence why I was completely taken back to see his familiar van parked in the school parking lot.

Eddie was standing outside pacing mumbling something to himself and making crazy gestures with his hands. He was uncharacteristically dressed in a dark blue button up shirt with dark jeans that were hole free but his silver chain still dangled by his side. Any other person looking at the scene would have assumed he was high or even doing some satanic ritual. But to me he was a sight for sore eyes. A smile grew on my lips as I made my way closer to the eccentric boy.

Hearing the sound of my heels Eddie’s head snapped up his eyes wide. “Princess!” He exclaimed speeding over to me. Eddie pulled me into arms lifting me into the air doing a little spin. I giggled hugging him for dear life letting a few of those tears fall. “I’m so glad to see you.” I sniffled.

“Let me take a look at you.” He said setting me down. Eddie used his hand to gently spin me around admiring my get up. “Breathtaking, my girl is absolutely gorgeous!” He cheered loudly. His brown eyes moved from my dress up to where his necklace sat on proud display. “You clean up pretty nicely yourself Eddie.” I grinned kissing his cheek.

“Baby? You with me?” He questioned pulling me out of my thoughts. I took a breath nodding my head taking a minute to compose myself. Eddie was looking at me so much worry and care in his eyes. It just made that pain in my chest stronger.

“How come you were here tonight?”

“I uh thought I’d come surprise you, thought maybe I could steal a dance under the bleachers.”

“So you’re saying you got all dressed up and came to school after hours just to dance with me?”

“Just to dance with you? Sweetheart you gotta understand I would’ve walked through Mordor to get here and have the chance just to have you look in my direction.”

“But why Eddie? Why after our fight after everything I put you through?”

“Hey don’t do that to yourself. Yeah our fight was bad but I’m willing to fight for this, whatever this is as long as you are. Yeah not being able to kiss you at school or actually show you off to the guys sucks but if it means I get to have moments like this with you? Then it’s worth all the secrets and sneaking around because I love you.”

The tears had returned to my eyes again my chest tightening. I pulled away from him staring him in the eyes clearly surprising him. “Y-you what?” I whispered. It was as if Eddie suddenly realized what he had just admitted. His eyes widened and his mouth stuttered as he tried to come up with anything to say.

“Fuck it yes I love you. I’m crazy in love with you and I hate seeing you with him. He isn’t good enough for you princess. And I know I might not be either but at least I would love you to the ends of the earth. I would shout how much I love you from the very rooftops so that he and the whole rest of the world would know just how much you have me wrapped around your finger.”

“Eddie I-I”

“It’s okay you don’t have to say it back and I’m not saying we need to change our situation but I couldn’t hide it anymore. I know I can’t offer you as much as he can. He’s got the nice car, and sports scholarships lined up, and his fathers business to fall back on. And I’m a third time senior who drives a beat up van and plays a fantasy game and-”

I cut him off pressing another desperate kiss to his lips the tears spilling down my cheeks. When we pulled apart he was looking at me worriedly. “I love you too Eddie I love you so much.” I sobbed. He let out a shaky breath relief washing over him. He wasted no time in pressing his lips back to mine cupping my face in his hands.

It wasn’t till our bodies were absolutely desperate for air that we pulled away both grinning ear to ear. “Is it too late to ask for that dance?” Eddie asked right back to his cocky self. I laughed shaking my head at this crazy boy underneath me. Once our clothes were readjusted he helped me out of the van. He disappeared from my side for a moment to turn on the vans radio.

Snow had slowly started to sprinkle down from the night sky. The white flakes sparkled against our clothes like little diamonds. Eddie cleared his throat his hand outstretched to me. “May I have this dance M’laday?” He grinned. I grabbed his hand smiling at his loving face.

His front lawn in the snow. Life is so hard 'cause Scotty doesn't know. Scotty doesn't know. I did her on his birthday. Scotty doesn't know. Scotty doesn't know. Scotty doesn't know. Scotty doesn't know. So don't tell Scotty

It had been weeks since the winter formal things between Scotty and I long over. It had been a rough messy breakup but I left out any mention of Eddie hoping to save him from some of the teams cruelty. The two of us hadn’t pursued anything but we’re still sneaking around. Why neither of us had said or done anything I didn’t know but at least he was still there.

Thanks to a bunch of begging from Chrissy I still found myself stuck at his big birthday bash. Chrissy and Jason were now comfortable in a chair making out so I quietly excused myself just wanting some air. Scotty had been spending most the night getting insanely drunk and begging me for another chance. I was sick of this night and just wanted to go home or even better to Eddie’s place. Finally pushing my way through a crowd of drunk people I found myself escaping through the front door.

It was mid December snow had already covered the ground. I leaned against a wall crossing my arms in an attempt to shield myself from the cold. The harsh wind stung the vast amount of my skin exposed by my pink dress. The music from inside the house was so loud I could feel the vibrations against my back and it only made my head pound more. I hated these parties full of fake people getting drunk and having mediocre sex.

“What’s a pretty thing like you doing in a place like this?” A familiar voice asked turning my attention to where Eddie was walking up a lit cigarette in his fingers. For the first time that night a genuine smile grew on my lips. “Eddie what are you doing here?” I beamed throwing myself into his arms not caring if anyone saw. He smiled against my hair tossing the cigarette to the ground putting it out. “Birthday boy in there wanted some party favors.” He shrugged.

“Typical Scott and his shitty friends pick on you in school and then want to buy drugs from you.” I scoffed annoyed. “It’s alright princess it’s good for business.” He smiled sliding his hands up my arms. His fingers were warm against my freezing skin causing me to shiver. His warm smiled turned to a worried frown. “Jesus Christ you’re freezing here.” He said stepping back and beginning to shrug off his leather jacket.

“Eddie you don’t have to do that won’t you be cold?” I asked hesitating to grab the jacket. He rolled his eyes putting it around my shoulders for me. “I guess we’ll have to find another way to keep me warm.” He teased. I smiled biting my lip looking around “please tell me you have your van.” His cocky smirk got even bigger as he grabbed my hand leading me out to the mess of cars.

The van was a sight for sore eyes sticking out between everyone’s cars. I was practically dragging Eddie by his hand to his own van. “Someone’s impatient.” Eddie teased pulling me back to his chest wrapping his arms around me. I wrapped my arms around his neck reaching up to kiss him. “Just need you baby.” I whispered between kisses.

He suddenly pulled back a nervous look gracing his big brown eyes. “Aren’t you worried someone will see us?” He asked. “Let them see I don’t care.” I groaned kissing him again this time deepening the kiss by running my tongue against his bottom lip. Eddie melted against me pushing my back against the van. The only thing I wanted to focus on right now was him.

I didn’t want to think about he didn’t hesitate to give me his jacket while Scotty never would have considered it. Or how Eddie’s kisses were soft and the way his lips fit perfectly against mine. The way he kissed me like he was drowning and I was his fresh air. Definitely not about the way Eddie could hardly go five minutes without calling me some form of beautiful where as Scotty hadn’t so much as mumbled the word pretty in my direction.

When we pulled apart for air Eddie was grinning at me like a mad man. “You look pretty hot in my clothes sweetheart.” He teased adjusting the jacket over my body. “Well if you take me back to your place I’ll wear whatever the hell you want.” I whispered into the shell of his ear making him shudder. Before anything else could be said I was swooped up into his arms as he carried me bridal style to the passenger door. “Eds what are you doing put me down.” I giggled.

Scotty doesn't know. Scotty will know. Scotty doesn't know. Scotty's gotta know. I'm gonna tell Scotty. Gonna tell him myself. Scotty doesn't know. Scotty doesn't know. Scotty has to. Scotty has to. Scotty has to go. Scotty doesn't know. Scotty doesn't know. Scotty doesn't know. Scotty doesn't know. Scotty doesn't know. So don't tell Scotty. Scotty doesn't know. That is so bad! So bad

Chrissy and I were sat at the cafeteria table discussing our plans for the weekend and what we’d wear to said plans. I was half tuned in adding every once in a while my main focus being on stealing glances at Eddie. We were sharing bashful smiles from across the cafeteria. Underneath my chunky sweater was his Hellfire club shirt he had graciously let me borrow after our weekend spent together in his trailer. I gave him a small wave briefly turning my attention back to Chrissy to answer a question.

I was mid sentence when a commotion across the room made Chrissy and i turn to face the noise. Eddie and the rest of the hellfire club were facing the basketball team. Scotty had a hold of Eddie’s jacket sneering at him. With a worried look towards Chrissy I made my way over to the group. As I got closer their shouting got louder and more clear.

“I don’t give a shit keep your eyes off of her freak!”

“She’s not yours anymore prick!”

“The fuck she is psycho that’s not what she was saying last night when she was screaming my name.”

“Stop talking about her like that!”

“Or what you’ll sacrifice me? Or is that your plan for her because I hate to break it to Munson she’s no virgin.”

Eddie was seething I could see it from here his fists clenched his nostrils flared. “Fuck this.” I sighed climbing up onto the table and striding over towards the guys. “Hey Scotty!” I shouted catching the cafeterias attention. Eddie and Scotty both snapped to face me. Eddie slightly softened taking in my appearance

“Let him go Scotty now.”

“But babe I was just defending your honor this creep was staring at you like the sick freak he is.”

“Yeah I know I was staring back that’s what you do when you’re in love with someone.”

There was some gasps around the ground as I made my confession but I was focused on the smile more gracing Eddie’s lips. “That’s right for months I’ve been sneaking off to get fucked in the back of his van or in his trailer or hell even on a picnic table. And you know what? He made me cum way more than you ever did not that it was hard with your grand total being zero!” I admitted causing a couple laughs to be heard. Scotty stood there looking like a fish out of water unsure of what to say.

“You cheated on me with him seriously?” Scotty asked disgust dripping from mentioning Eddie. Everyone was looking at me now shocked mumbling amongst the small crowd. I couldn’t stop the words from pouring out I was angry and exhausted from having to hide things for so long. “Yes I did and I’m sorry about that part but I’m not sorry for falling in love with him.” I sighed keeping my eyes focused on Eddie’s big brown eyes. Scotty scoffed shoving Eddie out of his grasp storming out of the cafeteria defeated.

Things were silent for a minute before everyone went back to their previous conversations and probably some new gossip. Eddie offered his hand out helping me down from the table. “Okay that was awesome.” He chuckled. “I didn’t embarrass you?” I asked worried. He shook his head snaking both his arms around my waist.

“No princess I loved it, never had someone confess their love to me in front of the whole school.” He boasted. I rolled my eyes giggling at his sudden pride. “So does um that mean your my girlfriend? Like I can kiss you in public and take you out on dates?” He asked suddenly nervous. “Yes Eddie I’d love to be your girlfriend.” I smiled kissing his cheek.

His eyes suddenly lit up again in that mischievous way they do.“You gotta come meet the guys now!” He cheered. He grabbed my hand and pulled me over to where the Hellfire club stood absolutely dumbfounded. “Guys I want you to meet my girl (Y/n).” He exclaimed sounding like a kid showing off his new toy but so much happier and prouder. “Hi guys.” I smiled giving an awkward wave.

[themultifandomgal]

Alfie Solomons- Not A Dream Wedding

"Are you ready love?" Pol asks as Ada places my vail over my face

"Yeah, Pol can you make sure my brothers play nice today, especially Arthur and Tommy"

"Of course love. Now let's get you married" Ada walks off to go and sit down while I stand with Pol at the back of the church. She gives me a kiss on my forehead when Arthur walks over to me to to give me away

"Please be nice today" I whisper to Arthur

"I've agreed to give you away haven't I?"

"I want today to be perfect, all my brothers together in one room with Alfie and no fighting"

"Heard you loud and clear YN" a piano starts to play and Arthur walks me up the aisle towards Alfie who is leaning on his cane while smiling. Arthur gives my hand to Alfie and quietly says to him "remember who her brothers are. You harm a hair on her head we will kill you"

The wedding it's self doesn't last very long and we end up at Arrow House for the after party

"You look beautiful dear" Alfie says as you dance together

"And you look handsome" I smile at my now husband

"Did you have a good day? we were on our best behaviour"

"You were, thank you" I lean up and peck his lips "I need the toilet, I'll be back in a bit" I leave Alfie's arms and head to the bathroom.

When I walk out and back to the main room I see Alfie and Tommy beating someone up. I sigh walking over to Polly and Ada "what the fuck did I miss?"

"Someone drunk shouting out shit about you" Ada replies, but tries to turn me away

"Who?" I frown looking between

"You don't need to know love"

"Who?" I now ask more irritated

"Dad" Ada tells me making me groan. I walk away from my Aunt and sister

"Ahh there she is" dad yells out

"Alfie, Tom stop" I squat down now seeing that dad already has a black eye forming and blood running down his nose. I look at Tommy "I thought I said no fighting today?"

"You said no fighting with Alfie or the others. Said nothing bout this peace of shit"

"Why are you here Arthur?"

"Arthur? since when did you stop calling me dad?"

"Since the day you left, if you'd ever bother to come and see your children"

"You look so much like your mother, acts like her to. A whore" that's when I loose it. I slap him across his face making him laugh

"Don't talk about mother like that. At least she loved us. Tom get him out of here before he ruins my wedding more" I stand up and Tommy lifts him up with the help of John. Unfortunately the man who calls himself my dad pulls on my dress

"Wait YN. At least let me have a drink with my daughter and son in law"

"I think you should get your hand off her, yeah?" Alfie pries his hand from my dress and I watch my brothers making my dad leave "I'm sorry he come here"

"Don't worry about it. But he did ruin my dress" I pout looking at the blood on my white dress

"Well I was going to rip it off you tonight so it would have been ruined anyway" Alfie shrugs while leading me over to some drinks

"Alfie" I scold

"Ok ok I'll have someone clean the dress, but your bra and panties are fair game right, and any other dress for that matter yeah"

"Thank you" I kiss his cheek as I pick up a glass of wine "and if you give me a few minutes to change out of this, I may have a surprise for you that you can rip. But remember we're staying here tonight so we have to be quiet. If any of my brothers find you naked in bed with me then they won't hesitate to put a bullet through your head"

"We're married now YN, they can't do shit to me. I'm bloody Alfie Solomons yeah. And anyway how do they think we're going to have a child if I can't have sex with my sexy wife"

"I'm dreading the day we have to tell them"

"I can't wait to see you with my child inside you" Alfie smirks at me

"Yeah? well it won't be for a while I'm afraid. Let them cool down with the idea that the Camden King is my husband"

"I'm not getting any younger YN"

"I know, but let's just enjoy some time with just us for now" I press my lips against his, our lips moving in sync. This wedding may not have ran that smoothly, but much better than expected.

[catch-the-wind]

when reader is sick hc's

finally posting writing here so true

n e ways okay so i’m brainrotting about the genshin charas taking care of their s/o’s when they’re sick 🥺 and now i'm feeling sick, sigh

ohm and sulien ambros belong to @teyvattherapist! they're such good chara's, i know i'm writing them here but i deffo recommend reading up on them

okay here u go, have some hc's that are kinda sorta long and by that i mean 2.5k- i haven't proofread this bc it's 4am and im going to BED but if i write for any other chara's i'll post a second part <3 mwah

tags: gn!reader, diluc x reader, kaeya x reader, jean x reader, lisa x reader, albedo x reader, dainsleif x reader, tartaglia x reader, ohm ambros x reader, sulien ambros x reader, soft bean hours

diluc

is not working or traveling when his partner is sick

absolutely makes them soup and hot tea and drinks

he’s trying to make them food but he’s not the best cook so he’s asking adelinde for help

absolutely asks jean, barbara, and ohm for help while his partner is sleeping but he’s so awkward LMAO

was absolutely frantic the first day he found out his partner was sick tho, he made them come over to the winery so they could sleep there and he can take care of them <3

absolutely lied about what room was his so they slept in his bed

“hmm this guest room is so furnished diluc are all your rooms like this” and no, no they are not, this room is his, bestie

diluc slept on a sofa in his bedroom and did work on the table that was supposed to be for flowers. kinda stressed over abyss order locations but was more worried ab his partner being okay so he was distracted

he just put the flowers on his nightstand for his partner to see when they woke up <3

gives his partner forehead kisses because they won’t let him kiss them on the lips and he gives them the gentlest cheek kisses while they sleep

also gives his partner his clothes to wear <3

cuddles them and reads to them when they’re awake and TEMPLE KISSES OH MY GOD

kaeya comes over because he’s worried his brother and his brother’s s/o haven’t been seen in a little while

n e way, diluc gets sick after his partner gets better and they nursed each other back to health

kaeya

like diluc, he took off work so he could take care of his s/o i,mediately after he found out they were sick

wouldn’t force them to stay at his place tho, he’d probably let them recover in their own place

but he might make them go to the kof hq or the cathedral just so they can be taken care of by a proper healer

he absolutely soothes their fevers and stuff w cryo and also the man can heal himself w his elem skill ofc he can fix someone if he tries hard enough <3

he gives kisses no matter how much his partner says not to but he’ll also give them butterfly kisses so it’s soft moments too~ sigh, ur too cute alberich

asks ohm and barbara and albedo and lisa for potions and such to help his partner feel better but he’s really lowkey so he doesn’t seem SUPER worried

he just hates seeing his partner not feeling so well </3

refreshes his partner’s vase of flowers at their bedside every day

brings home work so he can watch over his partner. he can’t cook super well either so he asks for help and brings stuff home from good hunter too

jean was okay to let kaeya off of work and diluc would never admit it (man practically swore everyone to secrecy smh) but he helped take up some of kaeya’s duties in his stead

and kae, the alcoholic, didn’t even drink while his partner was sick bc he was lowkey worried they would need his help w smth and he didn’t want to be drunk just in case <3

many cuddles despite protests of getting him sick <3

jean

absolutely uses her healer skills to make her partner feel better

panicked when they were still sick and thought it was her fault </3 she asked barbara and ohm for help and they just told jean to relax a bit bc her partner was sick and it wasn’t going to be a quick fix

wanted to take off work but didn’t, so she just brought her work with her

kaeya and ohm very kindly took up her other duties where she had to leave so she could be w her partner

her partner is staying in the kof hq where they get access to ohm and barbara comes to visit <3 but also so that jean can sleep comfortably enough close by bc you cannot tell me this woman does not sometimes sleep in her office or the library and barely makes it to the kof dormitories sometimes

she’s so worried the entire time, she’s probably got a few gray hairs and a new frown line smh

she has clothes that aren’t her work clothes???? it’s so foreign seeing her in stuff like pajamas. you didn’t even know jean owned pajamas

jean sets them up in her bed at home (yeah she has a place outside of the kof hq??? it’s surprising) but it’s a big bed so they can rest and she’ll have the lamp on her side on while she sits up and does work

absolutely dotes on them. she’s good at making foods that make them feel better, she’s just a good healer that way <3

albedo, klee, venti, kaeya, lisa, and ohm all come over to check on jean and co and make sure everyone is doing okay <3 lots of food brought

if jean was asked to sing to her partner normally, she probably wouldn’t bc she’d probably get embarrassed but i think she probably sounds v good and venti would give her his lyre to try out a musical instrument too. but also she’d read to her partner and they’d probably fall asleep together uwu

lisa

works part time hours at the library so she can go visit her s/o

probably asks them to stay at the kof hq for easier access to medical assistance and plus she’s almost always there

“cutie” but worried and very 🥺 (pleading emoji)

makes soup and potions and reads to her partner until they fall asleep

also super playful omg she’s still got a smile on and is full of affection while she walks her fingers up her partner’s arm to their face so she can cup their cheek

she’ll make her partner laugh and smile and blush even when they’re sick, but she makes them laugh until they cough sometimes and immediately feels so bad

jean, barbara, kaeya, albedo and ohm all come to visit with different foods and soups and medicines and such

klee comes knocking and gives lisa some good fisherman’s toast and asks lisa’s s/o if they want to hug dodoco b/c that always makes klee feel better

purple roses galore, lisa has them in her partner’s room and they’ve got a potion to make the. uh. sniffer? to make the sniffer feel better. don’t ask me how, idk but she would find a way to make them physically feel better with flowers

reads to her partner ofc, and she tells them stories ab her own life and time at sumeru sans the crazies

worried looks when her s/o is sleeping but also the softest smiles when they wake up pls-

albedo

cutest lil frown on his face when he finds out his partner is sick

immediately they are taken home and he’s testing to confirm what’s wrong w them and what he can do to speed up their recovery

he’s more distracted than usual at work but he’s coming over to your place all the time w what paperwork he can do

also sketches his partner while they don’t know. he’s got lots of beautiful candids of his partner sleeping, looking out the window, falling asleep, reading, even drinking water. he’s made the most mundane things look captivating

kaeya and ohm come to check on albedo when he doesn’t show up for work after a few days and it’s bc he’s taking care of his s/o with food and soup and alchemical potions and shit. and when kae and ohm come in, they find his partner opening the door wrapped in a blanket while albedo is asleep cuddling the pillow they left bc he stayed up the night before making soup and reading to them

klee has camped out on his partner’s couch, she helps w the cooking too~ she absolutely lets them hug dodoco and gives them a treasure to feel better too LOL

many kisses from klee and albedo, and they also go out to get treats for albedo’s partner too

domestic albedo cooking in his partner’s kitchen and for once it isn’t some alchemical potion that he might blow up the stove with

tartaglia

takes off work entirely but BOY OH BOY is he stir crazy smh

brings his partner to his apartment to rest <3

he’s so worried ab his s/o that he makes all the sick ppl food the first day, orders from wanmin restaurant when his partner wants smth different, and also gets toys and such to entertain them otherwise

also reads to his partner but, again, he gets stir crazy after a while

absolutely does workouts and katas in the living room and phew shirtless tartaglia working out? gets the heart rate up for sure ahem

rushes to his partner tho omg- need soup? water? a trip to the bathroom? another blanket? he goes to them the MOMENT he hears them moving around. absolutely dotes on them <3

his family knows ab his partner and he’s probably written letters ab them being sick~ his family sent snezhnayan herbs and flowers and medicines and such

zhongli comes around because he wants sugar daddy!tartaglia with tea and medicine from bubu pharmacy. hu tao is in tow with well wishes and a “hope i don’t find you at work!” which is. a little worrying because aren’t you just a little sick-

many kisses from tartaglia because he is Needy and he’ll absolutely get sick from cuddling his partner while they sleep

also he’ll probably just like. envelop his partner while they sleep. they’re all cuddled into him and he’s actually so warm it’s nice bc they’re cold w a fever and he’s living for comforting them

he’s so worried tho, he’s got the frowny face and he’s so adorable but he just doesn’t want his partner to feel sick

dainsleif

the man camps in ruins, he’s going to his partner’s house smh

he doesn’t go into the church either LOL so expect him in his partner’s home making dinner and doing their grocery shopping thanks

he would get ohm and barbara to come over tho <3 “fix them please” but also “how can i fix them”

is so dead set on making sure his partner takes their medicine at the right times, he’s so soft for them and them alone

cooks soup and old recipes he barely remembers from khaenri’ah. he doesn’t really get sick, so he doesn’t remember these ones too clearly. deffo brings back old memories he’d long forgotten

reads to his partner and tells them old stories of how the world used to be, his travels, gives them the gossip on a certain khaenri’ahn but doesn’t give away the name

ohm comes over with medicine and lollipops bc dain is so unlikely to go to the cathedral to get barbara smh

but also dain, so self-sufficient, is unlikely to want to ask for help, so ohm just goes to help anyway

dain with the old khaenri’ahn lullabies and tucking his partner into his arms and singing quietly while he holds them and rocks them to sleep

dain is immortal, he’s giving his partner kisses bc “i’m immortal, ofc i won’t get sick”

he got sick

but his s/o nursed him back to health and then there were smooches the end

ohm ambros

the doctor with his ill lover oh my god

he’s frowny, he’s taking care of his partner at his home in springvale and his home clinic is open to everyone else. but everyone knows his partner is the first priority LOL

kaeya and albedo come over to see if ohm is okay or if his house needs to be checked up on. they’re wondering if he went on a last-minute expedition to sumeru and didnt tell them

diluc comes over too, he’s just checking up on his best friend but he’s also stealing a cherry lollipop smh. he heard from kae that ohm’s partner is sick tho, so he brings some soup and good food over from adelinde. he also brings some of his own specialty food tho, the once upon a time in mondstadt <3

sulien sending letters to his big brother to see if his brother’s s/o is okay

ohm is also just super protective of his partner, there are not many people who come into his life who he loves and lets in in the first place. he’s absolutely trying to heal them with his own vitality, so their recovery is much shorter than initially expected

barbara also comes over w jean to check up on ohm and co, complete w a goody basket of soup, a teddy bear, flowers, and books

ohm reading to his partner <3 he’s got such a soothing voice even if his accent is wack LMAO. he’s reading stories and even his paperwork because just his presence is comforting

he puts his hands on his partner’s forehead to soothe the fever goodbye

ohm will not sing for his s/o simply bc he doesn’t think he sounds v good. and he probably doesn’t but it would be so cute to hear him try and please ohm? 🥺

n e way i want smooches idc if i’m sick KISS ME OHM AMBROS

sulien ambros

when he finds out his partner is sick, the man blinks like twice and then suggests so calmly that they go to his apartment in liyue

man does not sleep normally, he’s just going to nurse his partner back to health and read during their recovery. fruit tart can cover his duties for him <3

sulien cooks for his partner tho, he’s making soup and stuff and getting medicine from bubu’s pharmacy. he’s also picking up books on the way home but some of them are to be read to his partner so it’s okay-

like tartaglia, sulien works out while his partner rests and goes to them if he hears them moving around. he’s reading to his partner and not so frowny, but the slightest furrow of this man’s brow is already such a big expression of his concern <3

sends letters to ohm asking for advice ab how to help his partner feel better. ohm just sends a letter back with “i’m coming” and shows up within the day LMAO

reads to his partner, and the monotony of his voice is soothing and lulls them to sleep. he just looks at them affectionately (well affectionate for him) and presses a kiss to their forehead before finishing the story on his own and in his head

tartagalicious comes over and brings food, flowers and a teddy bear with some of sandrone’s paperwork but he sends a smile to sulien’s partner with some well wishes

scara comes over too just to visit and check to see where sandrone is, but scara is a grumpy bean so he just says “feel better” all brooding and like it’s a command to one of the fatui subordinates LOL

sulien like ohm uses his cold hands to soothe his partner’s fever and also gives them forehead kisses <3

Edit: a link to part 2

[neytirisblog]

OMG!! Can you do one where y/n and Arne are dating and she gets hurt during the exorcism? Lots of fluff please!! Thank you so much you’re writing is AMAZING!!

injuries

| pairings : arne johnson x fem!reader

| summary: you and arne are best friends with debbie so you both insist on helping with david’s exorcism except it’s a day you’ll never forget.

| warnings: exorcism, angst, injuries, sorta-blood.

| A/N: hi anon! i hope you like this! <3 also i’m running out of gif’s 😟

" let's take a break shall we? " ed called out his voice out of breath, tiredness clearly in his voice.

i turned over to mrs glatzel, she look drained and tired bags under her eyes as she held her eight year old son tightly in her arms placing kisses on his head.

i walked over, " your son is very very brave and strong, i know for sure we will be able to take whatever this spirit is out of your son. " i smiled and she nodded her head a tear rolling down her cheek.

" hey, i'll do whatever i can to protect david, and i mean whatever i can" i spoke softly.

" thank you, thank you so much. " she said, wiping her tears. " it's what we're here for " i smiled

ed walked over and said, " david should probably get some rest for now before we continue on." mrs glatzel nodded.

" hey, i can take him up if you want? " arne offered as he walked over.

"sure, thank you so much arne, you've been a big help with david. " mrs glatzel said, taking david off of her and giving him to the arne.

" y/n, you should probably go up there with arne, i need to talk to them about something important." ed said, glancing at lorraine quickly and then turning back.

" oh- sure. " i nodded my head and smiled i walked up the stairs with arne, a comfortable silence filled the air as we walked up.

arne opened the bedroom door. he placed david in his bed and tucked him in as i walked towards david's window, admiring the beautiful view.

i wasn't really paying attention to there conversation but i did hear him quietly say " I won't let anything happen to you, i promise. " he smiled reassuringly.

i turned my head around and saw the boy staring at me again, i walked over to him and said, " we should probably leave so he can sleep, he needs to get his rest. by the way the priest just got here. "

he nodded his head and shut the bedroom door as we walked down the stairs he finally spoke up, " y/n, i don’t want you to get hurt, i have a really bad feeling about this. ”

" arne, i’ll be fine. " i smiled as we continued walking, we finally came to the end of the steps as he turned to me and spoke again, “ you’re strong but this is a demon we’re talking about."

" arne. " i spoke " i promised you i’ll be fine" i spoke, i honestly hoped i would be fine.

i nodded and shifted my eyes toward ed and lorraine talking to mr and mrs glatzel.

a blood curling scream came from upstairs. david.

" david! " we all yelled in usion running up the stairs, mr glatzel was currently ahead all of us running as fast as he could to get to his son.

mr glatzel quickly opened the door to his son's bedroom and looked around for him, we all stood outside of the bathroom door as mr glatzel barley walked inside the bathroom when david charged to him stabbing him in the leg with a knife.

mr glatzel yelled out in agony, arne grabbed my wrist and  protectively brought me to the side where it was safe, david brought his hand back up to stab him again but ed quickly grabbed david, " we need to do this now. " he told the priest.

father kastner nodded his head in agreement, " okay, put him in the car we will take him down to the church right now. " father kastner said.

ed shook his head quickly , " no, father! we have to do it now. "

ed brought him down the stairs but whatever was inside david wouldn't leave without a fight and that's for sure, david's hands gripping onto the wall to try and prevent ed from dragging him down, claw marks all over the wall.

drew rushed quickly to the camera and put the headphones on as lorraine cleared the table, you had to admit you were a bit freaked out.

i stood next to arne grabbing david's knee while arne grabbed his arm lorraine was across from me grabbing david's while debbie was holding his knee and ed was at the end of the table holding his leg

everyone was holding david down as we tried to keep him from hurting anyone. father kastner was reading the bible as david or the demon inside of him was laughing over and over again.

father kastner held his vile of holy water as he mumbled prayers as the holy water striked the boys face making his skin bubble, you looked away and so did arne, the both of you staring at eachother.

but that didn't last long because you heard lorraine hiss in pain, you quickly turned your head to her, eyesbrows furrowed " lorraine! what's wrong? " ed asked, she removed her hand off of david as she touched her head, "i'm fine..i'm fine. " she regained consciousness and put her hand back on david's arm.

" lord, heed my prayer. " father kastner paused, the boys back arched as he let out a disoriented scream, everyone fell silent, david stopped moving and everything was silent. i turned my head to arne as he sent me a questioning look of panic, you shared the same look with him as you turned your head to father kastner his face turns to panic as he knows it's not over yet and you know it too.

the cabinets flew open, a ton of plates, cups and bowls were launched at all of us, arne quickly ducked and brought me down with him as we watched father kastsner get hit in the head, leaving a gash on his forehead, he quickly went down and hit the floor, everybody's hands were still on david.

" are you okay, drew? " you questioned, he nodded his head and gave you a thumbs up and took off his headphones, you smiled and turned your head back.

" where's your first aid kit!? " ed yelled at debbie quickly.

" uhm..it's.. in the kitchen! it's in the kitchen! " she yelled back.

" i'll go get it! " drew yelled as he ran to the kitchen as fast as his legs could take him.

you looked at arne next to you as you smiled, ed going over the latin ritual, you looked over at lorraine as again she looked like she was getting lightheaded.

ed started talking louder and louder, this seemed to have of agitated the demon inside david, david was trying harder and harder to get out of our grasp but we held him tight.

david's back was now arched, bones cracking and making weird noises, he twisted his arm so he could fit his head under his stomach, debbie yelled so loud she was crying, david growled at her as he started laughing demonically.

debbie started yelling at us to make it stop, you quickly shut your eyes mumbling a fast prayer. " leave him alone! " arne cried out.

" don't talk to it! " i yelled out, looking at arne.

" arne! don't talk to it! " ed yelled out as well trying to grab arne's attention.

" i said leave him alone! he's just a little boy you coward! " arne yelled louder and louder as you tried to get him to stop.

" stop it! you're making it worse, arne! " you tried to yell louder as wind started to form in the room.

david turned his head and sent you,debbie and arne across the room, you were thrown into the cabinet harshly and that’s all you can remember.

" y/n! " i heard someone calling out my name but it sounded muffled. i felt warm liquid tricking down my forehead.

“ y/n! are you okay!? " another voice called out but it was muffled as well my head was pounding so bad, lorraine was walking over to you but david let out another disoriented scream and launched himself at ed, sending lorraine backwards.

" i'll stop your heart, old man! " the disoriented speaking loudly whilst he reached at ed's heart, ed let out a gasp as he looked into david's eyes.

" ed! " lorraine yelled out as she tried to get up but got lightheaded.

it all went black after that.

⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒

i was trying to open my eyes but i saw a white light. oh my i’m going to heaven.

“ y/n!? y/n!? ” i heard a muffled voice yell.

i opened my eyes more and looked around, i was in a hospital room? i looked around and saw arne looking at me.

“ you’re finally awake! " he cried, tears rolling down his face.

“ what do you mean, ‘ finally awake’ ? " i asked him, trying to sit up.

“ y/n.. you’ve been out for a week! you hit your head the day of the exorcism and got a concussion. " arne spoke grabbing my hand and putting it in his.

“ david!? is he okay? ” i asked, panic in my voice.

“ yes, yes. he’s okay. “ arne spoke. “ i love you. and i told you, you were gonna get hurt. ” arne said again and playfully rolled his eyes.

i wacked his arm with my hand. “ i love you more. ” i said and laughed.

[clairenatural]

destiel, some sort of au, 1.4k of pre-marriage stress turned to fluff that I wrote at 4am. enjoy!

There’s a knock on the bathroom door, and Dean jerks his head up towards it.

Don’t be Cas, don’t be Cas, don’t be—

“Dean?” Cas calls.

Fuck.

He debates telling him to go away. He debates not answering. Neither will work.

“Sam send you?” He settles for instead, and he hates how shaky his voice sounds.

“Yes.”

“I told him not to.”

“I know. We decided I should come anyway.”

Dean almost laughs at that—at that absurd response to this absurd situation. It comes out more like a cough. He stares down at his dress pants, his shoes. They’re new. It’s all new.

When he speaks again, his voice is soft, and he refuses to look at the door. “What are we doing here, man?”

There’s a sigh from the other side. “Theoretically, we’re getting married, but—” a soft thump, as Cas leans against the wood, “—I suppose that’s really up to you.”

Dean grimaces. There’s no anger in his fiancé’s voice. No malice. Concern, maybe, but he’s doing a good job wrangling it back into the same even tone he uses with his panicked undergrads. Dean hates it, being talked to like some scared kid, but he is hiding in a bathroom at his own wedding, so. He suspects he deserves it.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbles, so quietly he’s not sure if Cas will hear him. For a long minute, the only response he gets is the swish of fabric as the other man slides down the door, the telltale clacking of dress shoes as he situates himself on the hardwood. Then—

“I love you,” Cas starts, and it’s so much more than Dean deserves at the moment that he suddenly feels like he might cry. “You know that, right?”

Dean blinks. “I—yeah. Yeah, of course I do.” He shifts, and suddenly the toilet seat is digging uncomfortably into his thighs. “I love you, too.”

“Good,” there’s another soft thump as Cas leans his head back against the door, and Dean hates how relieved he sounds. “Okay. So—” his voice is less steady, now, and a pang of guilt shoots through Dean’s chest. What is he doing. “If you don’t want to do this, we won’t.”

Dean had already pushed himself off the toilet seat, but now he freezes. “What?”

“We can go home, right now. We won’t get the deposits back, but I’m sure our guests would enjoy the free party, and we—”

“Wait,” Dean has crossed the room, now. “You’d do that for me?” There’s a piece of Cas’ coat peeking under the door frame. Dean stares at it. “And we’d—”

“Order pizza, and pretend it’s a normal Saturday, and talk about this in the morning.” It’s not the we’d be fine he was hoping for, but it’s better than he expected.

Dean sighs and turns, mirroring Cas in sliding down his own side of the door to settle on the tile floor. “You deserve so much better than that, man.”

He knows Cas is tilting his head. “Is that what this is about? What I deserve?”

Dean pauses. “No,” he lies.

“Okay. Is it about what you deserve?”

“Don’t psychoanalyze me,” Dean snaps, and then immediately feels like the scum of the Earth.

Cas’ weary sigh will haunt him for the rest of his days. “I’m not. I’m just—I want to understand.”

I want to understand why you’re hiding in a bathroom on our wedding day. Why you’re doing this to me. To us.

Yeah, Dean does too.

Before he can respond there’s a flurry of footsteps, followed by a rushed whisper and what sounds like gesturing before the footsteps recede.

“Sam?” he hazards a guess.

“He’s just worried.”

“He always is.” Dean pauses. “Are guests getting worried, too?”

“…Yes,” Cas answers slowly, and then too quickly. “But they don’t matter. This isn’t about them.”

Dean groans, pulls his knees up to his chest, and buries his face in his hands. “’Course they matter,” he grumbles into his palms. “That’s why we’re here,” by here he means the fancy mansion estate Naomi had wanted them to rent.

“Dean, you know I would have married you in a courthouse.” He sounds puzzled, now, which is at least a nice departure from exhausted/crushed/dangerously calm.

Dean does not know. “What?”

Cas hums. “Or in a roadside chapel. Or in one of those Vegas Elvis churches.”

He feels incredibly dumb for not knowing this.

Cas is still talking. “And I would have waited 5, 10 years.” He pauses, thinking. “20, even.” 

Dean feels a little breathless. “You were serious, earlier? When you said…if I say no, we’ll go home. Just like that, everything’s cool?”

“Just like that,” Cas agrees. “Although ‘cool’ is a strong word.” At least he’s being honest. He takes a deep breath before continuing. “My point is, Dean, that I am already yours in every way that matters, and I will remain so for as long as you’ll have me. Wedding today or not.”

Dean groans and leans his head back against the door. “That simple, huh?” he grumbles, even as his brain is yelling yes, it is.

“I think that’s part of the point,” comes the reply, and there’s a smile in his voice for the first time in the conversation.

“...Me too,” Dean replies after a beat, and it’s as soft as his earlier apology but this time he knows Cas can hear him. “You gotta know that, Cas.”

“I do,” Cas confirms, and it’s less unsure than Dean was afraid it would be.

Dean starts to smile back but catches himself, instead dragging a hand across his face, because despite these warm fuzzies—“You’re still gonna regret this.” It’s a neutral remark. Like a fact.

He can almost hear the eye roll.

“You’ve been saying that for our entire relationship, and yet I am not the one hiding from our wedding in the bathroom,” Cas replies, and Dean would call him out for being a smartass if he didn’t have an irritatingly valid point.

“Yeah, but—” he starts a futile attempt to argue, but Cas cuts him off.

“I could sit here and list off all the reasons why I’m here—why I’m choosing to be here—but I have some very well thought-out vows on the subject—” Dean is suddenly acutely aware of the paper tucked into his own suit jacket “—and I’m prepared to spend the rest of our lives convincing you that you deserve me, and I deserve you, and we deserve us.”

And that…..that actually sounds pretty good.

Okay.

Okay, yeah.

He rolls this over in his head for a moment before nodding and preparing to stand, to apologize, to—something. But Cas obviously takes the silence as there being something (else) wrong, because after a few seconds of shuffling his fingers slide under the door.

He’s (awkwardly, as much as the tight space will allow) holding his engagement ring.

He took off his engagement ring, and now he’s giving it back, and Dean’s not sure what could have gone horribly wrong in those few seconds of silence but this is obviously the other shoe dropping, already¸ and—

“Will you marry me?” Cas asks, voice muffled from where his face is obviously pressed against the wood.

Dean freezes. He stares at the ring. He remembers buying it. He remembers giving it to Cas in the first place. And now he's hiding in the bathroom on their wedding day and his perfect dork of a fiancé, who he will never deserve but who loves him so much anyway, is...proposing back.

He picks it up and puts it on his own finger, and it looks out of place and it doesn’t fit right, but suddenly he’s grinning so much that he doesn’t care. He stands quickly and yanks the door open, then reaches down to pull his startled fiancé up off the floor and into his arms.

“Yes?” Cas asks, pushing back just enough to be able to breathe, and suddenly the whole weight of the situation hits Dean at once. His grin falters.

“Yes—yeah, of course. I’m giving you the ring back, obviously, but—Christ, Cas, I’m so sorry, I don’t—”

Cas puts a finger to his lips, cutting off the babbling. “Wedding first, apologies after.”

Dean nods. Cas lets his hand drop but Dean catches it, presses a kiss to his fingertips, and links it with his own. He takes a deep breath, lets it out slowly. Cas reaches out for his face with his free hand and smooths his thumb over Dean’s cheekbone.

“I love you,” he says, very seriously.

“I know,” Dean smiles, and it’s only a bit nervous. He risks leaning down to press a kiss to Cas’ forehead. “Come on." When he steps away he also steps forward, tugging Cas by the hand down the upstairs hallway. “Let’s go get married.”

[watermelonlipstick]

Septic

This was written as a request for anon, who asked:

I was wondering if I could request one with Dean. The reader's injury gets badly infected and she gets a high fever and they are stuck somewhere and can't go to the hospital (maybe a cabin during a snow storm or something else if you want?). Anyway her condition keeps getting worse and dean is doing everything he can to keep her alive? As for their relationship it's up to you, whether they're dating or hiding their feelings...?

I hope this is something along the lines of what you were thinking. I decided to go with a ‘hiding from Leviathans’ angle because that seemed the closest to canon compliant to me. Thanks in advance for reading; I would love any advice or critiques!!

Title: Septic

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Word Count: 2124

Summary: Unable to go to a hospital for fear of getting trapped by Leviathans, Dean tries his best to manage the reader’s worsening infection and fever. 

Warnings: fever, illness, swearing, implied threat of death, hurt/comfort, angst, fluff (maybe? if you squint)

           “Dude, I have a fever, I haven’t been decapitated. Can you stop pacing? Sam’ll be back in a couple days, I’ll take some Tylenol and sleep it off, we’ll be good as new in no time.”

           He glared down at you where you laid on Rufus’s couch with flared nostrils. “You’re shivering under every goddamn blanket in this place and it’s been 3 days already. We’re going to a hospital.”

           You rolled your eyes at him and tried to hide the way you snuggled deeper into the woolen bundle. “So dramatic. As if we wouldn’t get made walking in the door. And if you’re so worried about me, why don’t you make yourself useful and get me a hot water bottle and some tea?” You tried to give him your most casual smile in reassurance.

           Dean appraised you with a hard set to his jaw and a twinge of concern at his eyebrows for a moment before relenting. “Fuck, fine. One more day and if the fever hasn’t broken, then we’re going.” It was only a few steps to the kitchen, and you heard him putting a pot of water on to boil. “You sure I can’t just do coffee? I don’t know how you drink this stuff.”

           Like it always did, Dean’s aversion to tea made you laugh. “It’s literally just mint flavored water—you act like you haven’t drunk all kinds of potions and hangover cures.”

           “The fact that I have drunk all kinds of potions and hangover cures should show you how gross it is.” He tossed a hot water bottle covered in worn waxed canvas on top of your blankets and you shimmied it under your feet while he got the tea together. After a moment, he set the tea (and a plastic bear full of honey, which made you smile to yourself) on the coffee table next to you. “Can we at least watch something else? These chicks are driving me fucking nuts.”

           That made you laugh hard enough to shake loose the blanket corners tucked in under your chin. “You might be able to trick Bobby into thinking you don’t like the Real Housewives, but I’m not buying it for one second.”

           He shot you some side eye but didn’t protest, patting your feet in a signal to raise them so he could sit with your legs in his lap. You didn’t remember past the first few minutes of the next episode.

           “Hey, come on, you gotta drink something.”

           You squinted up at Dean, feeling the sickly stickiness of dried and re-soaked sweat in Dean’s stolen sweatshirt where it bunched around your neck. “You want me to sleep, you want me to wake up, pick a lane, asshole,” you tried to joke, feeling each word like a stab in your, well, stab wound. It took more focus than it should’ve too hold onto Dean’s face where he perched on the coffee table right in front of you.

           “You’ve been asleep for 16 hours, Rip Van Winkle. And you’re sweating like a whore in church, gotta rehydrate.”

           “Thanks, Nurse Ratched,” you croaked, carefully keeping your face neutral around the throbbing ache in your side as you sat up and accepted the bowl of broth from Dean. When his hands were free, he put the back of his hand to your forehead in a very maternal way that might’ve made you giggle if you weren’t in so much pain.

           Dean’s lips pressed into a tight line and he breathed a hard “fuck,” as he sat back. “Lemme see it.”

           “If you wanted to get me naked, all you had to do was ask,” you tried to joke.

           “No slick shit, I’m serious. The fever’s getting worse.” There wasn’t even a touch of playfulness in his tone, tight chord of anxiety clipping his words.

           “It’s going to be pink and raw like every other set of infected stit—”

           “Cooperate or don’t, but my bet is there’s no way you can slip out of getting pinned right now.”

           “Who knew you were so kinky, Dean?”

           He didn’t rise to the teasing at all, the just-this-side-of-friendly banter you normally had, and it made the nervous bile rise a few degrees in your throat. You eased back and slowly flipped down the blankets, immediately started shivering as you pulled up your damp layers to show him your stomach.

           It was worse than you’d thought it would be even before he tenderly pulled back the tape to see the injury itself, the gauze a mottled tie-dye of blood and greenish pus. The stitches strained against swollen, angry tissue oozing at the corners, and you looked away to hold onto a little denial that you weren’t completely fucked. “Jesus Christ, kid,” Dean murmured. He reached behind him for a bottle of rubbing alcohol and you didn’t even try to argue, hissing and grabbing his wrist when he poured it over the wound. Dabbing off the worst of the external mess with the moisture, you watched as his mind raced.

           You decided to try to grab the reins of the situation before he locked you both into a crazy plan. “Help me up, I want to take a shower. I feel disgusting.”

           “Can you even stand?”

           You rolled your eyes at him exasperatedly.

           “Roll your fucking eyes at me all you want, you look like Marvin the Martian. Can’t believe I let your dumb ass talk me out of taking you to a hospital.”

           “I’ve got a much better chance of beating a little infection than I do the combined force of however many Leviathans are looking for us and the full force of the federal government. Now get out of my way if you’re not going to help me up, I need a shower.”

           He pushed back the coffee table and watched you stand up, grabbing your arm and waist when you immediately swayed. “Goddamn it, sit back down, I’m getting your shoes.”

           “Dean. I am not going to a hospital. Especially not before Sam gets back. Not a negotiation. I just—you’re freaked out, I get it. I just need you to please let me call the play for once.”

           His jaw muscles tightened into firm balls and you could see the flare of panic behind his gaze as he flicked between your eyes. Ultimately he didn’t say anything, just giving you a tight nod and offering a hand to guide you up and to the bathroom. When you’d gotten there, he hovered in the doorway as you started to peel off layers, hoping that your leaning on the sink didn’t look as obvious as it felt. “Think I can take it from here, chief,” you offered, hoping he’d take the hint.

           “Not adding a head injury to this bullshit stew, sorry.”

           “No way, psycho. You’re not watching me shower.”

           His face screwed up in a scowl. “I’m not going to watch you shower, I’m just staying in here while you do in case you get dizzy again.”

           “Dude—”

           “Not a negotiation,” he growled, spinning your words back on you. You held each other’s stubborn gazes for a long beat before you gave in, getting in the tub and yanking the curtain closed with the rest of your clothes on, shucking the rest of them off and dropping them outside the tub behind the plasticized shield and curtain. You turned the water on and held onto the dial for support, hearing Dean’s movement in the bathroom as he sat down on the lidded toilet next to the shower. Laborious as it was, it felt a lot better getting clean. You’d started washing your hair when he started to talk.

           “You know what you’re asking me to do, right?”

           “Let me take a shower in peace?” You didn’t want to acknowledge the elephant in the room—what was the point?

           “If you’re not septic yet you will be in a day or two.”

           “By which time Sam will be back and you guys can strong arm some vet into giving me antibiotics like the mafiosos you fancy yourselves to be.”

           “Don’t deflect.” It was quiet but firm, and you blinked away the way your vision was starting to fuzz out at the edges. Something about it finally got you to drop the joking, if only for a second.

           “I know what I’m asking you to do.” You hoped he could hear the resolution in your voice.

           Dean was silent for a long enough beat that you thought maybe he hadn’t heard you, but you heard the roughness in his voice when he finally replied. “Please don’t make me?”

           The shower washed away a hot, stupid tear when it shot out of your eye like a kamikaze at his vulnerability. “I can’t be the reason you guys get caught.” You were clean now, but something about the confession-style quality of the shower curtain and the way it was letting both of you say what you really meant held you in the stream of water anyway.

           “I’m not—it’s going to fuck me up forever, you know that, right?” It was almost a grunt, the way Dean’s voice strained as he pleaded with you.

           “Long as you guys are alive.”

           He didn’t respond.

           After a long minute you felt your legs start to turn to jello. “You have something out there I can put on?”

           You heard him clear his voice, sticky and coarse. “Gimme a second.”

           A callused hand shot behind the shower curtain with a towel before Dean’s footsteps got quieter, and you tried your best to dry yourself off without stumbling. Not 15 seconds later, a bundle of clothes came in the same way. You smiled to yourself at your underwear and yoga pants with Dean’s t-shirt; he would’ve had to deliberately go into 2 different bags to get the clothes, no way it was an accidental grab. When you were dressed, you tugged the shower curtain back and didn’t argue when Dean wrapped his arm around your waist to ease you out of the tub, let him guide you back to the couch and fussily rearrange your blankets and pillows before he got out his first aid supplies.

           You watched his face as he worked on cleaning the wound again, knowing he just needed to be doing something, that he couldn’t just sit still and hope it got better. You could give him that, sat stock still even when it stung like a bitch and didn’t even tease him when he made you swallow a handful of vitamins as though that would help. Another cup of soup eaten silently and two mugs of tea later, your eyelids were beginning to droop again.

           “Tired?” he murmured, messing with the cover of the hot water bottle before ultimately getting up to refill it.

           “A little, yeah. Will you, um, will you sit with me?”

           Dean mercifully didn’t acknowledge the shake in your voice, nodding gently and sliding himself beneath you on the couch, tucking you under his arm and onto his chest, burrowing you both into the cushions. You reached your hand out of the blankets to place your palm over his heart, feeling the vibrating thrum of his pulse under your fingertips and cheek. His hand shifted so that he was smoothing the drying hair back from your temple, and after a few beats he bent his neck to kiss the crown of your head. The tenderness of it, the giving in to your request, pulled another tear out of your eye that fell straight into the cotton of Dean’ t-shirt underneath you.

           He sounded like he’d just woken up, that sleepy-syrupy sandpaper of a long night on his vocal cords. “You know, right? If it was going to be anyone for me, it would’ve been you?”

           The weight of it turned the blankets on top of you into a hug. You were nodding into him before you could speak, the tears turning your voice creaky-soft. “Same to you, dummy.” He chuckled once nostalgically at the ribbing, and you felt the rumble of it under you. “Thank you, Dean.”

           You felt the tension of the hiccupped breath before Dean got it under control to answer. “I love you, kid.”

           “Love you too.” It was the only thing to say, and neither of you had to answer or explain this undercurrent that had never been acknowledged so plainly before, no matter how rock solid it might’ve been for years. You laid there together for a long time, beating of Dean’s heart underneath you something constant to hold onto, warmth off his body better than any hot water bottle. The last thing you remembered before passing out was hearing Sam walk through the front door.

-

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[lareinenoir]

THE PURGE; Sanctuary C.E x black reader

PT III

60 Days Until The Purge

THEN...

"I'll order take out. I know you like Thai-"

"Don't order anything. I'm actually not even hungry." You said as he took your bag and put it on his shoulder. "What?" He was looking at you weird and it made you frown.

"Where's the rest of your stuff?"

"You asked me to stay the night. That is my overnight bag." You replied folding your arms and walking over to the couch. Your hand touched your forehead and you sighed. You could still feel him looking at you as you tried to relax with your head leaned back. "After I tell Shonda about our situation, you're signing the papers."

"What do you mean-"

"You know what I mean." You shot back

"Ok, well theirs a lot to consider now." He motioned to your stomach and you sat up straight. "We're having a baby, now."

"No no no." You shook your head feeling your petty insides bubble a bit in sarcasm. "I'm having a baby. Me. Just me.”

"Obviously I want to be apart of our baby's life." Chris argued back and you frowned and scoffed. He put your bag down and crossed his arms as you brushed it off. "You can't seriously think I won't. V that's insane."

"You wanna know what's insane? You think you're gonna get anywhere near it. Why in the hell would I allow you and your broken promises anywhere near my child? Do you think I'm stupid? To make the same mistake twice!"

"Again? V what do you want me to do?" He asks throwing his hands up. "Acting is what I do, that's my job-"

"I don't care about that. I'm not asking you to chose your job or me-"

"It damn well near sounds like it. I would never make you choose." He countered back and you gripped your fists together.

"You may not have said it directly, but there have been many times where you have indirectly patronized me. I just found out I'm pregnant and I have been trying so hard to deal with it." you replied watching him pace back and forth and shake his head. "I have been getting the worst headaches, I can't keep any food down and I literally get lightheaded on set every single day because hiding my pregnancy has been a real joy ride." You replied sarcastically with a small chuckle

"What do you want me to do? I tell you to tell the producers, you get mad. I tell you to take a break, you get mad. I tell you to come over and you’re mad.” Chris said in disbelief. “I don't know what you want from me." He shrugs brushing the hair from his eyes.

"Not once since you found out have you asked me how I'm doing? My whole career is at risk I could lose my job. And you don't even seem to care.” You said

"V, I do care." He reached for your shoulder and you took in another breath. "I want you to stop worrying all the time. And you're right, I should be concerned more about you. I should be there for you-I should've been there for you in the beginning.” He admitted and you folded your lips again.

Are For real this time? Should I let it go and move past it? Again? No because it'll start all over again.

"This baby is mine. This is a life changing thing that's happening, I can't let you ruin it too." You spoke

" I'm taking responsibility because this is something I want. Ok? Can't we find some common ground? You of all people should know what it's like to grow up without a father!"

"You know too!" You shouted back. Chris' dad had died when he was younger. He talked about him sometimes but not as much. "I'd rather have had my father six feet under then to have him choosing when it's convenient for him to show up!" You said with your foot down shaking your head.

"Forget the divorce. Me and you living here happily married for the years to come. Whats so bad about that? Why can't I have that? What's so wrong with the picture of two parents raising a child?" His voice was loud and he was getting frustrated. He didn't shout, but you could tell how passionate he was about it. He always wanted to be a daddy, a parent. "Huh?"

"It's not just about you!" You said stepping closer. "Because..." You shrugged feeling your eyes water as you suck in your cheeks. "I knew the kind of man I was marrying. So involved with his job it took him almost fifteen years to actually start dating. It's not about you or your career. This baby is all I have right now.”

He looked confused as he relaxed his brow and pinched the bridge of his nose. From two feet away you could feel his heartbeat and you felt a little bad for how foolish you probably looked. You still loved him, not like you ever stopped, but you remembered that you still loved him.

Because, it's not about me either anymore. You thought

"Forget the papers okay..." You said swallowing your own pride. "just forget it. You’re right. I want our child to have two parents who will love him unconditionally. But it has to stop, because it takes two. I can't have you with one foot in the door." You admitted

“Yeah yeah.” He nodded “yeah I get that. I’m not going anywhere.” Chris said and you walked forward and took his hand kissing his palm as you placed it on the side of your face. “I promise V.” He cups your face and stares into your eyes. His stubble poking at you a bit as you held his wrists.

“I love you.” You said with a small smile

“Still?” He laughed making you roll your eyes as you giggled a little. “I love you too. Are you sure you aren’t hungry?” He asks again

“Yes.” You nodded “now shut up and come take a nap with me.”

NOW....

CHRIS POV**

“Damnit! Damnit! Damnit!” I said throwing the phone on the couch. I had called five times and her phone went straight to voicemail.

“This is not a test, this is your Emergency Broadcast System. Announcing the commencement of the annual purge sanctioned by the U.S. Government. ALL Weapons have been authorized for use during the purge. Government officials of ranking 10 have been granted immunity and shall not be harmed. Commencing at the siren, any and all crime (including murder) will be legal for 121 days. Police, fire, and Emergency Medical services will be unavailable until December 15, 12:00 o’clock midnight, when the purge concludes. Blessed be our new founding fathers and America... A nation reborn. May God be with you all.”

My tv was replayed the message nine more times before shutting off. I swallowed the lump in my throat. Today is august 15, Vanessa’s birthday is tomorrow which was when she’d be 17 weeks. We had marked it on the calendar together. More than half my wife’s pregnancy would be spent during the purge. I needed to find her!

I didn’t support the purge. Something about killing people to be “cleansed” just didn’t sit right in my gut. It made my heart ache thinking about the clean up at the end. I could bring Dodger, but he can only do so much. Maybe he could help track her scent. Grabbing my coat I folded my lips together.

“Fuck!” I shout

With what weapon? How was I going to run the streets looking for my wife without a gun? I loved the idea of owning one, but Vanessa made me swear not to bring one in the house if she was there. So I just dropped the idea. Looking in the kitchen I grabbed one of the Chef knives off the rack. Maybe this would be enough for now...

“Damnit!” I curse looking at Dodger. “She said she was at Topanga Park. Start there?” I asked, as if he’d answer back. I grabbed her bonnet from off the bathroom door handle and stuffed it in my backpack.

I didn’t hesitate l. I locked up everything and jumped inside my truck. Dodger sat on the passenger side and I felt my hands start to shake as I put my foot on the gas. I started to promise god I would go to church if he would keep her safe.

“I don’t even know if you’re even listening or you even care. I love her, I’ve been such and idiot and I don’t wanna lose her.” I looked at Dodger and he was sitting up straight. “I remember you didn’t like her. You wouldn’t let her anywhere near me, you bark and squeeze yourself in between us when we sat down in the room to watch movies.” I chuckle wiping the little tear that slipped from my eye “You stole one of her wigs too.”

“WHAT THE FUCK!” she shouted chasing you around the house. “DODGER GIVE IT BACK! COME BACK!”

We chased him around the house and Dodger thought it was some sort of game. We had been officially dating for a month. I had started laughing when I caught him and held her headband wig in my hand. She stood their with her arms folded while I petted his head and she rolled her eyes.

"I told you he doesn't like me." She said as I stood up and she took the wig from my hand.

"Come on, he's just getting used to you."

"I've been over here every day. Your dog hates me."

"What?" I tilted my head to the side and touch her nose with my index finger. "Deal breaker? If my dog doesn't like my girlfriend, I'm gonna dump her? Tell me where that makes sense."

She walked closer to me and wrapped her arms around my waist looking up at the ceiling as I kissed her neck. "I guess you have a point." Vanessa sighed.

"He's just warming up to you that's all."

"What's stopping me from breaking up with you?"

"Over a dog?"

"This is his third assault against me. First it was tearing up my purse, then chewing up my crocs, not to mention the little shit I found inside of them. And now stealing my wig and playing cat and mouse." Said Vanessa as I rested my head on top of hers. "Luckily this is a backup wig."

“Aren’t you wearing one right now?” I asked

“Headband wig. And that wig your dog has destroyed,” she gave him the side eye “it was my favorite and expensive.” She gritted her teeth

“I’ll buy you another one.” I offered

She purses her lips and shook her head. “I don’t want you buying me anything. I’ll just break up with you. For real this time.”

"Fine then..." I baited her shrugging my shoulders. "Break up with me."

“Over a dog?” She frowns mocking me as I smile down at her and her eyebrows bend downward a little as she caressed my face. Her finger was gentle and she stood on her top toes and kissed my lips. “Never.”

...

I look over at Dodger and pat his head. "We'll find her. I know we will." I say trying to lift my spirits.

When we arrived to Topanga Park, it was a sight. I didn't even want to leave the truck. I felt my heart race a little more. "What the hell..."

In the middle of traffic-in between the cars were bodies. Dodger started barking at the train of blood that stained the streets. It was empty, but I could feel a heavy weight on my back. Walking behind me, next to me...it was all around me. I hadn't realized I had my hand over my mouth an nose, it was hard for me to breath as the stench of dead bodies. Dodger kept barking and that led to me chasing after him. I had her bonnet in one hand and I called after him.

I came to a halt when I came face to face with another person. He had Dodger in his hands and I felt my muscle tense up. He was tall and very familiar looking. I swallowed the lump in my throat and held the kitchen knife in my hand with a firm grip.

"Captain America?"

I tilted my head sideways and licked my lower lip narrowing my brow a little. "Yeah, give me the dog and we can go our separate ways. Ok?"

He nodded his head. He ran his fingers through his hair and put the dog down. I wasn't really concerned about who he was I was trying to prepare for a fight. He dropped his gun on the ground and held up his his hand.

"I'm not going to kill you. I'm looking for my wife." He said "She left her watch in that building." He pointed to the school and slowly pulled the watch from his pocket.

"In there?" I asked

"Yeah." He nodded, but I still couldn't shake the feeling I knew him from somewhere. "My name is Jared. My wife's name is Gianne, I'm pretty sure she was with someone else-are you looking for someone too? Maybe we could help each other. There was something written on the chalkboard in there, I wasn't something Gia would write, but she was here. All I wanna do is find her-"

"Supernatural?" I asked turning my head to the side. Vanessa loved that show. Whenever she had spare time she would watch it or on those many night she'd spend the night at my house we would watch it-well not really watch it. The Netflix and 'chill' was emphasized. "You said something about some sort of message on the wall?" I asked motioning with my hand. "what did it say?"

"um, CE equals BE or something like that." He shrugged

I laughed a little. Vanessa Evans plus Chris Evans equals Baby Evans. It was a stupid joke-an Easter egg if you will. Shonda put in the show on the whiteboard in one of our love scenes as a way to announce our pregnancy to the audience. She often left clues to the next episode in every episode except this one was not only in the show but in real life.

"Chris Evans." I say extending my hand out to him. I'm pretty sure he knew by the little smile playing on his face. He shook my hand and nodded his head.

"I know. I'm a big marvel fan, I know all your lines." Jared chuckled and then cleared his throat as he nervously laughed. "Nice to meet you. I'm Jared Padalecki - I know I said that already..."

I introduced him to Dodger and I felt a little more relaxed. I gathered that she was alive and we both came to the assumption that they were traveling together.

"Where do you think their headed?" I asked as we walked to his car which was tricked out and full of ammunition and guns. Not to mention government level protective gear.

"While I was in there, I picked up someone else. Heavy footed and big, traveling with dogs. Hair everywhere." He went on tossing me a bullet proof vest. "You heard of Sanctuary?"

"The safety place? Yeah, but it's hard to find. It's for people who get caught in the Purge right?"

He narrowed his brow and shook his head. "No." Said Jared sharply. "Sanctuary is a secret government funded task force. It started off as a conspiracy some myth to explain all the random disappearances throughout the year. It's a government project designed for population control." He went on

"Ok...what does that have anything to do with the Purge?"

"Everything. An organization designed to control the US population. We're talking Pro killers who were once on a leash, but when that horn sounded and the Purge began, they are just as free to kill anyone they want." Said Jared handing me an ipad. It was a list of celebrities. From pro athletes like Steph Curry and their immediate families to movie stars and singers like Rhianna and Tom Cruise. "There are rumors that they are hunting celebrities. The kardashians and Jenner's are fair game. If not the stars themselves then they choose their parents, brothers and sisters."

"And do what?" I asked quietly as I saw mine and Vanesssa picture

"Most get auctioned off to the highest bidder, I've also heard they kill them on the spot for money or bring them in to fight for the death. Bottom line, there is a bounty on our heads. During the Purge everyone is fair game, their is no protection."

"You're telling me she's out there being hunted by them right now?" I asked

“Possibly. The dog hair isn’t a breed we know. They are a combination of hunting canines, bloodhound, foxhound, Labrador retriever with the built and aggression of a something like a pit bull a Rottweiler.” Said Jared as I looked up from the iPad and gave it back. “You’re gonna need more than a kitchen knife. We find the dogs and the hunter and we’ll find them.”

He held a gun out to me and wiped my mouth with the palm of my hand trying to mentally prepare for what is to come."

“Do you believe in the Purge?” I asked still questioning why his car was full of weapons. “You kill people?”

He nodded his head. “Yes. I don’t believe in hiding or waiting for someone to kill me. We all have the right to Purge."

"What's stopping you from killing me?"

Jared sighed and shook his head. "I'm hunting them. I'm surviving and if you decide to threaten my survival, then I'll kill you." He went over to the driver side of his Ford charger. "Get in. Knowing Gia she is headed for Roberts hole."

"What's that?" I asked climbing in the passenger seat of the car.

“It’s a Cassino for celebrities. Jack Black owns it. It’s locked up right but open to his favorites during the Purge.”

“They’ll be there?”

“Relax.” He out his hand in my shoulder and looked at me as dodger sat in the back seat. “We will find them. You know how to shoot don’t you?” Jared raised his gun in the air and nodded my head.

I guess it wasn’t confidently and he chuckled. “Vanessa isn’t a fan of guns.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll practice. Ok?”

.

.

.

.

.

A/N: Sorry it took so long😬 don’t hate me, please. Lol, I hope everyone is doing well and safe out here. If you wanna be tagged leave it in the ask box, Anyways…Untill next time!

Tags!

@Tantricevans

@rosey1981

@toni9

@onceuponahuntersrealm

@pm-my-hubbies

@Cynthetic

@liqourlaughslove

@melaninfalconbucky

@omg-mymelaninisbeautiful

[bellisperennis0]

See You Sometime

Word Count: 2,785

Warning: Slight spoiler to Season 1 x Episode 5 (Uch/Opossum), mention of blood and bullet wound.

A/N: This one is on the longer side. As always Thank you for reading and hope you enjoy! ❤️ GIF credit to @seventhdevil​

Walking down the long Hospital hall on your way outside for a well needed breather after a long and chaotic morning, you stop when you turn the corner into one of the many lobbies. Outside the double doors you can see Frankie Rogan and Ezekiel Reyes having a very intense conversation.

The talk all over the Hospital floor, when you arrived for your shift, was how Emily Galindo had been admitted early in the morning after an incident in Merchant Square caused her to get injured. You prayed that Ezekiel wasn’t trying to sneak his way in to see Emily, but you knew EZ better than anyone and you knew that was exactly what he was trying to do.

You watched as Frankie and EZ made their way down the corridor, entering the X-Ray Room at the end of the hall. Once they were both out of sight you decided to make your way down to the room. Seeing Frankie walk out shortly after, you called out to him.

“Hay, Rogan!” you called for him as you watched him look around to find who was calling him. When he spotted you at the other end of the hall, he gave you a big smile, making his way towards you.

“Holy Shit!! Never thought I would be seeing that beautiful face of yours around here again.” He says as he approaches you, making you giggle.

“It’s nice to see you, Frankie.” You tell him as you throw your arms around him, taking him into a hug.

“Shit, it’s so good to see you.” He tells you as he hugs you back.

“So, was that Ezekiel you just helped sneak in to see Emily?” you ask him as you step back, crossing your arms across your chest.

“I know [y/n] I told him it was a fucked up idea, he insisted he needed to see her.” He tells you

“Do you know what happened to her?” you asked him. You have heard many stories about what happened, but you knew Frankie was the officer on the call so he would know more of what truly happened to Emily.

“Shit went down at Merchant Square. A nun was beaten to death and placed in the church for all the festival goers to find. Apparently Emily went in during the chaos and ended up getting trampled in the middle of it all. Believe it was retaliation from Los Olvidados.” He tells you and you couldn’t even imagine what Emily was going through.

“Shit! First her son is taken from her and now this. Tough being the wife of a much hated Cartel leader.” You tell him. As much as you never really liked Emily growing up, your heart aches for her and everything that has happened to her these last few weeks.

Just then you hear someone call your name. Looking over to were the voice came from, you find EZ standing in the door way of the X-Ray Room.

“I gotta go, let you two catch up.” Rogan tells you

“Yeah? Okay. It’s really good to see you again, Rogan.” You tell him as you give him a hug goodbye.

“It’s really good to see you again, beautiful.” He tells you as he begins to make his way down the hall.

“Be safe out there.” You yell back at him.

“You know it!” he turns to give you a wink before disappearing behind the double doors.

Taking a deep breath you finally turn your attention back to Ezekiel. Before you can react or say anything, EZ is quickly taking you into a warm embrace.

“Hey, EZ.” You whisper as you hug him back.

“I can’t believe it really is you.” He says as he pulls away slightly, but not completely letting you go.

“It’s really me.” You tell him, giving him a sad smile.

“You look really good [y/n]. It’s really good to see you again.” He tells you, finally releasing you from his embrace.

“Prospect huh. Was that Angel’s doing?” you ask him as you gently tug at his kutte. Disappointment evident in your voice and on your face.

“Only thing I had when I got out, [y/n].” he admits as he stares at his boots.

“I highly doubt that. And sneaking around to see Emily Galindo while El Jefe and his thugs are camped out here. You are smarter than that Ezekiel.” You scolded him. The last thing you wanted to do was to yell at EZ about his decisions, but as his friend, you felt like he needed to know how dumb his decision was.

“I know, I know. Rogan told me the same thing. I just needed to know for myself that she was okay.” He shyly tells you as he grabs the sides of his kutte.

“Look, I really need to get back to work. It was really good seeing you EZ.” You tell him as you take him into another hug.

“I’m glad you are home, Hermosa.” He hugs you back, placing a kiss to your forehead.

“I’ll see you around.” You tell him as you begin to make your way down the hall heading back to your office. EZ standing there watching until you were out of sight, before leaving.

----------

After an exhausting couple of weeks at the hospital, you were beyond ecstatic to have a couple days off to do absolutely nothing. It had been a few weeks since you had made a visit to see Felipe, and you were yearning for some of his fatherly love. After making a quick stop at the coffee shop across the street, you make your way to Felipe’s shop. Walking in you didn’t see him behind the counter, but the second the bell above the door was heard, you heard his voice come from the back room.

“Hay Pop!” you yell back after you hear him say he will be right with you.

It didn’t take long before he appeared from the back room, smile plastered on his face at the sight of you.

“Mija!” he ecstatically says as he takes you into his arms.

“Hay Pop! How are you!?” you ask him as you tightly hug him back

“I’m good sweetheart. How are you?” he asks you as you grumble, taking a sip of your coffee.

“I’m okay. Hospital has been really busy. Which is good but just really exhausting.” You tell him as you take a seat at the table.

“EZ told me he saw you the other day.” He tells you as he takes a seat across from you.

“Did he also tell you he was at the Hospital to see Emily Galindo, with Miguel not too far away.” You tell him rolling your eyes, and he just scoffs.

“I had heard what happened to Emily, so when he said he was at the hospital; I figured that was why he was there.” He says.

“Does Angel know I am back?” you finally blurt out the question you have been dying to know.

“He does. I couldn’t keep that secret from him.” he tells you and you just nod.

You were honestly surprised that Angel had known, but you have yet to see him. You figured as soon as Angel found out you were back he would be kicking down every door in Santo Padre just to see you again.

As you were sitting there chatting with Felipe, your phone began to ring. Looking at the screen there was no name, but the number was one you remembered all too well, Ezekiel’s.

“Hay EZ!” you answered.

“Are you at work, [y/n]?” he asks you.

“No. I’m at the Butcher shop with Pop. Is everything okay Ezekiel?” you can hear the concern in EZ’s voice and a bunch of yelling and chaos in the background.

“I hate to do this, but one of the guys got injured and we can’t get him across the border…” EZ began but you were quick to cut him off.

“Where are you? I’ll come to you!” you tell him, getting up from your seat, Felipe following your lead.

“Clubhouse. Pop can bring you. I really appreciate this, querida.” he tells you

“No problem. I’ll be there shortly.” You tell him before hanging up.

----------

Walking up to the Clubhouse, medical bag in hand and Felipe right behind you, your nerves were running havoc. It wasn’t the fact that there was every possibility that you will be face to face with Angel again, but the simple fact that this place was the reason you had left both Angel and Santo Padre all those years ago.

Once you heard yelling coming from inside the Clubhouse, you pushed all the nerves to the side and quickly went into Doctor mode. Walking into the Clubhouse you take in the chaos before you. Men in kuttes running around like chickens with their heads cut off, blood all over the floor, and one man on the pool table screaming in agony with four others trying their best to calm him.

Quickly making your way to the table you push in-between two of the men and take a look over at the man with a bullet hole in his shoulder. Not taking any notice that Angel was standing just on the other side of the table.

“You the Doc?” the man on top of the pool table with the bullet in his shoulder asks you.

“Yeah, that’s me!” you tell him as you look over his shoulder and then rummaging through your medical bag.

“I’m not going to lie. This is going to fucking suck and hurt like all hell, but I will do my best to be quick. I have nothing to give you for the pain or to numb it so you’re going to have to bear with me.” You tell him with a reassuring smile, as you put on your gloves.

“Just do what you need to.” He tells you and you can tell he relaxed a little at your words.

For the next ten minutes you worked on the man, who you learned was named Creeper. Wiping the beat of sweat from your forehead you look over your work. It wasn’t the best, but under the circumstances it will do.

“Good news, you get to keep your arm. Bad news, you won’t be able to ride for a few weeks.” You tell him as you finish up bandaging his shoulder.

“Thanks doc, you are a godsend.” He tells you

“I’ll take you to the back bathroom so you can clean up.” You hear EZ say from behind you.

Following EZ to the back, your heart skips a beat when you make eye contact with Angel from across the room. You give him a small smile before disappearing down the hall.

As you were cleaning up, you heard the bathroom door open and then close and without looking up you knew exactly who entered the room. The scent of his cologne wafting through the room a dead giveaway. You could feel his gaze on you.

“Querida?” you barely hear him whisper, your heart clenching at the all too familiar name. Closing your eyes you take a deep breath before turning to finally face Angel.

“Angel.” You finally say, placing your hands into your back pockets. Doing your best to keep your emotions at bay.

“For once Pop didn’t lie to me. You really are back.” You can see him go through every emotion.

“It’s really good to see you.” Your voice slightly cracking as you fight back the lump forming in your throat.

“Yeah, you to. You look good.” He tells you.

You both jump slightly when there was a knock on the door and EZ’s voice can be heard from the other side.

“Angel, Bishop needs you in Templo.” You sigh in relief at EZ’s interruption, cutting the tension between you and Angel for a second.

You can see the irritation in Angel’s face, “Go. It’s okay!” you tell him as you turn back to the sink and finish cleaning up. You hear him sigh and then the bathroom door open. Clenching the bathroom sink you take a deep breath, trying your best to fight back the urge to sob. You jump when you felt a hand on your shoulder, looking up you see EZ standing there in the mirror.

“You alright?” he asks you, you just nod.

“I just need to get out of here.” You sniffle as you grab your things.

“Pop will take you back.” He tells you as you both make your way to the main room.

When you walk into the main room, the guys were all piling into Templo, but Bishop stopped when he saw you walking out from the back.

“Thank you again for everything you did. We owe you sweetheart.” He tells you as he gives you a hug.

“It’s nothing. I’ll be by sometime tomorrow to check on him, if that’s okay?” you ask him and he just nods and gives you a smile.

“That would be great. Get home safe.” He says before joining the rest of the guys in Templo, EZ quick to close the glass door behind him.

--------

Arriving at the Clubhouse after you shift at the Hospital, you walked in to find Angel sitting out on the front porch enjoying a beer, a cigarette between his lips.

“Hey, Angel.” You say as you lean against the porch railing.

“Querida. Good to see you again.” He says as he stubs out his cigarette.

“Good to see you to. Just stopped by to check on Creeper.” You tell him as you point towards the Clubhouse door.

“Gilly took him to Vicki’s. Says he can recover better there.” He chuckled.

You furrow your brows, “Oh I bet! Guess he isn’t feeling too bad then.”

“Seemed perfectly fine this morning. You really do have the magic touch, doc.” He gives you a smile.

“I should probably go then. Glad to hear he’s doing okay.” You tell him as you begin to make your way down the porch. Angel quick to his feet, gently grabbing your wrist, stopping you.

“Can we please talk?” he ask you and you can see the sincerity in his face.

You sigh, “Yeah. Okay.” You say as you follow him back to the sofa he was previously sitting on.

“I’m sorry, for everything. All the lies, the secrets, going behind your back, pushing you away. All of it! I hated that you just walked away, but I then realized that all this was on me. I left you no other choice, I forced you to leave and for that I will never forgive myself. I know how much you despised the MC, after everything you dealt with growing up in one, and then here I was joining the MC behind your back and lying about it. I’m forever sorry, Querida.” He laid it all out for you. Wiping the tears from your cheeks, finally looking up at Angel, you can see the unshed tears in his eyes.

“That fight we had that morning Angel, that was the last straw for me. I was pouring everything out to you and you just up and walked out the door. Putting the MC before me, before us. Not to mention we were either avoiding each other or we were constantly arguing. It was no longer a happy, loving relationship.” You tell him as you wipe the tears from your face.

Before he could respond the Clubhouse door opened and a beautiful female came out.

“Angel.” She called for him. He quickly cleared his throat and wiped the tears from his eyes.

“Yeah, mi dulce.” You hear him say and your head shoots up at the familiar term of endearment he used to call you. You looked at him and then back at her, and knew right away that there was definitely something between them. Your heart slightly aching at the thought

“We got to go.” She tells him as she makes her way down the porch and towards the black car parked in the yard.

“Okay, I’ll be right there.” He calls after her.

“I should really get home.” You say as you get up.

“Yeah, okay. Thank you again for helping out last night.” He tells you as he walks you down the porch towards your car.

“See you around, Reyes.” You tell him as you give him a kiss on the cheek.

“Take care of yourself, Querida.” He gives you a smile as he watched you get into your car.

As you drive off the yard, you watch as Angel and that part of your life disappear in your rear view mirror.

 --xx

[ponderings-of-a-wildflower]

He and I are so close, if I tilt my head a few degrees, my cheek presses against his shoulder. I breathe in the wool of his sweater, the coffee and chalk dust smell of his skin, my mouth mere inches from his neck. We stay like that, his arm holding me and my head against his shoulder, while laughter drifts in from the hallway and the downtown church bells mark the half hour. My knees press into his thigh; the back of my hand grazes his pant leg. Breathing shallow breaths into his neck, I will him to do something. Then a small motion: his thumb strokes my shoulder. I lift my face so my mouth almost touches his neck and I feel him swallow once, twice. It’s how he swallows—like he’s pushing something down within him—that gives me the courage to press my lips against his skin. It’s only a half kiss, but he shudders from it, and the feel of that makes me swell like a wave. He kisses the top of my head then, his own half kiss, and again I press my mouth against his neck. It’s a dialogue of half actions, neither of us fully committed. There’s still a chance to turn away, change our minds. Half kisses can be forgotten but full kisses cannot. His hand squeezes my shoulder, tight and tighter, and something within my own body begins to rise. I struggle to force it down, worried that if I don’t, I might leap forward, grab him by the throat, and ruin the whole thing. Then, without warning, he lets go. He draws away from me and then we aren’t touching at all. Behind his glasses, he blinks as though adjusting to new light. “We should talk about this,” he says. “Ok.” “This is serious.” “I know.” “We’re breaking a lot of rules.” “I know,” I say, annoyed at the idea of him thinking I don’t realize this, that I haven’t already spent hours trying to figure out exactly how serious this is. He looks me over, his face bewildered and hard. Under his breath, he mutters, “This is unreal.” The second hand on the classroom clock ticks by. It’s still faculty service hour. The door is closed, but technically someone could come in at any moment. “So, what is it that you want to do?” he asks. It’s too big of a question. What I want depends on what he wants. “I don’t know.” He turns toward the windows, crosses his arms over his chest. I don’t know isn’t a good answer. It’s what a child would say, not someone willing and capable of making up her own mind. “I like being with you,” I say. He waits for me to offer more, and my eyes move around the classroom as I struggle for the right words. “I also like what we do.” “What do you mean, ‘what we do’?” He wants me to say it, but I don’t know what to call it. I gesture at the space between our bodies. “This.” Smiling faintly, he says, “I like that, too. What about this?” He leans forward and touches the tips of his fingers to my knee. “Do you like this?” Watching my face, his fingertips slide up my leg and keep sliding until they brush the crotch of my tights. Reflexively, my legs clamp together, trapping his hand. “That was too far,” he acknowledges. I shake my head, relax my legs. “It’s ok.” “It’s not ok.” His hand slips out from under my skirt and he slides like liquid out of his chair and onto the floor. Kneeling before me, he lays his head on my lap and says, “I’m going to ruin you.” It’s the most unbelievable thing that has happened so far, more surreal than him saying he wanted to kiss me or his hand stroking my leg. “I’m going to ruin you.” He says it with obvious torment, a glimpse into how much he’s thought about it, wrestled with it. He wants to do the right thing, doesn’t want to hurt me, but has resigned himself to the likelihood that he will. With my hands hanging in midair above him, I take in his details: black hair, gray at the temples; the smooth grain of his beard ending at a clean-shaven line under his jaw. There’s a small cut on his neck, slightly inflamed, and I imagine him that morning in his bathroom, razor in hand, while I stood barefoot in my dorm room, smearing makeup on my face. “I want to be a positive presence in your life,” he says. “Someone you can look back on and remember fondly, the funny old teacher who was pathetically in love with you but kept his hands to himself and was a good boy in the end.” His head still heavy in my lap, my legs start to shake, my armpits and the backs of my knees break into a sweat. “Pathetically in love with you.” As soon as he says this, I become someone somebody else is in love with, and not just some dumb boy my own age but a man who has already lived an entire life, who has done and seen so much and still thinks I’m worthy of his love. I feel forced over a threshold, thrust out of my ordinary life into a place where it’s possible for grown men to be so pathetically in love with me they fall at my feet. “Some days I sit in your chair after you leave class. I rest my head on the table like I’m trying to breathe you in.” He lifts his head from my lap, rubs his face, and sits back on his heels. “What the fuck is the matter with me? I can’t tell you this. I’m going to give you nightmares.” He hefts himself back into his chair, and I know I have to offer something to convince him I’m not afraid. I need to match him, show he isn’t alone. “I think about you all the time,” I say. For a moment, his face brightens. He catches himself and scoffs. “Like hell you do.” “All the time. I’m obsessed.” “That I find hard to believe. Beautiful girls don’t fall in love with lecherous old men.” “You aren’t lecherous.” “Not yet,” he says, “but if I make another move toward you, I will be.” He needs more, so I give more. I tell him I write my stupid poems just so he’ll read them (“Your poems are not stupid,” he says. “Please don’t call them that.”), that I spent all Thanksgiving break reading Lolita and feel changed because of it, that I dressed up today for him, that I shut the classroom door because I wanted us to be alone. “And I thought we might . . .” I trail off. “We might what?” I roll my eyes, titter out a laugh. “You know.” “I don’t.” Swiveling slightly in the chair, I say, “That we might, I don’t know, kiss or something.” “You want me to kiss you?” I lift my shoulders and duck my head so my hair falls over my face, too embarrassed to say it. “Is that a yes?” Behind my hair, I give a little grunt. “Have you been kissed before?” He pushes back my hair so he can see me, and I shake my head no, too nervous to lie. He gets up and locks the classroom door, turns off the lights so no one can look in through the windows. When he takes my face in his hands, I close my eyes and keep them closed. His lips are dry, like laundry stiff from the sun. His beard is softer than I expected, but his glasses hurt. They dig into my cheeks. There’s one close-lipped kiss, then another. He makes a wordless hmm sound and then there’s an open kiss that goes on for a while. I can’t focus on what is happening, my mind so far away it might as well belong to someone else. The whole time all I can think about is how weird it is that he has a tongue. Afterward, my teeth won’t stop chattering. I want to be fearless, to smirk and say something flirty and coy, but all I can do is wipe my nose on my sleeve and whisper, “I feel really weird.” He kisses my forehead, my temples, the corner of my jaw. “A good weird, I hope.” I know I should say yes, reassure him, give him no reason to doubt how much I want it, but I only stare off into middle distance until he leans forward and kisses me again.

[roman-writing]

bring home a haunting (5/12)

Fandom: The Haunting of Bly Manor

Pairing: Dani Clayton/Jamie Taylor

Rating: M

Wordcount: 27,895

Summary: Dani almost has her life together, when a familiar face arrives back in town after ten years. A childhood friends AU written with @youngbloodbuzz

read it below or read it on AO3 here

When Dani woke up next Sunday morning before the sun, trembling under the sheets as a cold sweat ran down her body, she struggled to control her shallow breaths. Her heart raced in her chest, galloping from a nightmare that was swiftly vanishing into the shadows. Her jaw was locked in place, teeth clenched so hard she could feel the pressure in her skull. It took a great effort to will herself to move, to do anything more than twitch her fingertips and tremble, jerking fully awake as though strings were tied to her joints.

The sky outside was a dark blue peeking through the shape of the curtains against the window. Slowly, Dani managed to stretch out from the tight ball she had curled herself in to lay on her back. She exhaled. Hesitantly, shakily, she risked a glance next to her to see Eddie still asleep, his back facing her. She exhaled again, long and slow and a little more steady. For a brief intense moment, Dani wanted to reach over and wrap herself around him, to wake him up and make him hold her tight until the trembling stopped. Instead, she pressed her eyes shut and wiped at her cheeks and tried to quietly settle her breathing. After what could’ve been just a minute or an hour, feeling more like herself and less like something was crushing her chest, Dani squeezed her eyes shut, reaching for remnants of the nightmare, but any memory of it was long gone by now. 

Maybe it was the dinner with Eddie’s boss and his wife, where it felt as though she was seeing the rest of her life flash before her eyes. Or maybe it was being in Jamie’s new home; warm and bright and welcoming. A direct contrast to the last time Dani had been in a house Jamie belonged to. Sneaking into the old abandoned railway bungalow with a spare key, the once bright house a ruin of dust and peeling wallpaper and the crunch of glass underfoot. 

She reached her hand out and placed it against the broad flat of Eddie's back, holding it gently there, feeling him breathe, adjusting her own breaths to match. The cotton weave of his shirt was warm, trapped between them. He did not stir even when she stroked her thumb in a pattern against his spine. The sound of his alarm going off made her start, her already shot nerves ringing like a claxon. Only then did Eddie move, pressing the alarm off and rolling over to cuddle into her side, his eyes closed and his face pressed into her shoulder. And only then did Dani remember she still had to face church and lunch first before she could even think of delving into the comfort of Jamie’s house. She swallowed down an unpleasant feeling rising up in her throat, her stomach twisting. 

“Morning,” Eddie mumbled, his voice thick with sleep.

Sighing, Dani lifted an arm to drape across his shoulder. “Morning,” she murmured, her other hand dropping to the arm he had snaked across her waist. 

He was quiet for a long moment, his slow breath soft against her skin, and then he said, “Pancakes.”

Dani blinked. “Mmm?”

“Pancakes,” Eddie mumbled. “Want pancakes.”

There was a pause before Dani chuckled, her throat feeling thick as she pressed her cheek to his thick dark hair. His wants and desires had always fallen so easily from him, from morning pancakes to endlessly asking for her hand in marriage. 

“Eddie?” she started softly. He hummed in response, indicating he was listening. She swallowed hard, her fingers fiddling with the fabric of his t-shirt. “I think I’m gonna skip church today.”

When he didn’t respond after a long moment, Dani feared he fell back asleep and all the courage she managed to grasp would slip away until finally he shifted, rising to lean on his elbow and frown softly down at her. “Again?” he asked gently, “Why?”

It took her longer than she hoped to find the words to respond. “I just — I didn’t sleep very well.”

He pressed his mouth in a thin line, concern in his eyes as he lifted the hand from her waist to sweep a strand of hair behind her ear. “You okay?” 

Dani nodded, forcing her mouth into a reassuring smile. “Yeah,” she murmured, “I just - um. I think I just need a break from it, you know? I’m pretty tired this morning.”

He mirrored her nod, the corners of his mouth pulling into a soft grin. “I get it. It’s been a bit stressful recently, with moving houses and new school year and all,” he said, and chuckled, “Mrs. Townsend really doesn’t know to let it rest, huh? Every Sunday, like clockwork. Hasn’t stopped bugging us about wedding plans and we haven’t even started yet.”

Her stomach twisted in a knot at the reminder. “Yeah,” she murmured, her eyes drifting away briefly, “She can be a lot.”

Eddie stared at her quietly, his eyes still heavy from sleep, and said, “Our moms are gonna wonder where you are again, you know.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry. Um - can you just -?”

“Hey,” he interrupted, grinning and shaking his head, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll make up an excuse.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Just want you happy.”

Dani couldn’t help smiling sleepily up at him, even as his grin turned mischievous. “Or maybe I can play hooky too,” he said, “You and I can make a day of it.”

It took all of Dani’s self control to not react to that, to not let the panic rising in her throat like bile show on her face, and instead she said, “And risk the both of us being the headlines of the rumor circuit this week?”

His face blanched. “Good point.”

It was by the grace of Dani’s fortune that Eddie valued their privacy as much as she did. But then he grinned again, his eyes tracing down to her mouth. When he started to lean down, Dani turned her head just in time for him to press his lips against her cheeks.

“Morning breath,” she said sheepishly, the panic back with a vengeance. 

He pulled back and fondly rolled his eyes. “All right, have it your way,” he said, and pressed another kiss to her cheek. “You rest for a little bit longer. I’m going to go get ready, and get started on pancakes.”

“Oh, you were serious about that?” Dani said with a teasing grin, curling into the sheets as he slipped out of bed, “Thought you were sleep talking.”

“I’m always serious about my pancakes,” he said with a faux-glower, leaving Dani in bed with one last chuckle and disappearing into their ensuite bathroom. 

She tried to sleep again afterwards. Curling away into her own corner of the bed, her back facing Eddie’s side of the room, lying in the state between being awake and drifting off back to sleep, distantly listening to Eddie shuffling around the room quietly. When he finally left to descend downstairs, only then did Dani let herself sink into the sheets, the coiling tension in her shoulders she hadn’t realized was there before slipping away. And then, her eyes flickered open, drifting towards the red numbers of her clock to see that somehow another half hour had passed. She blinked and swallowed heavily, feeling splintered right down the middle. 

Dani left bed soon after that. Washing up and dressing in a pair of jeans and a sweater before descending the stairs towards the kitchen where Eddie, in only his dress pants and a white undershirt, was waiting for her by the stove with a warm grin and a plate of blueberry pancakes. In the few steps it took to walk towards him, Dani gathered her courage with a slow inhale and greeted him with a thankful kiss, brief and chaste. He smiled down at her, his eyes bright as Dani tried desperately to ignore the guilt pressing under her ribs. 

They ate together with a companionable ease as he read the newspaper in between inquiries on what her agenda was for the day now that she had the rare free time to herself. She shrugged noncommittally with the mention of finishing grading school work and catching up on lesson plans. She then paused for a long moment, fiddling with the cutlery in her hands, before she said, “And I’m — I may go have lunch with Jamie again.”

He paused, mid-sip from his coffee. “That sounds nice,” he said, setting down his mug, his face going soft with a contemplative look before catching her eyes, ”I’m glad. That you two are friends again. I know how much you missed her.”

Dani’s breath caught in her chest, unblinking as she stared at him. “Yeah,” she murmured. 

“And,” Eddie continued with a sigh, rolling his eyes, “Guess I’d be lying if I said a part of me didn’t miss her too. When she wasn’t being so annoying, that is.”

Dani laughed. “You know, she still thinks you’re upset that she accidentally set your homework on fire,” she said, popping another bite of pancakes in her mouth with a grin.

Twisting his mouth, Eddie gave her a look. “That was no accident,” he said,  “She cheated off me and wanted to hide the evidence.” When Dani laughed again, memories of the old argument coming back to her, Eddie was unable to hide his fond grin as he quietly watched her. Seeing this, Dani slowly sobered, ducking her head. “Haven’t seen you laugh like that in a while.”

She shrugged. “I’m just — “ she paused to settle the buzzing under her skin, trying to find the words “ — I have my two best friends back in my life again, what’s there not to laugh about.”

He regarded her with a kind smile. “Well, I’m happy that you’re happy, then.”

Dani paused, knowing that statement was both true, and somehow utterly wrong all at once. Yet, she smiled gratefully at him all the same. 

After they finally finished their breakfast, Dani insisted on doing the clean up. He grinned and kissed the side of her head as she flipped open the tap, and returned upstairs to finish getting ready. When the dishes were done, Dani took the opportunity to spread out her textbooks and binders of notes on the kitchen table, keen to get some work done. 

When Eddie finally returned with his tie dangling loose from his neck and his suit jacket draped across his arm, he groaned and laughed. “This is getting to be a problem,” he said, gesturing towards the table, already overflowed, barely a speck of the wooden table visible beneath Dani’s work. “I think your books ate the table.”

Dani gave him a look. “Being a teacher is a lot of work,” was all she said, a tension pulling at her shoulders.

“Didn’t say it wasn’t,” Eddie replied, and waved one end of his tie at her, “You mind, uh…”

She softened at his sheepish grin, and with a faint smile she stepped in front of him and diligently set to tying his tie, knowing very well he did this on purpose just to be close to her. At the exact moment Dani expected it, Eddie’s hands came to rest on her waist. When she was done, she looked up at him to see him affectionately smiling down at her. 

“Thanks,” he murmured. 

Dani could only nod, knowing this part of the dance very well. When he leaned down, his eyes intent on her mouth, Dani pressed her own eyes closed and let herself fall away, slipping on the mask of Danielle as Eddie pressed his mouth to hers in what should’ve felt like a warm fortifying kiss. But when he pulled away, his eyes bright and cheeks flushed, all Dani felt was an encompassing strain across her skin. 

“Still sure about me not playing hooky?” Eddie said, a glint in his eyes.

Pressing her mouth in a thin line, Dani pushed his glasses up his nose and then gently shoved him back by the shoulders. He went easily with a chuckle. “Yes, I’m very sure,” she said, “I don’t particularly feel like being the center of attention, if you don’t mind.”

“Guess we’ll have enough of that at my aunt’s place in a few weeks,” he agreed, and she felt her heart sink at the thought.

When he eventually left with a conceding grin and another kiss, this time thankfully to her cheek, Dani was finally left alone. The house felt inexplicably empty. Smaller. Like the walls were easing closer after being expanded for so long to fit Eddie’s tall frame. Ignoring the feeling, Dani set to work, starting with grading homework. It was a simple distraction, one she took to with an easy eagerness, pleased to see the progress of her students. But it was the ticking clock that hung on the wall opposite her that kept drawing her eyes. Kept taunting her with the passing of time with every tick, indicating the passing seconds, the minutes. 

It was early still, she knew. 9:24am. Too early for lunch, and too late for breakfast. But there was a temptation that lingered over her, one that made her bite at the end of her pen and stare at the clock with a piercing intensity. The temptation to have more time at Jamie’s house. To escape the oppressive air of the kitchen she sat in to instead sink into a threadbare blue couch across town. 

Dani spent another fifteen minutes debating with herself before finally making a decision, exhaling sharply and jumping into action. She took care to repack her work into her bag and set off to her car with it in hand, not bothering to change into anything special. 

In the short time it took for Dani to make a quick pit stop at A Batter Place before driving to Jamie’s house, the route already familiar and etched into her memory, nerves worked itself under her skin again. Her heart beating just a tick faster as she bit her lip. But when she drove up to the house and saw Jamie’s truck sitting in her driveway, Dani exhaled slowly, a little steadier. 

Walking up to the front door was a curious event of itself. The closer she got to the red door, the more she could hear a deep rhythmic bass of music coming from the other side. A grin sneaked on her face as she strained her ears, hearing the distinct sounds of guitar and drums. She rang the doorbell a few times to be heard over the blaring music. It took a minute, but then she finally heard the music being turned down just a little before there was the clinking sound of a chain being undone and the door being unlocked. 

When the door swung open, she was greeted to what sounded like David Bowie and Jamie blinking at her, eyes wide. Her hair was tied back with a bandana, and she wore a black tank top and sweatpants rolled up to her knees, a bright sheen to her skin as if she had just run a marathon. Dani blinked rapidly, pulling her eyes away from the bare skin of Jamie’s neck where a long silver link necklace descended below the collar of her shirt to catch her gaze. 

“You’re early,” Jamie said, mouth pulling into a crooked grin. 

Dani winced, only now just noticing a citrus scent that accompanied the mop in Jamie’s hand. “Sorry, um — guess I should’ve called,” she said, and jerked her thumb behind her, “I could - I could come back? You seem busy and —”

“Poppins,” Jamie interrupted with a patient smile, and gestured widely for Dani to enter the house, “Get in.”

Grinning sheepishly, Dani stepped inside, careful to slip out of her flats on the welcome mat and not on the hardwood floors, and set them neatly aside. Jamie shut the door and set the mop against the side table to lead her further into the house. Already, Dani felt lighter just by being inside. 

“Excuse the mess,” Jamie said, guiding her into the kitchen, “We’ve been cleaning all morning.”

Dani swept her eyes across the room, seeing the space spotlessly clean besides the pots of plants carefully cluttered across the kitchen island and dining table, waiting to be returned to their usual spots. Dani turned back to Jamie with an arched incredulous eyebrow. Jamie snorted with a laugh. 

“You missed breakfast too, sorry to say,” Jamie said. 

“That’s all right,” Dani said, holding up the takeout bag in her hand, “I dropped by Owen’s.”

Jamie’s eyes lit up and she grinned broadly. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’re trying to spoil us.”

Dani shrugged. “Just wanted to do something nice.”

For a long moment, Jamie just stared at her with soft affection. But then, underneath the blaring music still coming from Jamie’s stereo system, there was the distinct sound of feet rapidly thudding down the hall. Dani turned towards the sound just in time to see Mikey sliding into view on his socks, shredding an air guitar solo with those bright neon green glasses perched on his nose. Dani bit her lip hard to refrain from laughing fondly as he rocked out quietly to himself. It was the most energetic she’d ever seen him. 

Behind her, Jamie snorted. The sound was loud enough for Mikey to hear. He froze, his head darting towards them, and he shot upright like a taut rubber band let loose. He stood silent, his arms held tight to his side, his cheeks bright red. Dani could easily imagine his eyes wide and blinking in panic through the dark lens of those ridiculous glasses that had looked so absurd on Jamie, but endearing on Mikey.

“Um — “ he started, his hands fidgeting, “Hi, Miss Clayton.”

“Hi,” she said, offering him a kind smile, “Just Dani is fine here, remember?”

He nodded. A beat passed, and then without another word, he sped away into the living room and went careening over the couch to hide. Dani struggled not to laugh out loud to spare him from further embarrassment, but Jamie had no such reservations. She snorted loudly again, and stepped closer to the entranceway of the kitchen. 

“Oi, if you're gonna hide, at least be productive about it and go vacuum your room!" Jamie called out to be heard over the music. 

If Mikey responded at all, it was muffled under the music, but he still shot up from the couch and dashed towards the staircase where Dani could hear his feet thudding with each step through the floor until she could hear the slam of his bedroom door. It was only then that Dani let out a laugh, still struggling to keep it quiet, her hand over her mouth. Jamie was bent over, clutching her side as she laughed in that quiet way that pained her stomach. 

“Christ, please don’t die on my kitchen floor,” Jamie said, when they couldn’t stop, struggling to speak, “I just mopped.”

“Does he always do that?” Dani asked when she could finally breathe again. 

Jamie nodded. “Yeah,” she said in between breathless laughs, leaning heavily against the counter, “Though something tells me he may never do it again. Shame. I was building up an impressive blackmail portfolio.”

Dani nudged her arm, laughing. “Don’t be mean.”

Rolling her eyes, Jamie grinned wide, the scar descending from her mouth to chin on display in the morning light cascading through the windows. “No promises,” she said, and exhaled slowly, regaining her breath. “Best get back to it then. We shouldn’t be much longer.” She gestured to the room. “Feel free to help yourself to anything if you’re hungry or want a brew. Just don’t save any of your poison for us, is all I ask.”

Dani snorted. “Brave words to say to someone who kindly brought you some of Owen’s pastries,” she said. 

“Prefer to live life on the edge.”

“Don’t I know it,” Dani muttered, eyes narrowed playfully. Jamie only shrugged. 

Dani set the takeout bag on the counter. When her eyes caught sight of the dining table tucked to a small corner, the window beside it casting streaks of bright light across, a thought occurred to her. 

“Hey, do you mind if I do some school work here while you guys finish up?” Dani asked, turning back to Jamie to see her arms pulled up in a stretch, the fabric of her tank top dragging up just enough for a sliver of a toned stomach to briefly appear.

“Don’t see why not,” Jamie said, exhaling through pursed lips as she let go of the stretch, shaking out her arms. Dani could only blink as Jamie grinned at her. “Make yourself at home.”

Jamie left her to do just that, disappearing into the hallway to call out again, “I don’t hear the vacuum going!” Seconds later, there was the sound of a vacuum humming through the floor.  

Left alone in the kitchen, Dani wrapped her arms loosely around her stomach, glancing around, unsure where to start. It wasn’t often she was left to her own devices in a house she wasn’t acquainted with. But the blue kettle on the stove, the well loved potted plants, the fridge covered in scattered magnets, homework graded with top marks, and a grocery list in Jamie’s scrawl — there were little touches of Jamie everywhere. Little familiarities that settled the nerves in her stomach. 

She started with the kettle. It took a minute to figure out Jamie’s stove, but eventually she had the kettle happily heating up. In the meantime, she ran back to her car to retrieve her work bag and returned just as the kettle started to whistle. In no time, Dani had set up on the dining table; the windows pushed open to let in the cool morning air, and binders and textbooks once again spread out across a table, this time with a pot of tea and a croissant by her side.

It was oddly peaceful, working to the sound of music still playing, softer now but no less raucous, and of Jamie and Mikey moving about as they cleaned. There was the occasional thump on the wall as the whirring of the vacuum traveled across the top floor, the muffled voices and periodic bouts of laughter. At one point, there was the rattling of pipes, loud and startling as though a train had crashed right through the house, traveling down the walls and settling with a weary groan. 

“All right, all right, wind your bloody neck in,” Dani heard Jamie’s voice through the floor as the sound eventually gave way to the muffled rush of water, the shower getting started. "You first. Go on, then." 

Chuckling, Dani shook her head and took another sip of her tea before returning to her work. It was a great, good place, Dani decided. The house occupied for just a little over three months, and somehow it was already so lived in and welcoming. As though Dani could just sink right into it, and the house would morph itself around her like a well used wooden chair, worn away to the imprint of those who sat there before. She felt as though she could reach out and press her palm to the pale wall next to her, it would give way, leaving behind the impression of her hand, and there it would remain. A piece of her to prove that she was here. 

Dani hadn’t realized she had drifted off into her thoughts, chin on her palm, her free hand twiddling her pen, until Jamie and Mikey returned to the kitchen. They gently jostled each other as they pushed their way in, their hair towel dried and still damp from their showers. Dani jerked upright and smiled at them. 

“Good god,” Jamie said, chuckling as she took notice of Dani’s piles of work, “What have you done to my table?”

Feeling her cheeks warm, Dani’s eyes flitted away, already reaching to stack loose sheets of paper together. “Sorry, I’m - I just had a lot to finish, and your table is small, and — ” 

“Said I didn’t mind, didn’t I,” Jamie said. Dani blinked up at her and nodded. Jamie picked up a page to absentmindedly drift her eyes over. “Not a lot of time to work at home, then?” 

“Not a lot of room, actually,” Dani said, more gruffly than she had meant. A twinge of guilt pulled at her chest. 

“No desk at home?” 

Dani shook her head. "Never had one.” 

A thoughtful look bloomed across Jamie’s features. She hummed softly with her brow furrowed. “A teacher without a proper desk. Doesn’t seem right.” 

Dani only shrugged. It was what it was. For years now, Dani had only ever needed kitchen or dining tables to do her work. Never wanting more than what she already had. What would be the point anyway, when she’d never had the room before.

When Dani didn’t add anything more to her response, Jamie glanced back down to the sheet in her hand and smirked, a glint in her eyes. “Oh, lookit here, Mikey,” she said, twisting around to wave the page in Mikey’s direction, “If you play your cards right, you could get all the answers you need for that test you’ve been cramming your head for.”

Mikey, who had yet to look in Dani’s direction since entering the kitchen, was manning the stove, settling the kettle on a back coil to heat up. At Jamie’s comment, his face twisted up in distaste.

“That’s cheating,” he said. 

“Not if you get the answers from the teacher herself.”

“That’s still cheating.”

“Is it, though?”

He scowled at her. “Yes.”

Dani pulled her lips between her teeth to refrain from laughing as Jamie gave him a look of bewilderment.

“Are you sure we’re related?” Jamie asked. “Who are you?”

Huffing in response, Mikey returned to stand sentry before the stove, waiting for the kettle’s whistle with his arms crossed. Jamie snickered and turned back to Dani, her smirk softening as she handed back the sheet to Dani. 

“Don’t worry,” Jamie said, gesturing to the now neat stack of binders and textbooks, “You can finish after Mikey’s put you through Star Trek again, if you like.”

A warmth spread across Dani’s chest. “I would like that, yeah,” she said, smiling. 

“Good,” Jamie replied, and reached to pick up the teapot, shaking it gently, “Done with your poison, then?”

Rolling her eyes, Dani nodded, but couldn’t hide the way the corners of her mouth curled up. Jamie smirked again, a mischievous tilt to it, and her eyes darted down towards the half eaten croissant on the saucer next to Dani. When she reached out with her free hand towards it, Dani slapped it away. 

“There’s more for you in the bag,” Dani admonished as Jamie jerked away from Dani’s hand, chuckling. 

Instead of remaining at the table as Jamie and Mikey puttered around the kitchen and set the table with nothing else to do but awkwardly sit and stare, Dani jumped at the opportunity to help, dismissing Jamie’s chiding with a wave of her hand. She gathered the plates and cutlery as Mikey attended to the tea and Jamie went about returning flowers and plants to their proper place, until finally they were gathered around the table, eating pastries from the cafe and drinking their tea with affable ease.

“We boring you?” Jamie asked at one point, noticing Dani’s heavy eyes and chin on her palm as she was listening to the soft banter between the siblings. 

Dani shook her head. “Just happy to be here.”

Slowly, Jamie’s face went slack, softening to an expression Dani couldn’t decipher. Jamie grinned and promptly hid it behind her mug as she sipped her tea. 

When lunch was done and dishes cleaned, they settled once again with an eager Mikey on the couch. Instead of perching in the middle, this time Mikey seized the corner for himself, still apparently not entirely recovered from his embarrassment. At Jamie’s snicker when she took the middle seat, he shot daggers at her. With nowhere else to sit besides next to Jamie, Dani settled into the couch, careful not to jostle it too much or graze against her. 

Jamie offered her a grin. “Sure you don’t want a beer?”

“I’m sure.”

Shrugging, Jamie took a deep sip from her bottle and sank further into the cushions, once again lifting up her feet to rest on the stained coffee table. 

“All right, mate, let’s see what Captain Bald Guy is up to this time,” Jamie said, gesturing towards the television with her beer.

“He’s not Captain bald guy!” Mikey replied hotly. Dani couldn’t help but laugh. 

“He is kinda bald, though.”

“He has a name!”

It was like being fifteen again, pressed up next to Jamie in the O’Mara’s basement when they had all gathered around the tv for the animated television special of The Hobbit where Jamie had relentlessly and goodnaturedly mocked Eddie for it. The familiarity of it coiled warmly around her. Memories dredging up of lazily lounging on Jamie’s couch at the old bungalow, sitting through another episode of Wonder Woman on Nan’s ancient tiny television. Jamie sighing exasperatedly, but never once complaining. She never took her eyes off the television when Lynda Carter was on screen either. 

After the episode came another session of Q&A’s with Mikey that Dani happily partook in, finding herself becoming invested in the show herself. Jamie rolled her eyes with a long suffering sigh, and once again left them to it, muttering to herself as she withdrew into the kitchen. 

“Do you want to watch one of the movies?” Mikey asked, “I have all of them upstairs.”

Dani could easily picture Jamie’s pained face. On cue, she heard from the kitchen, “She has work to do!”

“Oh,” Mikey winced, “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Dani said, chuckling and leaned closer as if divulging a secret, “Next time.”

Dani left him to his devices, his eyes bright with an eager mischief at the possibility of torturing Jamie some more. She found Jamie brewing another pot, shooting Dani a grin over her shoulder when she heard her come in. Without a word uttered between them, Dani quietly fell back into her work as Jamie set a mug next to her, already made to Dani’s specifications, and disappeared to the living room with another mug in hand. She didn’t return for a few minutes, allowing Dani the time to work quietly, before returning smelling of smoke, sans the mug.

Dani flit her eyes towards her as she began making another cup of tea seemingly for herself now. “You don’t smoke in the house?”

“Nope. Never,” Jamie said, “Think I want the kid ending up like you? Wheezing every ten steps? Not on my bloody watch.”

“I have an inhaler, thank you,” Dani said, nudging her bag with her foot, “I don’t wheeze anymore.”

“You sure about that? ‘Cause I swore earlier, you were about to collapse in the — “

Dani threw a pen cap at her. Laughing, Jamie flinched away in an exaggerated motion. “Easy with that. Could take out an eye, you know.”

Rolling her eyes, Dani laughed and shook her head. It was all too easy. The way Jamie switched on the kitchen radio on low, just enough to keep them company. The way Jamie sank into a chair opposite her, lounging back and resting her legs on the chair beside her, her tea carefully in hand. The way Jamie kept silent for the most part besides soft murmured comments and conversations over whatever came to mind, her fingers tapping to the beat of the music. The way Dani didn’t mind her presence as she worked, a companionable ease that reminded her of days when they’d study or suffer through homework together.

And when it finally came time for Dani to make her way out, her work bag repacked and a quick “See you, tomorrow,” to Mikey, it was terrifyingly easy to linger in the entryway and catch Jamie’s eyes. Gray and vivid like a summer storm. The hug they sank into was similar to the first, slow and hesitant, until they eventually melted into it, pulling each other close. Dani pressed her nose into the fabric of Jamie’s t-shirt, breathing in sandalwood intermingled with cigarette smoke as Jamie’s arms around her lower back and between her shoulder blades pressed tight, hands splayed across the fabric of Dani’s sweater. She could almost swear that the slow exhale Jamie let out trembled. Eventually, they pulled apart, clearing their throats. 

“Thanks for having me again,” Dani murmured, wrapping her arms loosely around her stomach, finding the courage again to meet Jamie’s eyes.

“Any time,” Jamie replied, and then added, “I mean it.”

Dani couldn’t help the eagerness in her next words. “Next Sunday, then?”

Jamie smiled. “We’re all yours.”

 --

Sundays become almost solely devoted to Jamie’s house. She continued to forgo Church, and while Eddie kept his word with making excuses for her as the weeks went on, Dani still couldn’t avoid the endless parade of questions every time she delved into town for errands or food. But still, she carried on. Not wanting to give up the peace her Sundays gave her; spending time in Jamie’s kitchen or the couch, watching Star Trek and sharing cups of tea that Jamie still refused to let her make. 

And every time, it would end in that same hug. Faces buried into shoulders, and hands pressing tight, like they hadn’t seen in each other in years and not just one week. A decade of deprivation that left her hands aching to just keep holding Jamie for just a second longer. Making up for lost time, she told herself. Making up for ten years without hugs and shared smiles and just desperately missing her best friend.  

Eddie stopped questioning Dani’s absences at Church by the second week, no longer perking up hopefully with the question of if she was attending this week, only to slump his shoulders when she told him no. He simply resigned himself with the corners of his mouth pulled tight and conceding to a thankful consolation kiss to his cheek. He always grinned after, happy to receive the affection. 

And inevitably, Sundays weren’t the only days Dani saw Jamie and Mikey. There was now the occasional dinner at Judy’s where they’d find themselves all attending, where it seemed that Jamie and Mikey had already frequented unbeknownst to Dani. It was like no time had passed at all. Judy and Mike would ask them all about their week, and one by one they’d go around the table with their varying answers. It didn’t pass Dani by, the way Jamie softened under Judy’s proud smile whenever she talked about work at the botanical gardens or stories about Mikey. She’d even seem visibly pleased with herself at every admonishment from Judy whenever Jamie’s quips or teasing toed the line of insolence, sharing a cheeky grin with Dani over the table.

At one comment towards Eddie about the animated Lord of the Rings movie from years ago, Eddie had laughed but his mouth pulled into a thin smile as he speared a potato. “Just like old times.”

The only difference now to the occasional dinners was the new addition of Mikey, somehow even more quiet and shy at the table than Dani’s ever seen him. Particularly so under the attention of Judy who immediately took to him, his expression just short of panicking whenever he was brought under the center of attention. But Jamie was always there next to him, nudging him gently in the arm with a teasing word and grounding presence. And at the end of the night, Judy clutched at his cheeks the way she used to with Jamie, his eyes blinking in quiet bewilderment as they said their goodbyes. 

“You get used to it,” Dani had murmured to him once. 

Least surprising of all was the way Carson and Mikey immediately got along like a house on fire. Quiet as he was, Mikey was still bright eyed and eager when Carson dashed up to his room one evening after Mikey mentioned music, and brought down a shoebox of cassette tapes that he happily pushed into Mikey’s hands.

“You can borrow them as long as you want,” Carson had said, “I have a whole collection.”

While Mikey pawed reverently through the box’s contents, a smirking Jamie had swung her arm around Carson’s neck in a loose headlock, calling him a big softie and ignoring his groan of complaints.  

And dinner at Judy’s wasn’t the only place she’d catch sight of Jamie. 

One Sunday morning, dropping in at A Batter Place to pick up another surprise breakfast for the Taylor household, expecting the place to be void of customers busy attending Church, she jerked to a stop at the sight of Carson and Jamie standing by the counter, whispering wildly to each other.

At the sound of the bell, their heads spun towards Dani and they both smiled. Carson whispered something else to Jamie, and in response, she glowered and elbowed him hard in the ribs.

“Now, what are you two doing here?” Dani said, marching towards them with a grin, folding her arms across her chest as Carson rubbed at his ribs.

“Thought I could beat you to the punch today,” Jamie said gruffly, “But someone is persistent.”

“Gee, I wonder who that could be,” Dani said, smirking. She turned to Carson who she now noticed was busy eating some kind of cake. “And what about you? Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

“Shift change,” Carson said, his mouth full.

Jamie made a face. “Gross, mate.”

“You wish you had some of this,” Carson said, dancing a fork with dark chocolate cake pierced on the end in front of Jamie’s face before popping it into his mouth, smirking. 

“Had enough yesterday at dinner.”

“Because you stole some from me.”

Jamie pursed her lips and shook her head. “Y'know what? I think you may have a problem.”

Glowering, Carson hovered protectively over his plate. Dani laughed. “Okay, what is going on with you two?”

Jamie jerked her thumb towards the kitchens. “Sharma back there needed a taste tester for a new cake he made. Carson and I happily signed up for the task, and what does this prat do?” She gestured towards a sheepish Carson. “He steals my share. So I took some back.”

Carson opened his mouth to complain, but suddenly a voice from the kitchen called out. 

“Did someone say my name?” 

A moment later, Owen appeared, smiling when he caught sight of Dani. “Oh, Miss Clayton, how do you do?”

“Mr. Sharma,” Dani replied, “I’m doing perfectly. And you?”

“Christ, you two have been getting on, have you,” Jamie muttered, though she was grinning. “He doesn’t let me call him Mr. Sharma.”

“Oh, Jamie,” Owen said, ruefully shaking his head, “You need to reach level five on the friendship scale for that achievement. You’re still only on level three. Pick up the pace.”

Jamie grumbled under her breath as Dani laughed. Carson, however, was mysteriously silent, leaning his elbow steadily against the counter, a corner of his mouth quirked as he stared at Owen. Dani shot him a puzzled look that he didn’t notice. 

Owen meanwhile was looking at Dani. “So, what can I get you?” he asked, “The usual?”

“Afraid this one has already beaten me to it today I think,” Dani said, gesturing to Jamie. 

“Ah, yes she has,” he said, and dropped a takeout bag on the counter he had been holding, as if only now just remembering. “Here you are, Miss Taylor.”

“Piss off,” Jamie said, grinning and sliding the bag closer. 

“But I’d also like four hot chocolates to go, please,” Dani added, smiling cheekily at Jamie’s glare.

“Lovely choice. I’ll get right on that as soon as I get a verdict from these two,” Owen said, looking between the pair, “Well? How’d you find the cake today?”

“Wouldn’t bloody know,” Jamie muttered.

“No idea how you do it, Owen,” Carson said with keen enthusiasm, “Never had cake that moist before. Think I’m addicted.”

Jamie snorted as Owen’s mouth stretched into a humble smile, and then he leaned his elbows on the counter with a conspiratory look. Carson followed his example and leaned a tad closer. “You know, I knew a man once who was addicted to the hokey pokey.”

Groaning, Jamie rubbed at her forehead. “Christ.”

Dani bit her lip hard, a laugh threatening to burst out of her. She shared a look with Jamie as Carson blinked. “The...hokey pokey.”

Humming in confirmation, Owen nodded earnestly. “But he turned himself around, and really, isn’t that just what it’s all about?”

When Carson laughed and Dani couldn’t stop the chuckle escaping from her pressed lips, Jamie gave Owen a dry look. “Do you ever hear yourself speak?” she asked, “Is that why you left England? They chuck you out in shame?”

Owen pressed a hand to his chest. “I am the paragon of charm, thank you very much.”

“Or, it could just be that rubbish southern accent keeping you afloat.”

When Owen chuckled, Carson perked up. “You know, I’ve been wondering about that,” he said, gesturing between Jamie and Owen. “Two Brits in North Liberty. I get the gist of why Jamie’s here, but what brought you to our extremely boring and tiny town?”

“Guess you could say I needed a change in scenery,” Owen said, and gestured around the room. “Brought a little bit of Paris with me too. Show you Americans how it’s really done. Not the place I had in mind at first, but to put it briefly into words, I figured it’d be an interesting challenge. An extended layover, if you will.”

Carson nodded. “Yeah, that’s interesting.”

When Jamie snickered again, Carson surreptitiously kicked her in the ankle. Jamie didn’t even flinch. 

“You’re not the only two,” Dani said. 

Jamie frowned. “We aren’t?”

“My boss. Hannah Grose. She’s also English.”

There was a brief pause before Jamie turned to Owen. “I’m telling you, mate,” she said, “There’s something in the water here. Attracts us like flies.”

“Or like gravity,” Owen replied with faux solemnity. Ignoring the roll of Jamie’s eyes, his expression turned thoughtful. “What does she look like, if you mind me asking?”

“Um, shaved head. Black. Incredible fashion sense,” Dani said, “Most put together woman I’ve ever met.”

Owen visibly wracked his brain, and eventually shook his head. “‘Fraid I’ve never seen such a woman,” he said, and added, “Pretty sure I’d remember.” Owen then straightened and tapped the counter. “Anyways, I should be getting your hot chocolates, Dani. Won’t be but a minute. And you two, I offer my thanks for testing my creations.”

“Any time,” Carson said, his shoulders slightly slumped, handing over his empty plate and fork as Jamie saluted. 

Owen nodded at them with a smile and retreated towards the kitchen. When he was gone, Carson spun to them both. “Okay, you have to get me a job here.” At Jamie’s laugh, he groaned. “Come on. Do you know how long I’ve been a line cook down at Big Bill’s? I’ve been smelling like grease everyday for years, I need a change in scenery. I need — “ he gestured widely “ — an opportunity to grow!”

“Uh huh. Sure. Opportunity,” Jamie smirked, “Let’s go with that.”

Carson shot her a dirty look. “You’re his friend!”

“It’s truy encouraging to know that you think I have that amount of influence,” Jamie said. 

“He really has been working there forever,” Dani offered, grinning affectionately when Carson waved an arm towards Dani in a 'You see!' gesture. 

Jamie sighed. “All right,” she finally said, “I’ll mention it, but no promises.”

His face brightened into a wide smile, his expression slowly pulling into one knowing he was pushing his luck. “And you’ll come to our next show? We play every few weeks down in Des Moines.”

Jamie gave him a long look, shaking her head affectionately at his eagerness. “I’ll do my best. I’m sure your mum would love to watch Mikey for the night,” she said, and chuckled, “Who knew tiny Carson would grow up to be a big time drummer.”

“Mom still blames you for that actually,” Carson teased, “All that practicing drove her crazy. Said all that music you used to play had too much of an influence.”

Jamie laughed. “That's fair.”

Bouncing on his feet, Carson then turned his hopeful eyes to Dani, and immediately she felt her stomach sink. As if sensing this, Carson’s smile dimmed. “Come on,” he urged, sinking his hand in his pockets, “You don’t even have to bring him along if Jamie’s coming.”

Dani swallowed heavily, pushing down the strained nerves of being caught between asking Eddie once again to accompany her to Carson’s show, and leaving Eddie behind, in preference towards Jamie’s company. She could feel Jamie's eyes on her, watching carefully. 

She forced her mouth into a faint smile. “I’ll ask him again, but I make no promises.”

Sighing, Carson softened and gave her a knowing kind smile. “Well, it’s better than a flat out no.”

“I think you know by now I can’t give you a flat out no,” Dani said. 

He chuckled and nodded, stepping closer to wrap an arm around her shoulder and pull her close. “Don’t tell anyone, but you’re my favorite,” he whisper-shouted. Dani laughed and leaned into him, feeling his hand gently rub her shoulder.

“Guess I’m just invisible now, huh? That's how it is?” Jamie said, arms crossed but visibly amused. 

“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” Carson said, shrugging against his leather jacket. 

“Oh, sure,” Jamie drawled, “And this has nothing to do with buttering up to her at all.”

“Or maybe, it’s her birthday soon, and she deserves to hear it.”

Dani felt her cheeks heat up. Seeing this, Jamie laughed, eyes warm. “Fair point.”

Before Dani could find the words to respond, blinking at Jamie, Owen returned with a cardboard tray of Dani’s hot chocolates. The same takeout cups that Carson had brought on her last moving day. She smiled with the memory.

She pulled a cup from the tray and offered it to Carson. “For you.”

The look he gave her was so fond, it did nothing to help the twinge of guilt in her chest. “You’re too good to me,” he said. She shrugged shyly in response. 

Carson took his leave after that, leaving with a wave to Owen and a kiss to Dani’s head, neatly dodging away from Jamie’s hand threatening to ruin his hair, laughing as he went. 

Both Dani and Jamie paid for their respective takeout, and as Jamie started towards the door with a departing salute, Owen held Dani back and slid a small container towards her. “On the house,” he said and winked, peaking open the container just enough to see a large piece of the same cake Carson had been eating. “Figured if those hooligans got to have some, it wouldn't be fair to let you miss out on all the fun.”

She smiled gratefully at him. “Thank you, you really didn’t have to.”

“Any friend of Jamie’s is a friend of mine,” he said, a glint appearing in his eyes, “Besides, I doughnut take my taste testing lightly. More test subjects means butter results.”

It took Dani a moment to hear it, but at Jamie’s loud groan a few feet behind her, the puns became clear as day.  

“Would you give it up, mate?” Jamie said as Dani laughed. 

“Give what up?” Owen replied, looking so earnest that Dani would think he was serious if it weren’t for the twitch of his mustache. 

With another laugh and thank you to Owen, she followed Jamie outside who immediately traced her eyes to the container Dani held. “You’re sharing, right?”

“Obviously,” Dani said, taking great delight in seeing the light dim in Jamie’s eyes when she added, “Only fair to give Mikey half.”

Jamie huffed, and eventually grinned. “Race you home?” 

Taking a quick glance towards the streets, a near ghost town if it weren’t for the occasional car passing by or pedestrian walking in the distance.

“Try not to kill anyone,” Dani said, already taking off towards her car, grinning as she heard Jamie laugh behind her. 

 --

Mikey wasn't at school on Thursday. At the head of the class, Dani faltered over his name during attendance, expecting his hand to lift from the back of the room, for his voice to sing out in a mumbling "Here." Instead, she frowned at his empty seat, shrugged, and continued down the list. Probably sick, she told herself. Probably none of her business. Even if she spent nearly every Sunday over at his house. Even if he and his older sister had become regular additions to her life again. Even if he had finally taken to calling her "Dani" when he was away from campus, carefully, as though she might change her mind and demand that everything return to the days of "Miss Clayton."

She shrugged it off. And when he arrived at school the next morning, she greeted him with a smile from her desk. "Hey, Mikey! Were you sick yesterday?"

He kept his gaze fixed on his feet and hurried past her without anything more than a mumbled, "Morning, Miss Clayton."

Blinking in confusion, Dani stared after him. He slouched down in his seat further than usual, shoulders hunched, hands gripping the edge of his desk as though it was the only thing keeping him afloat. She couldn't say anything. There were too many other students around. Now was not the time or the place. And she wasn't sure if any time or place would ever be appropriate.

None of her business, she thought with a furtive little shake of her head. She cleared her throat and pushed herself to her feet to begin roll call.

Each kid had their own particular nuance. Most grew bored the longer class went on. Others fidgeted restlessly and needed constant diversionary tactics to hold their attention. Others — more rare cases like Mikey — relaxed. They opened up, participating more freely as class went on. She could always count on a few students to raise their hand and answer questions, and Mikey was one such student.

Normally. Not today. Today, he skulked at the back of the class, gaze darting to the window anxiously every now and then as if half expecting someone to roll up to the school and stalk out of their vehicle towards the front steps.

"Mikey," she said.

His head jerked around, eyes wide.

Dani tapped at the equation she had written on the blackboard with a bit of chalk. "Can you solve this one for me, please?"

"Abigail knows the answer," he said, pointing to a girl in the front row who was all but leaning out of her seat with her hand raised, trying to get Dani's attention so she would call on her.

"I know Abigail knows the answer," Dani said. "But I would like you to answer it. Come on. Please."

When Dani held out the piece of chalk in his direction, Mikey sank down in his seat a few more inches. Then with a resigned sigh he scraped his chair back and trudged to the front of the class. Taking the chalk, Mikey glanced at the equation and solved it without either a word or a hint of hesitation. Not looking in Dani's direction, he placed the chalk on the ledge at the base of the blackboard and walked back to his seat.

"Thank you," said Dani.

Mikey did not reply. He just went right back to what he'd been doing before. Dani's mouth pursed, but she continued with class as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. And at the end of the day, Mikey scurried out the door, pressing himself in between a few other students so that Dani could not notice his escape.

Maybe if there were fewer students. Maybe then she could reach them. Maybe then it would be easier.

When Sunday rolled around, Dani stood on Jamie's porch and knocked on the front door. After a minute of waiting, she could just make out the shape of someone approaching through the fan of glass at the top of the door. The sound of a chain being undone, the tumble of a lock, and then the knob twisted and the door opened to reveal Jamie in a band t-shirt tucked into a pair of jeans.

"Hi!" Dani said with a cheery wave.

Jamie had already turned away and was walking further back into the house. "C'mon in," she said.

Hesitating a moment at the chilly greeting, Dani stepped inside. She shut the door behind her and slipped off her flats, arranging her shoes so that they were lined up neatly by the door. The house — usually so full of life — was eerily quiet. No music. No vacuum. No open windows to admit the morning breeze. No Mikey.

"Is -" Dani ventured further inside after Jamie, "- everything all right?"

"Right as rain," Jamie said. She was digging through a kitchen drawer dedicated to junk and tchotchkes. "Didn't I give you a key already?"

"Uh - No?" Dani said, her voice inflecting upwards in confusion.

"Could've sworn I gave you a key," Jamie muttered, her words low enough that they were nearly indistinguishable over the clatter of her hands rummaging through the drawer.

"I don't think it would have made much of a difference with the chain in place," said Dani, gesturing over her shoulder towards the door.

"Here," Jamie straightened with a spare key in hand, holding it out towards Dani without looking at her. "Just let yourself in through the back next time."

Slowly, Dani took the key. It was a flash of warm silver in her fingers. "Thanks," she said warily. As she dug through her purse for the cluster of keys attached to the end of her teacher's lanyard, Dani asked, "Is - uh - Is Mikey sick again?"

For some reason that simple inquiry made Jamie stiffen. "Nope," she said, and without another word turned and began pulling out a frying pan from a cupboard.

"Oh. Right." Dani watched her. She put the key on its own ring and then fiddled with the end of her lanyard, leaning her hip against the island countertop between the kitchen and the cramped dining room. "It's just, I noticed he wasn't at school on Thursday, and I assumed."

Jamie slammed the pan atop the stovetop and twisted a knob until the coil burned ruby-bright. She moved to the fridge and yanked it open. "You want eggs?" she asked, and pulled out a carton of eggs without waiting for Dani's reply.

"Eggs sound good," Dani said. Her brow furrowed. She tossed her keys back into her bag, then set it on the ground at her feet so that it leaned against the island. Jamie was still moving about the kitchen, her actions short and sharp as a honed pocket knife. Carefully, Dani approached her and gently placed her hands on Jamie's tense shoulders so she could turn her around. "Hey. Jamie. Look at me."

Jamie allowed herself to be turned, gripping a plastic spatula like it was a sword and she wanted to ram it through someone's stomach. When she finally looked at Dani, her iron-colored eyes were as unyielding as the line of her jaw.

"Did I do something?" Dani asked. "Do you want me to go?"

Jamie's gaze softened somewhat, and her throat flexed as she swallowed. She shook her head and let out a huff of joyless laughter. "No. No, you didn't do anything."

"Are you sure? Because I can -?"

"It's not -" Jamie inhaled deeply, and though the tension unspooled slightly from her shoulders, she was still coiled tight as a spring. "Stay. Please. It's nice having you around on my day off."

Dani let her hands slide down Jamie's arms, resting at her elbows, where she fluttered her fingertips against the rolled up flannel sleeves there. "All right," she said with a smile. "Then let me at least make you a pot of tea. You look like you need it."

Jamie brandished the spatula under her nose with faux solemnity. "Don't botch it."

Dani's smile turned into a teasing grin. "I make no promises."

Even so, she did not immediately move away and Jamie seemed content to stand there looking at her with an odd expression on her face — as if caught between fondness and something else Dani couldn't quite place. After a beat, Dani let go and stepped away. As she turned to fill the kettle in the sink, she heard Jamie open the carton of eggs.

"Long week?" Dani asked. She came up beside Jamie to set the kettle down on a spare slot on the stove, while Jamie automatically turned the appropriate dial to max so the water could boil.

"You don't know the half of it," Jamie said, cracking an egg into the pan.

"Want to tell me about it?" Dani asked. For a moment she thought Jamie would demur. There was the sound behind her of more eggs cracking and the sound of the garbage opening and closing with a creak as Jamie chucked the shells away with a barely self-contained fury. And then -

“You’d think the botanical gardens would be a nice and quiet place to work. But no,” Jamie wrenched at a pepper grinder as though trying to take its head off. “You know how we do events and stuff, yeah? Birthdays. Weddings. The works.”

Dani made a noise of affirmation as she scooped tea leaves into a large tea pot. 

“Well, we’re doing this corporate event, right?” Jamie continued. “And I shit you not, I have never dealt with people more fucking irritating. If I have to hear about how the hydrangeas aren’t quite the right shade of purple one more time -” And rather than vocalize her threats, she stirred the eggs far more vigorously than necessary, and growled, “Dickheads.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Worse,” said Jamie darkly. “Some absolute knob came ‘round and hacked off the heads of a whole row of roses, and then I get my ear chewed off like it was my fault. What do they expect me to do? Grow them again overnight? Fuck’s sake.” 

The earthenware teapot radiated heat like a pot bellied stove. Dani slowly turned it in place as she’d been taught by Nan all those years ago, wondering as a child if it was called ‘brew’ because of some mystic quality forever beyond her reach. “Do you have any other plants you could put in boxes around them? Try to cover up the damage, at least?”

Jamie waved the spatula without looking over. “Already done. Doesn’t hide much, though. And people like this — well, they’re always looking for something to be sour about.”

“Yeah,” Dani murmured. “Yeah, I know the type."

Always people watching, waiting. This town was too small for its own good. Too few people with too few hobbies and far too much time on their hands. Gossip wasn’t so much a staple as it was a means of survival. Dani had only ever scraped by on eavesdropping. She was caught up with current events, but never partook if she could avoid it. Never sat right with her, talking behind peoples’ backs. Not when she had her own secrets. Not when a single whisper and a pair of loose lips could play havoc so easily with her own life. 

When Dani opened a cupboard to grab a few mugs, Jamie’s eyes darted towards her. “Hasn’t steeped long enough. Give it a minute.”

Dani checked her wristwatch. “It’s been three.”

“And you always have a tendency to not put enough leaves in the pot,” Jamie said with a grin. “Another minute. Why don’t you start on toast.”

“Buttering up was always your forte though,” Dani said as she grabbed a half-finished loaf from the counter and untied the plastic wrap.

Jamie snorted. “Rubbish. 

Smiling, Dani pulled out a few slices. It was terrifyingly easy, falling back into a routine with Jamie. They moved around one another in the kitchen as though with a sixth sense for the other’s whereabouts at all times. Dani was hyper aware of Jamie’s location in a way she never was with anyone else. Around her mother it was a keen-eared alertness and walking on eggshells. Around Eddie it was shrinking, making herself smaller to accommodate the space he filled. Even around Judy, it was smiles and softness, forced eagerness and a desire to please engrained so deep she could feel the grooves in her face at the end of a day. Here and now, in Jamie’s warm and worn kitchen, Dani could reach for a pat of butter without airs. Surreal, somehow, that even so simple an act would normally require a measure of her due diligence. Waiting for the toaster to pop and fiddling with a blunt knife, secure in the knowledge — the absolute certainty — that she could simply exist.

“Do you think this is enough eggs?” Jamie asked. She was holding open the refrigerator door and leaning her weight upon it, while she bent over to reach for another cardboard carton. “I have more.”

“That’s plenty,” Dani assured her. "Can I finally pour this now?"

Shutting the fridge, Jamie wandered over with narrowed eyes, as if suspicious. "I dunno. Let me see."

Dani leaned her hip against the countertop and watched as Jamie poured herself a small splash of tea into a mug, testing the color and then swirling the tea before tasting as though she were in a wine tasting competition. Dani rolled her eyes. 

"Do you detect hints of cherry and oak in your warm leaf water?" Dani asked. 

Jamie hummed a thoughtful note, then lowered the mug. "It's palatable."

"Well, aren't you a charmer," Dani drawled.

"What do you mean? That was a soaring compliment for you."

With a snort of laughter, Dani pushed away from the counter and began pulling out plates to set the table. "God, you're impossible. Go get Mikey. We're ready to eat."

Silence. When Dani turned around, holding three plates, Jamie had gone still. The smile had slipped from her face, and her expression was rigid, her eyes unyielding as hardstone. Dani's fingers curled around the edges of the plates. She opened her mouth to say something, but Jamie just shook her head and said tersely, "Yeah. No, I'll get him."

Jamie passed her without a second glance to spare, storming from the kitchen and up the stairs. Dani blinked after her in confusion. Her brow furrowed, but she walked slowly towards the cramped dining table and set down plates. She was fishing forks and knives from a drawer in the kitchen, when she heard raised voices through the ceiling above. Going still, Dani's eyes darted in that direction. Quietly, she thanked God that the walls here were thick enough that she couldn't hear the exact words being spoken.

By the time Jamie and Mikey emerged, Dani had already set everything out on the table — buttered toast piled atop a small plate, the pan of eggs resting on an oven mitt, the teapot's spout faintly steaming beside a bottle of cold milk from the fridge. Jamie walked in first, Mikey trailing not far behind. Dani caught Jamie's eye only briefly before Jamie sat in her usual seat beside her. Mikey on the other hand trudged over, still dressed in pajamas, gaze downcast and face twisted in a scowl. He yanked back his chair and dropped into it hard enough that the cutlery rattled slightly.

Dani reached for a piece of toast and braved the tense atmosphere. "Good morning."

Mikey sank a little in his seat, but said nothing, his hands hidden beneath the table. 

Across from him, Jamie kicked the leg of his chair so that it squeaked against the tile. "Hey," she said sharply. "Don't be a prick."

Jaw squaring at a stubborn angle — one which Dani knew all too well — Mikey cast a glower at his sister. Then, reluctantly, he grumbled, "Morning."

Dani chewed at a bite of toast, feeling like she had just been pushed into no man's land, trapped between two firing squads. Jamie ate with a single-minded viciousness, putting away food at an alarming rate. Shovels of scrambled egg into her mouth and teeth ripping savage hunks from toast, all washed down with gulps of tea. On the other side of the table, Mikey picked sullenly at his plate, pushing food around in an attempt to create the visual illusion that he had eaten something. Neither of them glanced up from their plates. Looking at the two of them — their hunched shoulders and slouched postures, their dark curly hair, their tightly held jawlines and hard glowers — Dani could not recall them ever looking more alike than in this moment.

Clearing her throat, Dani said softly, "Jamie, can you pass the milk, please?"

The air of the dining room was palpable. Dani felt like she could slice through it with a butter knife. Without a word, Jamie picked up the milk and placed it on the table nearer to Dani.

"Thank you," Dani murmured.

She poured milk into her cup of tea until it was pale enough to make Nan roll in her grave. When she took a sip, the sound seemed loud enough to drown out the only other noise of their forks across ceramic. For a long moment, Dani just looked between the two of them, as if daring one — just one of them — to lift their heads. Neither of them did.

Dani set down her cup of tea. “Okay,” she said. “What is going on?”

Jamie shrugged and took another bite, refusing to look at either of them. “Don’t know what you mean.”

"Well, I was really hoping to have a nice time. Maybe catch up on some more Star Trek.”

Mikey's face lit up, but Jamie said darkly, "No."

"But -!"  Mikey started to protest.

Jamie slammed down her knife and fork, and when she looked up her expression was a picture of bridled fury. "No.”

Dani sat there silently, watching the two of them glare at one another until, without another word passing between them, Mikey shoved his plate away, stood, and stormed off upstairs back to his room. Jamie did not follow him. She remained tense, glowering at his empty seat. 

Dani waited until she heard the slam of a door upstairs, then turned to Jamie. “Okay. Really,” she said. “Tell me.”

Jamie picked up her fork again and started stabbing a poor undeserving piece of toast full of holes, not meeting Dani’s eye. "Little shite," she growled. "Skipped class this week. Lied and said he was sick, and then who do I see down by the old tracks? Him and some mates faffing about."

Leaning back in her seat, Dani drew her lower lip between her teeth. "Ah," she said in understanding. When Jamie merely grunted a wordless reply, Dani sat forward once more and said, "It's one class. It's not that big a deal. Besides, he's smart. He'll catch up on the material."

Jamie's brows drew together in a sharp scowl. "One class is how it starts. I know. Trust me."

"You never missed much class when we were that age."

"No," said Jamie. "But I missed plenty after I -" She swallowed and made a sharp gesture with her fork. "After. More than I care to admit. Didn't do me any good, either. Wish I could go back and knock myself over the head for being a twat, but such is life."

It was an abrupt reminder of just how much of Jamie's life she had missed, and how she was merely coming along after, picking up fragments. Dani fidgeted with the napkin in her lap and said, "Well, I think you've turned out just fine."

Jamie smiled, but it was that bitter self-deprecating smile from the alleyway beside the pharmacy. She shook her head at her plate, still not glancing up to look at Dani. "He needs to attend class. I won't have this. I can't afford it, and neither can he. You think the system is so forgiving? Oh, sure. Other kids can play truant here or there, but for kids like us -" Jamie made a jerky motion towards herself and then towards the ceiling, "- it's not just harmless fun. It's a pattern of behavior. And they notice."

"You know what? You're right. You're right." Dani reached out and gently grasped Jamie's hand which was white-knuckled around her fork. "But I think they'll also notice if you stab your little brother with cutlery."

Jamie gave a huff of laughter. She did not shrug Dani away or go tense. Instead Dani could feel the slackening of muscle and tendon beneath her hands as Jamie loosened her death grip. "Yeah, I reckon they just might."

Dani rocked Jamie's hand against the table, so that Jamie finally looked up at her. With a small smile, Dani said, "You should talk to him. I know it's uncomfortable and hard, and it sucks -" Jamie snorted, and Dani continued, "- but did yelling at you ever work?"

"Christ, no. Never."

"You see? And if he's half as resourceful as you were as a kid — which, let's be honest, was pretty darn resourceful — then just grounding him isn't going to stick either. You're going to need to talk this one out."

Jamie groaned and leaned back in her chair, the movement making it so that her hand slid out from beneath Dani's. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back so that she faced the ceiling. "Fuck," Jamie breathed. "You sound like my therapist."

Dani withdrew her hand into her lap. "You have a therapist?"

"Had," Jamie corrected her. "I had a therapist. Not because I wanted one, mind you. They assigned Tamara to me."

"I didn't know child protection offered that kind of service."

"They don't," Jamie said. When Dani cocked her head in confusion, she sighed then brought her chin back down again. “It was in prison.”

Dani blinked. “Right,” she said. She had almost forgotten that Jamie had mentioned she had served time over in England. Just another piece of Jamie’s life that she had missed. “Of course. Sorry.”  

Jamie seemed not to have heard. Her knee was jumping nervously beneath the table. Dani had to resist the urge to reach down and place a soothing hand on her thigh. A hug or a quick clasp of hands was one thing, but that — for whatever reason — felt like a step too far. Maybe another time. Maybe when they were younger, and they were accustomed to pressing close to each other as they slept. But not here. Not now. 

“I just want to do this right,” Jamie said.

"You are," Dani said. "You’re doing great. I've seen bad parenting before. And I'm not just talking about in my own home."

Jamie gave her a wry grin. “No offense, but that’s a low bar even for me.”

“You’d be surprised,” Dani said dryly. “Let’s just say: some people from our school days should have thought twice before having kids.”

That earned her a chuckle, short-lived though it was. "I shudder to think of some of them reproducing.” Jamie gave a theatrical little shudder. When Dani made a face, Jamie said, "Not like that. Mind out of the gutter, Poppins."

"That's -! You were the one who said it that way!" Dani admonished.

"I -" Jamie placed a hand over her sternum as though clutching at invisible pearls "- was completely innocent, thank you very much. You, on the other hand -"

Dani pointed at her sternly. "Do not. I'm still getting over the image in my head."

"Naughty." Jamie smirked. "Care to share with the class?"

Lifting an eyebrow, Dani gave her a brook-no-nonsense stare. "I know you're trying to deflect by making dirty jokes. It won't work."

"Yeah, yeah," Jamie sighed. She grimaced at the stairs. "Suppose I should man up, then."

Dani wrinkled her nose. "I never liked that phrase."

"Do you have an alternative?"

"Gird your loins?" Dani offered.

Jamie’s answering grin was positively rakish. "You make this too easy, you know.”

Picking up her napkin from her lap, Dani smacked Jamie’s shoulder with it. “Stop that! It’s just an expression.”

Jamie laughed softly, pretending to flinch back from the napkin. “Yeah, well, keep my loins out of it."

“You’re impossible,” Dani said, and though she tried to sound firm she couldn’t stop her mouth from curling at the corners in a smile. She set her napkin atop her plate and stood to start collecting their plates. “Now, go. Talk. I’ll clean up down here.”

Dutifully, Jamie scraped back her chair and pushed herself to her feet. “Right. Time to face the music,” she said, then she snapped her fingers and pointed at Dani. “You see? An alternative that doesn’t involve my loins.”

“Oh, my God. Go.” 

With one last parting smirk, Jamie walked towards the stairs, the sound of her footsteps dwindling with every step she climbed, until Dani could only hear the creak of the ceiling beneath Jamie’s weight overhead. She cleared the table, setting everything down on the cramped kitchen countertops, where she began opening cupboards in search of any tupperware to save the bulk of the food for a later meal. When she heard a knock upstairs and the sound of soft voices, Dani went still. She glanced around the kitchen and, holding a few tupperware lids in one hand, strode over to the radio resting beside one of the many potted plants. 

A push of a button and a quick dial to a trendy pop station, and the kitchen was filled with the sound of the latest Top 100 track. Dani turned up the music slightly until she could no longer hear what was going on upstairs. Humming along idly, she rounded the kitchen island and picked up where she left off. 

 --

On Monday morning, Dani set a plastic container in front of Hannah. Blinking in surprise and leaning back in her seat, Hannah glanced at the lemon square then up at Dani, her face relaxing into a warm smile. "Well, good morning to you, too," she said. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Miss Clayton?"

With a shrug, Dani took the seat opposite her. They were in the staff room at school, and the start of classes that week were still a good hour away. "No reason," said Dani. She set her bag down on the floor beside her. "I was just thinking about you yesterday when I was at the cafe, and thought I should bring you something."

"You're far too kind. Really." Hannah opened the container. "Oh, and it's lemon. You know me too well. That or you want a pay rise. I hear you have a mortgage again."

Dani laughed. "No. Selling the old house took care of most of that. And Eddie's new job. You know." She waved her hand in a flighty little gesture. "Sometimes I just like making other people happy, is all."

"Sometimes, she says." Hannah lifted her eyebrow but her voice was teasing. "Don't forget about yourself, dear."

The smile on Dani's face felt suddenly frozen in place. She shook an odd twinge in her gut away and watched as Hannah picked up the slice for a bite. Hannah made a wordless noise in the back of her throat, covering her mouth with her free hand while she chewed.

"Oh, that's divine," said Hannah, discreetly wiping at a crumb stuck to the corner of her mouth. "Where did you get this?"

"New cafe in town. It’s called: A Batter Place."

Hannah wrinkled her nose.

"Yeah, I know. It's a terrible pun," Dani said. "But the chef there is excellent, and very sweet."

"Well, I might just have to pay it a visit. Bad puns or no." Hannah took another bite of the slice and closed her eyes. "Mmm. It's how tart it is. You would think living for the last six years in America that I'd be used to the amount of sugar you put in everything."

With a shrug, Dani said, "So, tell me about your weekend. Get up to anything fun?"

And it was easy as that. Talking aimlessly. Chatting about nothing and everything. North Liberty was small, but she and Hannah lived in different circles, their lives only ever intersecting at work. It was a rare occasion, running into her boss on the street. Hannah lived in another town over and commuted every day. Hannah was in a different denomination and attended a different church. Hannah disavowed malicious gossip and avoided it when possible. Hannah spoke in clipped British tones, but her words were as warm as her eyes. Talking to her was a breath of fresh air in a place where nobody ever ventured further than the next state over, if that.

The door to the staff room opened and a man walked in, but neither of them took any notice. Hannah had long since finished her slice and pushed the empty container into the center of the table between them. When the man ventured further into the room, looking around as if lost, Dani's eyes flitted towards him. She did a double take. She vaguely recognized him as someone who worked at the botanical gardens — was his name Leo? Leonard? — and in his arms he carried a bouquet of flowers.

Hannah lowered her voice and murmured, "Who's the lucky punter?"

Dani shook her head, the two of them watching him search the room. "No idea."

He had started to garner the attention of a few other teachers and staff members, who were politely waiting for him to approach someone and deliver them flowers. He cleared his throat and asked the room at large, "Excuse me. Is there a Dani Clayton here?"

Dani blinked. She went very still, gaze darting towards Hannah, whose eyes had widened.

"Looks like they're for you, love," said Hannah with a grin.

"But I -"

Whatever Dani had started to say died on her tongue, as Hannah lifted her hand and gestured for him to approach their table. "She's right here. Thank you." Hannah pointed towards her.

Dani straightened in her seat, staring at the bundle of flowers that was placed on the table in front of her. She had to quickly dart forward and move the empty container. He dug around in his pocket and handed over a small folded card as well to go along with it.

"For you," he said.

In utter bewilderment, Dani took the card. "Thank you," she said, slightly dazed. With a nod and a brief smile, he left. Dani was still staring after him long after the door had shut.

Across the table, Hannah clucked her tongue. "Well, well," she said, sounding amused. She gave Dani a significant look over the top of the flowers. "Guess you're the lucky one, after all."

"I guess," Dani breathed. She toyed with the card for a moment, turning it over between her fingers to see if there were any distinguishing marks on the outside. Finding none, she unfolded it.

'Thanks for the help this weekend,' it read. 'And sorry for being an arse.'

Despite the lack of a name, Jamie's messy scrawl was unforgettable. Dani would've recognized it anywhere. She didn't realize she was smiling down at the card until Hannah cleared her throat. Then, Dani jerked, looking up to find Hannah watching her with a warm gaze.

"And here you were telling me you'd had a perfectly unremarkable weekend," Hannah teased.

"Well, I -" Dani fumbled over her response, hastily folding the card back up and fiddling with it in her lap. "I did."

"That man of yours is a fine catch," said Hannah, nodding towards the flowers.

Dani hesitated. The corner of her mouth twitched and she ducked her head, trying to hide it with a nervous smile. "Yeah," she said, feeling breathless. "Yeah, he - um. He's very thoughtful."

The lie came far more easily to her than she would have thought possible. And even worse, she did not know exactly why she said it at all. Only that correcting Hannah didn’t feel right, that telling her it was someone else — even just a friend like Jamie — would arouse some sort of suspicion. Even if Hannah wasn’t the type. Even if Hannah would not care. Because Hannah wasn’t the only one in the room, and Hannah wasn’t the only one watching.

Which was silly, really. The flowers weren’t a bunch of red roses or anything romantic. If anything, Dani could recall Jamie grousing about these exact same purple hydrangeas over brunch the day before. It was a thank you. A friendly gesture like all their other friendly gestures. Sitting close enough on the couch so that their thighs pressed together. Grazing their fingertips while passing an item across the dining table. Hugging one another with every goodbye. Dani could do the same with anyone, and it would be no different.

Wouldn't it?

Dani tried to imagine hugging Hannah goodbye, tried to imagine a lingering hand on Hannah's elbow as they walked down the hall. She blinked and had to clear her throat, checking her watch to hide the flush on her face.

"I'd better get the classroom ready," she said. When she rose to her feet, Hannah did the same.

"Do you need a hand?" Hannah asked, gesturing towards the flowers.

"Oh. No, it's - I've got them." Dani slung her bag over one shoulder, then picked up the flowers. She edged around the table, giving Hannah a smile so fleeting it felt more like a muscle tick in her cheek. "I'll talk to you later."

Hannah gave her an odd look, but all she said was, "Of course. I'll pop round this afternoon. I'd like to go over the parent teacher talks and the upcoming library visit."

"Sounds good," Dani said, not actually listening. She was already halfway towards the door, rearranging the flowers so that she could prop them against her hip and still open the door leading out into the hallway. Out here, the calm bastion of the staff room was replaced by the cacophony of students arriving after a whole weekend to regain their full stamina. Their sneakers squeaked against the polish flooring. Immediately upon exiting, Dani had to press herself back against the shut door behind her and lift the flowers as two boys went racing by.

"Slow down, please!" she called after them. Both of them did as instructed, but only until she turned and began walking in the opposite direction down the hall, at which point she could hear them laugh and continue on as they had before. Through the windows outside, Dani could see cars pulling up to the curb and kids spilling out onto the lawn. A thin line of students were careening from the town's only school bus, the driver making sharp gestures with his hands when someone got too eager and took to shoving.

Dani's footsteps slowed to a halt when she saw a familiar green truck putter along, its tray holding something bulky strapped down and covered in tarpaulin. She did not have to look closely to recognise those silhouettes through the glass. She watched as Jamie gave Mikey's shoulder a playful push and he staggered out of the vehicle, shrugging his backpack over one shoulder and rolling his eyes. A far cry from the body language of yesterday. He paused, turning back when Jamie shouted something after him so that he could catch a bagged lunch tossed through the truck window. Then with a wave Mikey trotted towards the main entrance, brown paper bag clutched in one hand.

There was no way Jamie could have seen inside and known that she was looking out at her. Even so, Dani had to swallow down a strange sense of unease turning her stomach. She shifted her grip upon the flowers and continued towards her classroom, her footsteps quick and clipped against the floor.

The classroom was still empty when she arrived. Her students would take another ten minutes or so before they started trickling in. For a long, breathless moment Dani stood in the doorway, her eyes scanning the room for a place to set down the flowers. On her desk they would be too apparent throughout the day, blocking her direct view of some of the kids in the front row. Wandering forward Dani approached the windows, setting the flowers down on the sill. Her hands drifted towards the coronal burst of wine-dark petals, and she found it difficult to stop fussing with the arrangement until the mid morning sunlight hit them just so. The arrival of her first students prompted Dani to take a hasty step back, lowering her hands to her sides and walking briskly back to her desk to finish setting up for the day.

Even as she greeted a few of the kids good morning and pulled out her notes for the day's lessons, Dani found her gaze drifting back towards the windowsill. She frowned and shook her head, muttering to herself under her breath, "Get it together, Dani."

"Good morning, Miss Clayton."

Dani's head jerked up at the sound of Mikey's voice. "Morning!" she said in return, trying to put as much cheer into her voice as she could muster, but he had already walked towards his desk and was engaged in quiet conversation with the boy who sat next to him.

She was still unpacking when the starting bell rang. Dani rummaged around for a fresh carton of chalk in her desk. "All right!" she announced as the kids settled into their seats, their voices simmering to a murmur when they heard her begin to speak. "Who wants to tell me all about indirect statements?"

Her words were met with a chorus of groans.

"Can't we take attendance first?"

Dani was writing on the chalkboard, but she didn't need to turn around to know who had spoken. "I recognized twenty five faces on the way in, Abigail. Including yours. So -" she turned around, holding out the piece of chalk with a smile. "- anyone brave enough to label it for me?"

Eventually someone raised their hand, and class was underway. She had thought placing the flowers on the windowsill would have been far enough out of her direct line of sight to be unobtrusive, but as the hours ticked on, Dani would inevitably drift back towards them. She favored that side of the room that day. Once she even propped herself atop the windowsill beside the flowers, her heels knocking against the radiators snaking along the lower walls like the path of a plow tilling fields.

When the school day had finished and everyone was shuffling out with their goodbyes, Dani found herself wandering back towards that side of the room yet again. As if at the other end was a rope around her neck, tugging her back. She waited until the kids had left, then lifted a hesitant hand to test the slightly waxy texture of a petal between thumb and forefinger.

She couldn't take them home. It wouldn't feel right. The house would swallow them up with echoes the moment she walked through the door. Not to mention what Eddie would think.

"What am I going to do with you?" she murmured.

"Am I interrupting?"

Dani nearly jumped out of her skin. Straightening her shoulders, she whipped around. Hannah was standing in the doorway, the back of her knuckles hovering over the wooden frame around her. She must have knocked softly, but Dani hadn't heard.

"Oh! No," Dani said, immediately crossing the room to stand beside her desk at the front of the class. "Not at all. I'm sorry. I forgot you mentioned you wanted to swing by later."

"That's quite all right." Hannah smiled and stepped further inside.

"Do you -?" Dani gestured towards her own seat at the head of the desk.

Hannah lifted an eyebrow and gave Dani an incredulous look. "You can't think I'd want to steal your own seat."

With a laugh and a shake of her head, Dani said, "No. I just - It feels a little weird sitting behind it with you there. Like I'm the one in charge."

"Well, it's your classroom, dear. Why wouldn't you be?"

"Now, who's not being serious?"

Hannah made a gesture as if caught red-handed. "Fair enough, I suppose. But I think this will suffice." She sat in one of the kids' chairs, primly crossing her legs at the knee and arranging her skirts just so. "Shall we?"

"Sure." Dani lowered herself into her own seat, resisting the urge to fiddle with one of the many items that littered her desk. "Any negative feedback I need to be aware of?"

"Nothing quite so dire," Hannah assured her. "Everyone's been very complimentary."

Dani made a noise in the back of her throat. "Doesn't sound very like the parents of this town. Are they sick?"

"I've checked the water supply," Hannah drawled, playing along. "But no. The only mixed feedback seems to be about this trip to the town library."

Dani frowned. "Oh? Do they want it somewhere else?"

"I think several had some delusions of grandeur, but frankly if they want their children to visit the Mona Lisa, they're going to have to make some sizable donations," said Hannah dryly. "Mostly though, it just seems that most of them can't make it, and we're short a few chaperones. I know you weren't planning on it, but would it be possible for you to go along as well?"

Eddie had been planning a trip to his aunt's house in Cedar Rapids that Friday. A long weekend with the whole O'Mara family to celebrate the engagement, and by extension, her birthday. And it wasn't that Dani disliked the idea, only that his family was as they'd always been: big and loud. Meanwhile, Dani's mother was an only child whose parents had died years ago. Not to mention her father's only sibling — Aunt Liv — was younger than Dani's parents by a decade, and had moved east. Karen and Liv had a mutual dislike for one another. After her dad had died, Dani was never allowed to visit.

"Yeah," Dani said, nodding her head. "Yeah. I can - I can definitely go. I mean, if you need it, then of course."

"You're sure?" Hannah asked, her gaze dark and discerning. "You don't have to, if you have plans. I can talk to a few others who might -"

"No. It's fine. I can go," Dani said. She was trapped between the opportunity to wriggle out of being the center of attention for three whole days, and the sickening feeling in her stomach knowing she would have to tell Eddie she wouldn't be going.

Hannah rose to her feet and Dani immediately followed suit, mirroring her actions. "I'm sorry to have sprung this on you so last minute," Hannah said. "But I really do appreciate it. I'll be going as well, but if you know anyone who is also willing to attend, do send them my way. It's all hands on deck with Jack on sabbatical and Charlotte away on maternity leave."

Dani's eyes widened. "Charlotte's on maternity leave?"

"Oh, my dear, you really have been out of the loop lately, haven't you?" Hannah said, not unkindly. 

“I just feel like I’ve been so busy these days,” Dani said, her voice trailing off.

“I know.” Hannah smiled and placed a warm hand on Dani’s shoulder as they walked to the door together. She was about to say something else, when a tall shape loomed in the doorway and they both stopped.

Eddie pushed his glasses up his nose. “Hi,” he said, giving Hannah a smile and nodding in greeting. “Nice to see you, Mrs. Grose.”

“The charmer himself,” Hannah said, lowering her hand from Dani’s shoulder to gesture expansively towards him. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

Eddie’s answering smile was somewhat puzzled, even a little bashful. He stooped a bit more, a habit he displayed more when in the presence of people who were far more effusive than himself. “I’m just here to pick up Danielle.”

Dani had frozen at Hannah’s side. She shook her head, a jolting little motion. “Right,” she said. Her car was back in the shop. Eddie had told her that morning he could drop her off and pick her up. That it was no problem. She dimly remembered him kissing her cheek as she’d stepped from his sedan earlier that same day. “I just need to -” 

When Dani pointed towards the chaos of her things across the desk behind them, Hannah said, “I’ll leave you to it.” 

And she swanned past Eddie with a parting pat upon his arm. Eddie adjusted his glasses again with a nervous laugh, stepping aside to let her pass. Dani went back to her desk and started piling all of her things into her bag as quickly as she could. She could hear Eddie step into the room behind her, taking in the scenery. He so rarely came in here. It felt strange to have him sharing this space, even for just a moment. As though his presence might leave a mark. As though he might somehow make it his in this brief time. 

Her eyes flitted to the flowers on the windowsill and her fingers slipped. A cascade of papers went sprawling to the floor. Cursing under her breath, Dani knelt down to begin scooping everything up, tucking her long hair behind her ears when it got in her way. 

“Let me help.” Eddie knelt down across from her, picking up pages at random and straightening them into a small pile in his hands. 

“Thank you,” Dani muttered, her movements sharp and anxious as she did the same. Anything that would get everything in her bag and Eddie out of this room as soon as possible. It was only a moment before they straightened, before Eddie handed over the pages with a soft grin. The sunlight slanted across his face when he straightened and turned his head, so that his glasses gleamed bright enough to burn. 

With a sense of dread pooling her gut, Dani watched him glance over at the windowsill. He looked back at her, his puzzled expression moving between her and the flowers. "An admiring parent?" he joked, nodding towards them.

Dani’s answering laugh sounded clipped to her own ears. "Yeah," she lied. Then, clearing her throat, she stuffed the last of the papers into her bag, not caring if she crumpled a few in the process. As she shouldered the bag, she started towards the exit. “Ready!”

He came without question, without even a backward glance. There was no hesitation in his face, no guile or suspicion. He smiled and held her hand as they walked down the halls of the school together, and it was like they were suddenly transported back to ten years ago. Walking these same halls. Lacing their fingers and squeezing tight. As if nothing had changed, as if they had stagnated in place, slowly turning to stone or the overwhelming tide of amber. 

When they reached the car, Eddie automatically rounded to the driver’s seat. He always drove. The only exception was when his dad or older brothers all but wrestled the wheel from him. Even if given the choice, Dani would demure and let him drive instead. Backseat drivers only made her more nervous, and Eddie and Karen were the worst of the lot. Her mother in particular would snipe and grouse, pressing her foot against the car’s carpet as if trying to stamp on the brakes from the passenger’s seat. Instead, Dani fastened her seatbelt and leaned forward to tune the radio. The only upside to being the passenger — complete control over the station, with limited veto rights from the driver. 

Eddie pulled away from the curb, pulling on the wheel to straighten the car as they trundled down the road. The school shrank in the passenger wing mirror. Eddie cracked the window a bit to let in some airflow, while Dani manipulated the radio dial, the orange line sliding from frequency to frequency in search of a station she wanted to listen to. 

When she hit a station that played nothing but alternative and prog rock that Carson would have insisted they listen to, Eddie crinkled his nose and said, “Pass.”

Dani hesitated, lingering at the station for a split second, before she twisted the knob and continued, landing on a pop station that was inoffensive to neither of them. She leaned back in her seat, adjusting her clothes so they wouldn’t be so rumpled by the seat belt. “I’ve been asked to help supervise the kids on their town library trip in two weeks.”

Eddie flicked on the indicator light as they approached an intersection and turned. “Isn’t that on the Friday we’re going up to Cedar Rapids?”

Dani had to lace her hands together in her lap to keep from biting at her nails. Instead, her teeth worried at her lower lip. She made an affirmative noise.

Eddie’s hands went still against the steering wheel. His head turned — a quick dart in her direction — only to face the road once more. “Danielle, we’ve been planning to see my family for weeks.” 

“I know.”

“They’ve wanted to get us all together to celebrate ever since the engagement.”

“I know,” Dani repeated, her voice smaller this time, drowned out by the music. “Hannah needs me to be there.”

“She can’t find anyone else? What about all the parent volunteers?”

Dani shook her head. “Too many of them are too busy. And we’re short a few staff members right now. So -” 

He let out a long sigh, not taking his eyes off the road. 

“I’m sorry,” she said, not daring to steal a glance at his expression and instead focusing on the way her fingers twisted together in her lap. “I love your family. You know that.”

“Yeah, I know.” Somehow he still managed to sound disappointed.

“I just can’t be everywhere at once. I had to make a choice.”

“Sometimes I wish you’d choose me.”

Blinking, Dani looked up, head turning. “Hey,” she said softly, admonishingly, and she reached out to grasp his knee. “That’s not what this is.”

“Well,” He lifted a hand and dropped it back down to the wheel with a thud. “It feels like it. I feel like I hardly see you when we’re not both exhausted. You’re either doing work at home, or you’re skipping out on Church to go to Jamie’s house. Or -”

Dani withdrew her hand, clenching it into a fist and returning it to her lap. “That’s not fair, Eddie.”

“Isn’t it? I’ve been wanting to make time.”

“So have I,” Dani said. The car felt too hot, the late afternoon sunlight streaming through the windscreen with little room for escape. She gestured towards the radio. “I’ve been wanting to go with you to one of Carson’s concerts for weeks, now.”

He rolled his eyes and said under his breath, “God.” 

“He’s been practically begging us to go,” Dani reminded him.

Eddie made a dismissive gesture. “We’ve seen him perform before in that crap Des Moines bar already. They weren’t that good anyways, and we’re always so busy. Or did we not just have that conversation?”

Dani tried not to clench her teeth. “We can make time. It’s just one Saturday.”

“We’ll see,” he said, but his tone was flinty and he added with a mutter, “If Hannah or Jamie allow it, maybe.”

Silence descended between them. The cheery pop tune in the background was too much to bear, and after a few seconds Dani switched it off with a sharp twist of her wrist so that the only sound was the rumble of the tires across sun-bleached bitumen. Dani spent the rest of the drive with her arms crossed, jaw clenched, glowering out the passenger window without really seeing the passing scenery. At one point it seemed Eddie would resume their conversation, but he merely cleared his throat and adjusted the rear view mirror. 

When they reached the house, she promptly opened the door and stepped out, storming towards the front door. He sighed behind her, climbing out of the car to follow after her. 

“Okay, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean -”

She yanked her keys from her bag, keeping her voice down as she unlocked the door. “You know how much it means to him, Eddie.” Her eyes darted towards their neighbors’ houses, but nobody was on their lawn to eavesdrop.

“I know,” he said. 

“Don’t make this about -” she pushed the door inwards and stepped inside “- the other thing. Because it’s not.”

“I said: I’m sorry.” 

Dani paused in the entryway only to remove her shoes and toss her bag to the floor beside them. Her keys still dangled from one of her hands, and she dropped them atop her bag, where they slid to the ground in a clatter. The light admitted from the front door folded as Eddie shut the door behind them. She did not turn around, starting off further into the house.

“Listen,” he sighed. When he grabbed her arm, it was not abrupt or hard, but it made her tense regardless. Eddie could feel it and he immediately let go with an apologetic grimace. “He’s my brother. And I love him. But it’s just one show, and he’ll get over it and be into some other new phase by the end of the year. I know, all right? But you - you don’t have siblings.”

“I have you,” Dani said, the words dropping from her lips before she could stop them. 

He laughed, the sound surprisingly light, almost relieved. “Yeah, but it’s not the same,” he said, as if that was obvious, the most obvious thing in the world. “Sure, we grew up together, but our relationship is different.”

Dani’s mouth opened but then shut again almost immediately. Taking a deep breath, she swallowed down whatever she had been about to say. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that it wasn’t. 

 --

The light from the flashbulb blinded her for a moment that she had to blink away the dark spots, her smile strained from holding it so long. Eddie was beside her, his arm around her shoulders, holding her close and pressing her into his chest where he smelled of cologne and aftershave until Judy was ushering him away, insisting for just one more photo of Dani alone. He went easily, but his hand lingered on the small of her back, almost unwilling to leave her. 

She offered him a faint grin back as he stepped away, ducking her head briefly to smooth down her dress as she stood alone just below one of those generically pretty, mass produced paintings along the wall of the living room. 

“Honey, you look so beautiful,” Judy said, “Still can’t believe how much you’ve grown.”

“Grew too fast if you ask me,” Karen said from the couch, where she sat watching with an already glassy smile. Dani swallowed thickly as Judy chuckled and finally took her last photo.  

Happy with the results, Judy stepped towards Dani and cupped her cheek, murmuring, “So proud of you.” Dani’s smile flickered, slipping into something more shy and real. 

“Thank you,” Dani murmured. 

Patting her cheek, Judy left Dani to her devices and handed off the camera to Mike who had been relegated as the cameraman for the evening, a bulky camcorder already set upon his shoulder as he wandered through the house, filming everyone and anything interesting.  

As far as O’Mara birthday parties tended to go, Dani’s party today was subdued by the family’s standards, but there was still a flair of the O’Mara fervor to it. Dinner had already been proudly served by Judy and Carson, an array of Dani’s favorite dishes perfectly cooked by the pair, and now, dinner table cleared and dishes cleaned, everyone was starting to get into the swing of things. 

Generic pop music played from the stereo system where Carson declared providence over. He could often be seen trotting back and forth to switch tapes and fiddle with the stereo equalizer. Her mom laughed on the couch where she accepted another glass of wine from David’s wife. Kids that barely reached her waist either ran through the house or lingered on the carpet by their parents’ legs. Judy wandered around, always with a food platter in hand or a glass of her own wine, playing hostess. Eddie and his older brothers laughing as they stood around drinking beers. And Jamie — 

Dani looked around, fidgeting with her hands, seeing neither her nor Mikey anywhere. With one last glance around the living room, she wandered further into the house until at last she spotted Jamie at the end of the hallway, leaning against a wall near the basement entrance. In black slacks, a white dress shirt with rolled up sleeves, and brown suspenders, it was the most dressed up Dani had seen her in years. 

Jamie’s brow was furrowed, lost in thought as a hand held up a glass of wine close to her mouth while the other grasped her elbow. When Dani stepped closer, Jamie blinked and looked up, her expression brightening into a smile. 

“Fancy seeing you here," Jamie said.

“Are you hiding?” Dani asked with a teasing grin, leaning against the wall across Jamie, the corner edge of it digging against her back. 

Jamie gave her a look. “I’m doing nothing of the sort, thank you very much,” she said, taking a casual sip of her wine. “Just enjoying my drink.”

“Right,” Dani said, nodding indulgently, “So, you’re not lurking back here, staring holes at the wall — “ She twisted around to gesture with a pointed flourish, and froze, sucking in a quiet breath. 

Because there, right on the corner, was a collection of clustered lines and names written in pen and pencil, leading up from a foot or so off the floor, leading straight above Dani’s head. A near three decades of growth and life documented in just a simple straight line of uneven lengths, and two numbers. If Dani were to look closer, she’d find her own name somewhere in the disarray. 

Slowly, she twisted back around where Jamie was watching with a faint solemn grin. Jamie pushed off the wall, her arm reaching out to the lines, pressing a finger against a cluttered section. “Here’s me,” she murmured. Dani eased further aside, leaning her shoulder against the wall, reading where Jamie pointed: Jamie - 13 yrs old, 5’1. “First year they put me down.”

Dani smiled softly, remembering that day vividly. A raucous day spent at the bowling alley a town over, and then back at the house. Jamie high on a sugar and adrenaline rush, so relieved and happy to finally be a teenager. 

Jamie’s finger moved again, dragging higher and stopping after just a few inches to: Jamie - 16 yrs old, 5’3. 

“And the last,” Jamie murmured. 

Dani’s smile flickered, a heaviness settling in her chest as Jamie pulled away and leaned again on the opposite wall. Wrapping her arms around her stomach, it took Dani what felt like an unbearably long time to find the courage to look at Jamie again. When she did, Jamie still wore that same grin, but there was a fond amusement to it as she stared at the wall, chuckling softly. “And of course, you grew a bloody inch taller than me that year. Prat.”

Dani laughed. “Probably because you stopped eating your vegetables and bread crusts.”

“You’ve no idea,” Jamie said, drinking her wine. It made Dani pause. It was such a simple statement, but there was a somber history hidden in the words, one that she knew Jamie wasn’t ready to divulge yet, if ever. 

Before Dani could find a response to that, Mikey wandered over with a small bowl in hand with what looked like puppy chow, absentmindedly leaning next to Jamie as he munched. 

Jamie blinked down at him, incredulous. “Where the hell did you get that?”

“Mrs. O’Mara gave me some,” Mikey said. With a soft hum of appreciation, Jamie reached a hand forward, but Mikey jerked the bowl away with a scowl. “Get your own!”

Jamie tutted. “Greedy,” she muttered, flicking his ear. Dani laughed as he swiped at Jamie’s hand, but made no attempt to move away, resting his shoulder comfortably against her. He’d been semi-permanently attached to Jamie’s side for most of the evening when he wasn’t either lingering at Dani’s elbow or hovering in the kitchen with Carson and Judy, helping to stir a pot or mix ingredients as they asked him about his interests. 

Though as he chewed now, his eyes brightened. “Hey, Jamie, your name’s on there,” he said, pointing to the list of heights, and frowned thoughtfully, “Did you used to live here?”

“No,” Jamie replied, her voice clipped. Dani gave her a look, but Jamie wasn’t paying attention, her gaze fixed on the wall. 

Mikey didn’t notice, either too fascinated or too used to Jamie’s gruff exterior. “Dani, your name’s here too,” he said, leaning closer, and then made a face. “It says ‘Danielle’ though. Why do they call you that?”

Dani refrained from sighing, but Jamie on the other hand had no such reservations, huffing and pulling Mikey back by the scruff of his shirt to her side again. 

“That was a lifetime ago, mate,” she said, ruffling his hair. 

He grumbled and shook off her hand. “But they still call her that,” he said, looking up at Dani who had always insisted to him: ‘Dani. Just Dani.’ So much so that clearly, it became an ingrained thought. 

Dani shrugged helplessly. “It’s just the way it’s always been.”

He stared for a moment, and then also shrugged, returning back to his puppy chow. Over his head, Dani finally caught Jamie’s eyes, already watching her with such a piercing gaze that Dani felt like Jamie was seeing right through her. Her heart sped up, and before she scrambled to think of anything else to say to fill the silence, she was saved by a collection of young voices and the drumming of feet scuttling their way towards the trio. 

“Oh, no,” Mikey muttered, grimacing.

Curiously, Dani turned towards the sound to see David and Tommy’s kids skidding towards Mikey to pull at his arm towards the basement, begging him to come play. Mikey cast his panicked eyes towards Jamie, but she only laughed. Being the newest, tallest, and the oldest by at least six years, Mikey was by default the most popular kid in the house. The four O’Mara children had immediately tried to accost him when they first set eyes on him, but shy and overwhelmed at the attention, he had hid away by Jamie, her mere presence enough to keep the kids at bay. But not anymore.

“Jamie -!” Mikey said, being inched away by two of Tommy’s kids pulling his arm.

Still laughing, Jamie finally softened, and said, “Thirty minutes, then red alert.”

Mikey’s face twisted, but he eventually huffed, acquiescing to the insistent pulling and let himself be led down the basement, the kids laughing as they went.

“Never thought I’d see the day Tweedledee and Tweedledum have kids, but here we are,” Jamie said. 

“They mellowed over the years, believe it or not,” Dani said. 

Jamie gave her a dubious look. “You sure about that?”

Having heard the news that Dani wouldn’t be able to visit their aunt's place the following weekend, and that Jamie had made her return to North Liberty, the twins had made the effort to travel back to town with their families for Dani’s birthday. The second the twins landed their eyes on Jamie for the first time in a decade, they had crushed her into excited back breaking hugs. 

Jamie gave back as good as she got. 

“What is that?” was the first thing she said to Tommy after they had released her, pointing at his thick, well cared for moustache. 

“You don’t think it makes me look handsome?” Tommy had replied, grinning proudly. 

“Looks more like a rat died on your face.”

David had bent over laughing as Tommy’s face fell. “Told you she’d hate it.”

“And you,” Jamie pointed to David, “Whoever said that hairstyle was a look for you lied out of their arse. It’s burning my eyes.”

“If Eddie and I hold them down, will you please shave them for us,” Carson begged.

“Dani, get a razor,” Jamie had replied.

Dani did not in fact get a razor, she had been too busy laughing. Too relieved to finally have Jamie and Mikey here after spending the morning and afternoon anxiously awaiting the party. Too busy watching the way Jamie’s wicked smile had pulled tight at the corners as she was introduced to Tommy and David’s wives and their kids. A similar taut smile that Mikey wore as he was pulled away from his hiding spot behind Jamie’s back to be introduced to the rest of the family as well. 

Looking at Jamie now, there was a tension to her shoulders and eyes that clashed with the easy grin she wore. 

Dani leaned further into the wall, giving her a careful look. “What are you doing back here really?”

Jamie rolled her eyes. “I’m having me time, is that a crime?”

“Of course not,” Dani said, offering her a smile, “Just...are you okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

Dani gave her a look, pinning Jamie with a knowing stare. Jamie’s shoulders slumped with an exhale, her eyes darting away briefly before meeting Dani’s with a faint grin. “Just feels like nothing’s changed here, is all,” Jamie said, “I mean — besides those two giant oafs managing to snag wives and push out a couple of kids.“ At Dani’s laugh, Jamie’s grin widened, a sharp edge to it. “Guess it just feels like…”

Edging closer, Dani reached out her hand to grab Jamie’s. “Like what?” she said, rubbing a thumb over Jamie’s knuckles. 

Her throat bobbing, Jamie’s mouth dropped open to speak, but the sound of feet again interrupted her, her eyes darting towards the noise. Dani dropped her hand as surreptitiously as possible, her shoulders tense, but at the sight of Carson marching towards them, she exhaled softly. 

“Jesus, did you leave a trail of breadcrumbs all the way here?” Jamie said. Dani chuckled and poked her hard in the stomach. Jamie flinched back, swiping at her hand with some minor grumbling. 

“Been looking for you two everywhere,” Carson said, mysteriously donning his leather jacket, and turned to Jamie. “I’m thinking it’s time for a smoke break.”

Jamie frowned. “Already?”

Humming affirmatively, his eyes bright as he looked to Dani, “And you’re coming with us.”

“Do I have a choice?”

“Nope!”

“Can I at least get my jacket?”

“Already handled,” he said, and began enthusiastically shoving them towards the kitchen where the back entrance was, ignoring their complaints. 

With jackets and shoes donned, they stepped out into the chilly evening air onto the back patio, the lights flickered on. Dani and Jamie leaned next to each other on the railing as Carson hopped on the patio table, his legs dangling over the edge. 

“So,” Carson started in between lighting a cigarette, “How’s it feel to be in your late twenties?”

“Please don’t remind me,” Dani said. 

“S’not that bad,” Jamie said, smoke billowing from her mouth.

“Oh, yeah,” Carson smirked, “You’re both ancient now.

Dani glared at him. “We’re twenty-six.”

“Yeah, ancient,” Carson replied. 

Tutting, Jamie shook her head. “Cheeky.”

Jamie was right. For the most part, it did feel like nothing had changed. While Dani and Jamie had been attached at the hip, there had always been room for Carson who lingered nearby, eager to soak up their time and attention. Fitting in between the gaps when there was breathing room. And when Jamie was gone, he had been a calm and comforting shoulder for Dani to lean on. And now, their banter kept her grinning like it always had. 

Eventually, the back door opened and Eddie peeked his head out, his glasses glaring bright under the porch light. “Oh, there you are,” he said,  “Carson, mom needs you in the kitchen.”

Carson exhaled and rolled his eyes. “Said she had it handled,” he muttered, putting out his cigarette on the ashtray on the table and hopped to his feet. “See you in five, ladies,” he said, saluting Dani and Jamie before slipping inside, patting Eddie hard on the back. 

Eddie twisted his mouth after Carson, before returning his attention to the pair. “You two all right out here?” he asked, his breath releasing a white cloud of ice. 

“Pleased as punch,” Jamie replied, releasing her own breath of smoke through pursed lips.

His brow furrowed as he stared at Jamie, opening his mouth as though he wanted to say something. But then he shook his head and smiled at Dani in that same way he'd been doing all week up until today since their argument, a sheen of remorse in his eyes and an eager willingness to put it all behind them. Dani wished she knew how to tell him that none of it was necessary, that she just wanted it to be over. Without another word, he stepped back inside and shut the door. 

Jamie chuckled. “Don’t think your husband to-be is pleased with you being outside with us smokers,” she said, spinning around to lean her elbows on the railing. 

“He just worries, is all,” Dani said, mirroring Jamie’s position, their elbows knocking together. 

“Promise not to give you cancer then,” Jamie said, “Y’know, he mentioned earlier that your house needed some work to be doing. Small repairs here and there. I occasionally do some freelance work in my free time, I wouldn’t mind popping over to spare a hand. Could even give you a family discount.”

Dani went still. Not even Jamie’s grin that somehow managed to be both roguish and sincere could stop the panic rising in Dani’s throat. It took all of her considerable will to refrain from shouting ‘No’ into Jamie’s face, an unyielding uneasiness settling over her at the thought of Jamie in that house, with its confining walls and ceaseless need to take and take. Dani couldn’t bear even the idea of it, of letting Jamie linger in its shadows, not when she was the antithesis to all of what it represented. 

Dani shook her head. “No - um. It’s all right,” she said, her voice high to even her own ears. She swallowed hard. 

“You sure?”

“Yeah,” Dani said, “Mike said he’d come over soon to help to save us some money.”

“You know I was joking about the money thing, yeah?” Jamie said, frowning. 

Dani smiled softly at her. “I know,” she said, nudging Jamie softly in the shoulder with her own. “Just don’t want to keep you from actual paying clients.”

“You pay me enough anyways with the food and company,” Jamie said, waving her hand dismissively. When Dani didn’t respond, words trapped in her throat, Jamie shrugged. “Just saying. If you ever need the extra hand, just say the word.”

“Yeah, of course,” Dani said, almost breathless as she nodded. 

They descended into silence, watching the shadows of the O’Mara’s backyard under the blue evening light. She itched to return to their previous conversation inside, to ask again what made Jamie hide away so thoroughly for so long, staring so hard at the wall of lines of heights that she could’ve burned a hole into the wall. But Jamie remained silent by her side, like it never happened. Silent in the same way she’d been all week over the flowers that she had delivered to Dani, as though she hadn’t briefly turned Dani’s world upside down with the gesture.  

At a brisk breeze, the cold evening air biting at her cheeks, Dani shivered. Feeling the motion, Jamie turned to Dani and grinned. “All right, there?”

“What do you think?”

Jamie laughed and linked their arms, pulling her in close. “Get in, then.” 

Chuckling breathlessly, Dani eased closer into the warmth of Jamie’s side, and finally gathering her courage, she said, “I never did say thank you earlier. For the flowers.”

“My pleasure,” Jamie murmured, pulling at her cigarette. 

“You didn’t have to.”

“‘Course I did,” Jamie said, so matter of factly, blowing smoke up towards the sky and away from Dani, the white smoke disappearing into the breeze. “The way you’ve been feeding Mikey and I, keeping us sane. The least I could do, really.”

Dani was silent for a moment, and then said, “They really are an interesting shade of purple.”

“Don’t you start,” Jamie scolded, jostling Dani who laughed. 

“I’m glad you’re here,” Dani murmured, smiling gently when Jamie met her gaze.

“Me too,” Jamie murmured, the corner of her mouth tilted into a smile, her eyes soft.

“I think you’re wrong though,” Dani said before she could stop herself. At Jamie’s questioning frown, she swallowed hard and struggled to find the words. “I mean — what you said earlier. Some things did stay the same, you weren’t wrong about that. But other things. I just — when you were gone. Everything changed.”

Jamie’s expression slowly slackened to that same faint solemn grin from the hallway. Her eyes flickered away to the yard, taking a long drag of her cigarette and releasing it into the air. “Thing is,” Jamie slowly started, still not looking at Dani. “From my perspective, it’s like this place froze in time while the rest of the world spun around it. Changing and morphing itself into something unrecognizable and different. Just like I did.”

Dani ducked her head, struck silent. So much said with so little. Over the years Dani often worried about Jamie, always wondering where she was and if she was okay. Worry that eventually had nowhere to go but to be packed away in a box, tucked away safely. The relief now to have Jamie again, pressed warm against her side — solid, real, and safe —  changed, but otherwise still Jamie, was like sinking into a hot bath after spending years in the cold.

Slowly, she eased her hand into Jamie’s free one. The movement made Jamie meet her eyes. “You’re still my favorite,” Dani said, offering her a small smile.

“Even as battered as I am?” Jamie asked ruefully.

“Wouldn’t have you any other way.”

Jamie murmured, “Feeling’s mutual, Poppins.”

They fell silent again, their hands still linked. The small breeze rustling the brittle and colorful leaves. The end of Jamie’s cigarette burning a bright hot red, revealing grey ash as she took another drag, her lips wrapped on the filter with practised ease, leaving behind a faint print of lipstick residue. When Jamie lifted her head to blow the smoke into the sky, the scar along her mouth and chin was outlined in the porch light slanting sharply across her features. Dani swallowed hard and blinked her eyes away. 

“Do you mind if I -?” Dani started when Jamie dropped her head, gesturing towards the cigarette.

Jamie arched an eyebrow at her, smirking. “You sure your little lungs can handle it? Won't start wheezing on me?”

Dani rolled her eyes and held out her hand. Chuckling, Jamie dutifully handed it over, watching eagerly. The first pull hurt and she coughed lightly, blowing it out. At Jamie’s laugh, Dani knocked her shoe into Jamie’s ankle.

“Shut up,” she mumbled, and took another pull. It was easier this time, her shoulders slumping as she sank into it. 

“Well, look at you,” Jamie said, chuckling as Dani blew out a line of smoke, the pair watching it unfurl in the air. “You’re a pro.”

“Only socially,” Dani said, handing it back. “That’s gonna bite me in the ass later with my asthma, but thanks.”

“No problem,” Jamie said, pinning the cigarette with a hard stare, flicking off the ashes, looking very much like she was debating taking another pull or not. But then, Jamie sighed and checked her watch. “Better get inside before they wonder if we ran off into the night.”

Dani laughed. “Like that one Christmas when we were fourteen?”

“Probably the best Christmas of my life,” Jamie said, grinning as she stepped away to put out the cigarette. 

They returned inside, shedding their outer layers that Jamie insisted they leave in the kitchen for now, taking her hand and leading her towards a mysteriously dark dining room. 

“Hey,” Dani started, “What’s going — “

Before she could finish the question, there was a loud cacophonous noise as a dozen people began to sing happy birthday at her. She jerked to a stop with a startled, “Oh!” It took a moment to settle her heart, but she finally laughed, taking in the room that was lit by only the candles that sat in a birthday cake on the table, the darkened room aglow with firelight, and everyone surrounding the table, looking at her as they sang.

She heard Jamie laugh behind her. Dani shot her a knowing grin over her shoulder, shaking her head. Jamie shrugged, her smile bright, and pressed a hand to her back to ease her forward as the singing continued. When she made it to the head of the table where the cake awaited her, aware that Mike’s camera was on her, and Judy’s arm now wrapped around her shoulders, holding her close, Dani held onto a wide smile, her cheeks straining, unable to look anyone in the eyes as the singing came to a close with a round of applause.

At the calls to blow out the candles and make a wish, Dani hesitated, worrying at her lower lip as she stared down at the candles. She could feel Eddie on the other side of her, pulling her hand into his, linking their fingers. Judy’s arm was warm and solid around her shoulders. Her mom sat adjacent to her, a glass of wine in her hand, her smile just short of wistful and her eyes glassy. Dani leaned forward, feeling the heat of the fire on her face, and her eyes darted up at the last second, catching Jamie’s eyes. Jamie smiled fondly at her, her arm resting around Mikey’s shoulders. Her stomach twisting as she looked back down at the cake, Dani took a deep breath and blew out the candles. 

 --

“Budge up,” Jamie said, nudging Mikey’s socked foot with her own. 

Mikey frowned at her and pointed at the space on the couch beside him. “There’s space right there.”

“I can see that. Got your name on it, too. Now -” Jamie made a whistling noise and gestured with her bottle of beer. Rolling his eyes, Mikey scooted over so that Jamie could take the middle section of the couch, directly between him and Dani. 

“Right,” Jamie groaned as she lowered herself onto the couch. “Let’s get this over with. Bring on the ear people.”

On the other side of the couch Dani could just hear Mikey mutter, “Ferengi. I told you they’re called Ferengi.” 

Dani could see Jamie hide a smirk by taking a sip of her beer, well aware that Jamie knew exactly what they were called. 

“You’re such an ass,” Dani murmured with a small smile, watching Jamie instead of the screen.

“Just doing my sisterly duty,” Jamie said.

“Shh!” Mikey told both of them.

“Yeah, Dani,” said Jamie, lifting a finger to her lips.

Dani snorted and shook her head, turning her attention back to the television. She curled her feet up beneath her legs, so that she leaned against the arm of the couch. If Jamie cared that the side of their hips were pressed together, she did not complain. On screen, the episode played but Dani hardly saw it. 

It wasn’t even about watching television with them. The screen could have been blank for all Dani cared. It was an excuse, like a hearth in the dead of winter. Something they huddled round for warmth and the quiet comforts of each other’s company. She would have been just as happy sitting in silence with them, and she wondered how she might best memorize this moment, press it between two pages and preserve it for safe-keeping for when the inevitable end came. When the episode was over and she no longer had any excuse to linger in a house that was not hers but which felt more like a home than the one to which she would return. When Mikey would bound off to his room up the stairs, leaving Dani and Jamie alone on the couch together, reluctant to move apart despite the newly freed space. When Jamie would be the first to rise to her feet and walk towards the kitchen to make one last pot of tea for them to share, one last excuse before Dani had to go. 

“Cuppa for the road?” Jamie asked.

The moment came too soon. A blink and it was here. Quick as a press of fingers to the pulse. 

Dani sighed and dragged herself from the couch to where Jamie was already putting the kettle on the stove top. “That’d be great,” she said and sat at a barstool, leaning her elbows on the kitchen island. Upstairs she could hear the thump of Mikey’s footsteps down the narrow hall, followed by the slam of a door. Dani winced. “Forgot how loud boys can be.”

Jamie gave a huff of laughter. “How could you, living with the O’Maras all these years?”

“They're not that bad.”

“You sure we’re talking about the same O’Mara boys?”

“Pretty sure,” Dani said with a smile as she watched Jamie rummage around the cramped kitchen space. The afternoon light glanced through the windows, illuminating the space with squares of italicized sunlight. With very little effort she could pretend it was morning and that they’d just woken up and Jamie was making them the first pot of tea to fortify them for the day.

“What’s going through that head of yours?” Jamie asked, pulling down two fresh mugs from the cupboard. “You’ve got one of those looks on your face.”

“I miss sleepovers,” Dani admitted. Her jaw was propped atop her hands, so that the words came out half mumbled.

Jamie paused, but it was such a minute thing that Dani might have imagined it. “‘Fraid my couch isn’t very comfortable.” She set down an empty mug in front of Dani. “But you’re welcome to it, whenever you like.”

“Thanks,” Dani said softly. 

Jamie’s eyes met hers and there was a beat of silence before the kettle started to whir in the background. Clearing her throat, Jamie turned and took it off the heat, pouring water into the teapot and setting the lid atop to let it steep. She did not turn back around immediately. Instead, her head tilted as if in contemplation, and she reached for a piece of paper atop a corner of the kitchen counter beside the radio, a bunched up scarf, and a small bowl holding different sets of keys. 

“Forgot about this,” Jamie muttered. She turned, paper in hand, and frowned down at its contents. Then she held it up for Dani to read from a distance. “Something about a school trip to the library?”

It was, Dani realized, the student permission form. She straightened and nodded. “Yeah. We need parental or guardian permission, otherwise the kid has to stay at the school for the day while the rest of us go.”

Jamie turned over the page to see if there was anything written on the back. There wasn’t. “Do you do these sorts of trips often?”

“There are a few, yeah,” said Dani. “There’s an upcoming camping trip over one of the long weekends, I think. And a Halloween event. And, you know, the usual dances and stuff.”

Jamie raised her eyebrows, her mouth curling at the corners. “Don’t remember the school having this kind of budget when we were attending.”

Dani laughed. “Yeah, well. There are a few more students nowadays.”

With a wordless hum, Jamie turned and wandered over to the junk drawer in the kitchen. She pulled out a pen, shutting the drawer with a nudge of her hip, and signed the piece of paper with a fast scribble against the bench top. She was about to straighten when she paused, frowning down at the page. “Says here,” she tapped the tip of her pen against a section of the page, “to sign as a volunteer?”

“Oh, no, you don’t have to -” Dani shook her head. “That’s just for parents who want to come along and help supervise.”

Jamie made a gesture with the pen. “So, should I sign it?” 

“Only if you want to spend four hours of your Friday at a library with two hundred elementary schoolers,” Dani said. 

“Two hundred?” Jamie repeated, making a face. “What? Are you taking them all at the same time?” 

“Our budget isn’t that big,” Dani said. “It’s cheaper if we just do it all at once.”

“Blimey.”

Dani held out her hand for the paper. “Don’t worry about it. You can -”

“But do you need more volunteers?” Jamie asked, interrupting her. 

“Don’t you have work?” 

Jamie shrugged. “I can take a day off. Can’t even remember the last time I stepped foot in a library. Think I almost caught fire.”

Dani snorted and said, “No, I’m pretty sure that was the Church.” 

“Holy ground and I never did mix well. D’you reckon this fancy new library will be consecrated?”

Dani hesitated, but couldn’t fathom why. Being afraid of Jamie mingling with her work life was not the same as worrying about Eddie mingling with her work life. She was afraid of seeing her too often, of being seen with her too often, of Hannah seeing them together, of Jamie mentioning the flowers, of Hannah cluing in to her lie, of Eddie’s absence and Jamie’s — something. And Jamie was watching her now, as if waiting for her permission, as if Dani had complete say over everything and anything.

Dani shook her head. “No. No, I’m sure you’re safe from heaven’s wrath.”

“This time, maybe.” Jamie’s smile softened, but then she winked at her before glancing down to scrawl her signature a second time. When she had finished, she held out the page to Dani. “Here you are, then. Count me in.” 

Dani took the page. Her fingers traced the edges, lingering as she folded it into a small enough square to fit into her pocket, but even then she did not tuck it away. Not just yet. She tapped the folded paper against her opposite hand and chewed at her lower lip. 

“Should I not come?” Jamie asked, slowly putting the pen back into its designated drawer with all the rest of the home’s miscellaneous items. 

Dani shoved the paper into the back pocket of her jeans and smiled. “No,” she said. “I just think you’ll find it all very boring, is all.”

“I like boring.” 

“But you’re not -” said Dani, waving towards her, “- boring.”

“Never said I was. Just said I liked it.” 

With an incredulous snort, Dani asked, “Since when?”

“Since my life got too interesting.” Jamie deemed the tea steeped and poured them each a cup. “Boring’s good. Boring’s underrated.” 

Without a word Dani took the cup offered to her. She added a splash of milk from the jar Jamie put out on the counter, but didn’t take a sip. Her fingers tapped nervously against the rounded surface of the mug, and with every brush of her third finger against the earthenware there came the clink of her engagement ring. She stared down at the cup. In it her reflection was murky and small.

“Hey,” Jamie said and Dani glanced up. Jamie smiled. “I still have a birthday present to give you.”

Dani blinked. “You really didn’t need to -”

“Too late. Already have it.”

A weak huff of laughter and Dani shook her head. “It’s fine. Really. Having you at Judy’s the other night was enough.”

Having you here is enough, she didn’t say. It was what she meant. And Jamie’s expression has softened in a way that said she understood the implication, even if it wasn’t stated outright.

“Come on,” Jamie set down her cup of tea, clink of earthenware against tile, and gestured for Dani to stand. “Up you get.”

Dani never could say no to her. Some days it felt like she couldn’t say no to anybody, but with Jamie it was always true. She let go of the mug and scraped back the barstool. When she rounded the kitchen island, Jamie stopped her with a touch at her shoulder. 

“Turn around,” Jamie said as she picked up the scarf and made a twirling motion with one hand. When Dani gave her a dubious look, Jamie laughed. “It’s a surprise. I promise I won’t lead you over a cliff.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Dani replied dryly, turning in place.

The scarf had been worn so often throughout the years that the wool was soft with age and wear. Dani held her breath as it came up over her eyes, folding across the top half of her face until the world was but a warm darkness that smelled of shampoo and subtle woodsy cologne. She could feel Jamie tying the ends off at the back of her head. Reaching up, Dani folded a bit of the scarf so that it was further up the bridge of her nose.

"No peeking," Jamie chided.

"I'm not."

"Sure you aren't."

"Jamie."

"And here I thought you were a fan of delayed gratification," Jamie said, chuckling softly.

Her voice had moved. Dani's head twitched in that direction, straining to follow Jamie's presence, but Jamie walked with soundless steps. Whisper of socks against the floorboards. Shift of cloth against cloth. Dani reached out blindly in the direction she thought Jamie was standing and was startled to feel a hand catch her own.

"This way," Jamie murmured.

Dani took a step forward but paused when Jamie let go of her hand. She hesitated to move until she felt a gentle touch at the base of her back, the low curve of her spine, and Jamie's voice in her ear. "I've got you."

A shiver traced its fingertips from the nape of Dani's neck down to where Jamie's hands were pressing her forward, one step at a time. Dani could just make out the floor and the blur of her own feet, but naught else. She walked with a hand outstretched, dragging her fingers against the wall, against fixtures and door frames, even knowing Jamie wouldn't let her run into anything.

One of Jamie's hands smoothed over her hip, holding her in place. "Just a tick," she said, and suddenly she was gone and Dani stood alone in the dark, listening to the sound of a lock tumbling open with a click.

"Watch your step," Jamie said, taking both of Dani's hands now and guiding her along.

Dani felt around the ground with one foot until she found the step and carefully took it. Another and then flat surfaces once again. The floor here was colder, harder. It caught slightly like a burr on the undersides of her feet. Dani tilted her head to one side, smelling the faint fumes of diesel and metal.

"Are we in the garage?" she asked.

"Look at you, Sherlock."

"Please don't tell me you bought me a car."

Jamie laughed softly. "Just how much do you think they pay me at the botanical gardens?" Dani opened her mouth to reply, but Jamie said warningly, "Don't answer that. Rhetorical question."

Dani's mouth curled at the corners in spite of herself. She reached up to touch the scarf. "Can I take this off now?"

"In a minute," Jamie grunted and her voice was further away now. There was the sound of something heavy sliding across the ground, as though being pushed atop scraps of cardboard. “You know, for someone who didn’t want a present you’re awfully impatient.”

"Consider my curiosity piqued."

"All right." Jamie sounded close again, and Dani started when she felt a soft tug at the knot of the scarf at the back of her head. "Ready?"

Dani's only reply was a wordless, helpless noise in the back of her throat, and the scarf fell away. Blinking in the strips of flourescent light of the garage, Dani squinted at the shape before her. It was a desk. Broad and deep, the wood warm and oak-bright. She took an abortive step forward, then glanced over her shoulder at Jamie, "Can I -?"

Jamie was winding the scarf around one fist as though it were a hand bandage or a precursor to boxing gloves. She motioned towards the desk. "Course you can. It's yours, if you'll have it."

The top of the desk reached Dani's hip. She ran her fingers along it, savoring the smooth surface that had been painstakingly sanded back at various grades until the wood was almost buttery to the touch. A walk around the desk revealed a few deep gouges even sanding couldn't erase — marks studiously engraved with initials and little pieces of history scattered here and there — but Dani found herself lingering over those the most. She opened a drawer and seared onto a corner of the wood inside was the county seal.

"They're doing some renovations at the old council offices near work," Jamie explained when she saw what Dani was looking at. "Found 'em trying to chuck this out, and I rescued it. Those contractors didn't know what they had. Too good for kindling, this."

The drawer shut smoothly with the barest push of Dani’s hand against it. “Jamie,” she said, “this is too nice. I can’t -”

“Rubbish,” Jamie scoffed, stepping forward to stand beside her. She crossed her arms and admired her own handiwork. “Few hours with a hand planer and a belt sander. Few coats of linseed oil. That’s all it is.” 

There were wood shavings caught in the corners of the garage still. A small pile of dust beside a broom which was leaning against the far wall. Dani felt her throat tighten, even looking at the desk. Just a piece of furniture, she thought faintly. A battered and recycled old block of wood from the same building complex where Eddie worked. Had he mentioned renovations at dinner? Dani couldn’t remember. 

“Thank you. It’s -” Dani said, trying to bite back the slight tremor in her voice. “I don’t know where I’m going to put it.”

The spare bedroom, maybe. She and Eddie hardly ever had guests come over to visit. He would complain. He would help Carson and Jamie haul it inside, but he would complain. Subtle jabs about the guest room feeling cramped. How they would need to buy a new chair to go with it. How its weight would dig grooves into the carpet. When he had only ever complained about how her work took up space. And now, here Jamie had done the opposite.

“I do like it,” Dani insisted. “I do. It’s wonderful. It’s -” she clamped her teeth to stop herself from prattling, feeling a strange burning in her throat. 

Jamie was frowning. She nodded in Dani’s direction, just a quick lift of her chin. “Everything all right? You seem out of sorts today.”

“Yeah,” Dani said but her voice sounded high even to her own ears. “Yeah. I just -” She wrapped her arms around her middle. “There’s a lot going on right now.”

“Kids,” said Jamie. “Run you ragged.”

“It’s not just that, though. It’s -” Dani waved her hand in an absentminded gesture, only to then rub the weariness behind her eyes. “Weddings plans. And family. And - And new house and old car and -”

She cut her own babbling off, half expecting Jamie to have done it for her, to slice through Dani’s fumbling attempts at self-expression. But Jamie didn’t. Jamie waited for Dani to finish her thoughts, silent. Dani was biting at her nail before she even realized it, and she jerked her hand back down, tucking it beneath her opposite elbow and clenching her teeth together tightly. 

“Do you remember,” Dani said suddenly, “when we snuck out at night to see Carrie that one time?”

Jamie hummed. “I remember. We went to that old outdoor picture theatre and it started to rain at the end.” 

Dani nodded and sat on a corner of the desk, staring down at her own feet. She dug her fingers into her own flank to ground herself, just on the edge of pain beneath her ribs. “When she’s standing on stage with a crown and a sash, and everyone’s looking at her and clapping?” she said faintly, voice distant. “That’s what it feels like. Like I’m just walking around, waiting for a bucket of blood to drop over my head, and I don’t know when it’s going to happen but I’m the one holding the rope.”

Jamie didn’t say anything, but from the edges of her vision Dani could just make out movement. The light rustle of fabric as Jamie removed the scarf from her hand to wind it around her own neck as she approached, so she could sit against the edge of the desk beside her. Close enough to touch without doing so. Just the warmth of her hand a hair’s breadth away as Jamie leaned her weight back, hands spread against the broad wooden surface behind her.

“Need me to sort out your mum for you? Or Ed? Or Judy?” Jamie asked. “‘Cause I will.”

Dani’s answering laugh was weak and watery. She shook her head, but could not bear the thought of looking up at her, seeing the expression on Jamie’s face. “I try,” she said. “I try to tell them that I don’t want - that I - I like working, but they don’t listen. No matter how many times I try to open my mouth and it’s just - Everything’s happening so fast,” Dani shut her eyes and swallowed thickly past a lump in her throat. “I feel like I'm standing in the middle of the room, screaming, and nobody even looks at me. Nobody can see me."

Jamie’s hand drifted over and covered hers. "I see you,” she murmured.

For longer than she should have, Dani let her hand be held, squeezing Jamie’s fingers so tightly her knuckles flashed white and bloodless. Knowing that this was probably too much, that she should let go, but unable to make herself do so until she heard footsteps overhead once more. She jerked away, expecting Mikey to come thundering down the stairs at any moment, but he never did. 

“Jamie!” his voice called from the top of the steps, out of sight and muted down the hall. “The sink tap is broken!”

“Be there in two shakes!” Jamie yelled. 

“Sorry,” Dani mumbled. She stood and started towards the door leading back to the main house. “I’m sorry. I should go.”

“It’s fine,” Jamie said, following after her through the narrow hallway with a puzzled expression on her face. “You don’t have to dash.”

“I should. I have -” Dani picked up her bag and jammed her feet into her shoes at the front door, “- dinner plans. I have to go. I’ll - I’ll see you next time.”

“Sooner.”

Pausing at the threshold of the house, Dani blinked over her shoulder in a silent question.

Behind her Jamie stood with her hands in the pockets of her jeans, her smile crooked but her gaze soft. “Friday,” she said. “For the library trip. I’ll be there.”

 --

It took four school buses to cart all the students to North Liberty Library. Dani and Jamie sat at the head of the final bus, directly behind the driver’s seat. The faux leather seats were slippery after decades of use, like the worn tread of an old shoe. Dani rocked as the bus trundled along, her shoulder pressing up against Jamie’s with every turn of the vehicle. Behind them, nearly fifty students were babbling away, the noise loud enough combined with the rumbling of the engine that whenever she and Jamie wanted to exchange a few words they had to lean their heads together to be heard. 

The bus rounded a corner and approached the Library, where the other three yellow buses were already parked, a flood of students rushing onto the lawn. The asymmetrical building with its broad brick face and a playground that was already being overrun with kids despite the volunteers’ best efforts. Looking at it now, Dani struggled to imagine two hundred kids fitting inside at all. 

“Maybe we should’ve taken them in batches,” she murmured. 

She thought she was talking low enough to not be overheard but beside her Jamie said, “And I thought riding in here was like being crammed into a tin of sardines.”

Dani turned to smile at her, but at that very moment a wadded up ball of paper went streaking overhead and hit the back of the bus driver's seat. Looking briefly heaven-ward for patience, Dani leaned her arm over the back of her seat and aimed a stern glare behind her. "What did I say about throwing things?"

Several kids were giggling. Others pointed at one another, trying to blame someone else. Most hadn't even heard her over the general din of noise. Dani could see where her influence over the bus ended and it was about seven rows back. Beyond that, it might as well have been pandemonium.

"I think you're going to have to work on your volume," Jamie said when Dani gave up and settled back into her seat.

Sighing, Dani shook her head. "You know I hate yelling."

"Yeah, and your lung capacity is pure shite."

Dani elbowed her gently in the ribs, but still Jamie gave a theatrical grunt. Jamie's hand wormed its way between them, fingers testing the sensitive side of Dani's flank so that Dani squeaked and sat ramrod straight.

"Don't," Dani warned firmly. "Technically I am at work."

"Should’ve thought of that before you jostled me, then.”

Dani shook her head with a small smile, and from the corner of her eye she could see Jamie withholding a grin of her own. The bus jolted to a halt in a high squeal of brakes. Behind them, kids were already scrambling to their feet or kneeling on their seats to get a better look outside. Dani made a gesture towards Jamie so they could both stand in the aisle and block any potential escape before everyone could be briefed.

Jamie stood, hands on her hips, and bellowed, "All right, you lot! Listen up! Miss Clayton wants a word!"

The excited exchange of dozens of separate conversations died down to mutters and then to general silence. Jamie gave a mock little bow. Shooting her a grateful look, Dani lifted her voice to address the bus at large. “We’re going straight from the bus to the library! No running off the parking lot or the playground! When we’re inside, you’re going to follow the nice lady around the library for a tour and a presentation! Remember your groups, please! And no wandering off! If you want something, come to me or Miss Taylor! Okay?” 

There came a chorus of begrudging agreement, and then they followed her off the bus. Jamie stood by her side on the footpath, the two of them watching students disembark and then promptly scamper off to find their friends as they all congregated outside the front of the building. Dani kept careful count of every head that passed. At one point a student ran into her and she simply guided him back towards the stream of others with a gentle set of hands at his shoulders.

"That way, honey," she said distantly, not paying attention as he mumbled a brief thank you before rushing off towards his group.

"So, this is what you do all day," said Jamie.

"Hmm?"

Arms crossed, Jamie watched her with a soft smile. She nodded towards Dani and said, "This. Herding cats."

The words finally registered and Dani gave a brief laugh, sparing Jamie a glance before she resumed her counting. "Mostly. Though at this point my clothes would be covered in chalk hand prints."

"School can't even afford to buy you towels?" Jamie clucked her tongue in faux admonishment. "Who's running this shit show anyway?"

"That would be me."

At the sound of a voice directly behind them, both Dani and Jamie jumped to attention and whirled around. Hannah was watching them with glittering amusement in her dark eyes. Today she was dressed in an earth tone tweed suit with sculpted brown boots clinging to her calves, leather polished to a mirror shine, so that she appeared to have just dismounted from horseback after a ride across some vast demesne.

Hannah held out her hand. "I don't believe we've had the pleasure, yet. Hannah Grose. School principal."

"Uh -" said Jamie as she shook Hannah's hand, looking as utterly lost for words as Dani had ever seen her.

"Jamie Taylor," Dani said for her.

There was a flash of recognition across Hannah's face. "Mikey's mother?"

"Sister," Jamie corrected. She pulled her hand away with a smile. "Sorry 'bout earlier. I was just -"

"Teasing," Hannah finished for her, gaze darting towards Dani. "Yes, I could see that."

"Dani mentioned you were the most put together woman she'd ever met," said Jamie with a gesture towards Hannah's outfit. "Can't say I disagree."

Hannah's smile grew warmer. "Miss Clayton is far too generous. Though, I'm sorry to say she hasn't told me much about you."

Dani could feel her cheeks grow hot. Her attention was divided in equal parts as she tried to pay attention to the conversation as well as to the last of her students disembarking and the bus driver waving at her in a silent query if he should go park. She craned her neck to ensure there were no kids running around the bus before nodding and waving him along. He flashed her a thumbs up, then shut the passenger door and put the bus into gear.

"Not much to say, really," the conversation was continuing beside her. Jamie had her hands jammed into the pockets of her baggy jacket. "Spent a lot of time here as a kid. Now I'm back."

"With that accent?" Hannah narrowed her eyes and made a thoughtful sound. "Nottingham?”

Jamie gave a derisive snort but she was grinning broadly. “Further up, you Southern softie.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t hold it against you,” Hannah said. “I actually wandered over to say thank you for volunteering.”

Jamie waved her away. “It’s no problem.”

“Even so. I’m glad Miss Clayton was able to convince you to come along.”

“I can never say no to her,” Jamie said and shot Dani a wink. 

Hannah nodded sagely. “It’s the eyes.”

“What?” said Dani.

“Too pretty,” Jamie agreed.

“What?” Dani said again. Hannah and Jamie were watching her with identical expressions now, somehow both puckish and reserved. Dani rolled her eyes. “Okay. I’m going to go rally the troops. You two keep -” she made a flapping motion with her hand towards them “- being British.”

“Think we can manage?” Jamie asked Hannah, who shrugged.

“Depends on just how far north you meant.”

Jamie laughed.

Wandering over towards the building, Dani left them to it. Some of the kids had ignored instructions and were clinging to the monkey bars of the adjacent playground. Dani saw an unfortunate Jackie Pullman trying to coax them down without much luck. She considered helping, but stopped when another teacher joined in with far more success. Turning her attention instead towards a group sneaking around the back of the building, Dani headed them off. She was herding a cluster of grumbling kids back towards the front, when Jamie caught up with her again.

“No more Hannah?” Dani asked, then pointed sternly at the children. “You can explore outside after the tour inside. Go on!”

They sighed and ambled away to join the larger congregation. Jamie made a shooing motion towards them — one of the kids stuck his tongue out at her and Jamie returned the gesture much to his surprise — and after they’d gone she said, “She went to talk to the bus drivers to confirm something in the schedule.”

“That sounds like her.” Dani stood on her toes to get a better look over the area, checking for any students trying to sneak away from the others or otherwise cause mischief. 

“Christ,” Jamie breathed and Dani turned to follow her gaze in the direction of the playground. “Is that Jackie?”

“The one and only,” Dani muttered. Jackie had given up on trying to corral kids and was now standing with her back towards them, hands on hips. 

“She still with that dickhead? What’s his name?”

“Sterling?” Dani supplied helpfully. “Yeah. They’re married and have a kid. Want to say hi?”

Jamie made a face. “I’ll pass, thanks.” 

As if she had overheard them, Jackie turned and saw them there. Dani lifted her hand in a half-hearted wave. Most times, her old school ground bully acted polite and charming in that sickly sweet way, like a passive aggressive suit of armor for social situations where the two of them had to pretend to hold a civil conversation for two minutes. Now however, Jackie’s eyes moved towards Jamie and her expression went utterly wooden. 

“What’s that about?” Dani wondered aloud as Jackie stalked off, pretending she hadn’t seen them.

“No idea.” Jamie nudged Dani’s elbow with her own and jerked her head towards the front door. “C’mon. Let’s keep up.”

Puzzled, Dani let herself be led back to the rest of the group. She and Jamie shuffled along in everyone’s wake, Dani hanging in the back to ensure that everybody was well and truly inside before she followed suit. 

“Do you want to find Mikey?” Dani asked Jamie at one point, but Jamie shook her head. 

“Last thing he needs is his older sister hanging about while he’s with friends.”

“Cramping his style,” Dani said. 

“Making him look thoroughly un-cool,” Jamie agreed, even as she slouched against the brick wall beside the open door looking artfully disheveled, as though she had meant for those unruly curls to escape from her devil-may-care updo. Dani considered tucking a stray strand of hair behind Jamie’s ear, but ultimately decided against the urge; it wouldn’t have improved her appearance, only detracted from it. 

Instead Dani took Jamie's hand, and tugged her inside. Jamie came without a fuss, pulling Dani’s hand so she could tuck it and her own into the pocket of her baggy coat as they trailed behind the group further into the library. “Almost forgot your hands are always freezing no matter the weather,” she muttered.

The inside of Jamie’s pocket was warm, the material slightly scratchy. “Is that a piece of paper?” she asked, pinching something crumpled in Jamie’s pocket and pulling it free to reveal a five dollar bill. “Oh, nice.”

“Oi!” Jamie hissed. 

She tried to snatch it back, but Dani transferred the bill between different hands until Jamie was trying to reach around to where Dani hid it behind her back. Dani pressed herself against a wall to keep Jamie from where the bill was wadded up in her hands at the base of her spine.

“Shh!” someone said.

They froze, glancing over to find that the librarian was delivering a welcome speech to the students. Dani could barely make her out at the end of the main room over the sea of heads. Biting back a grin, Dani relinquished the five dollars without further ado. 

“I thought I was supposed to be the troublemaker,” Jamie said in a low tone as she crammed the bill back into her pocket. 

Dani shrugged. “Can’t let you have all the fun.”

At that, Jamie snorted and shook her head. Reluctantly they turned their attention towards the speaker. The main room wasn’t much to write home about. A low slanted ceiling commanded the space. Rows of books filled up most of the hall, so that everyone was crowded together, every sneeze and errant murmur echoing dimly along the ceiling. 

She couldn’t think of anywhere else she would rather be in this moment. Here. Crammed between a bookshelf and a garishly painted wall. Jamie pressed up so close against her that the head librarian’s voice seemed to fade into a distant murmur like the slough of wind through branches. Far enough back that nobody was looking at them, that nobody cared. Studying the line of Jamie's profile, the shadow of her eyelashes cast across her cheek like a smudge of charcoal from an errant touch. Inside, the lights were dimmed until only natural light drifted across the stacks. They stood, it seemed, in a pool of shade, watery sunlight slanting overhead like a pane of glass, motes of dust glimmering gold in the air.

Jamie twitched when she was still for too long. She shrugged her shoulders. She shifted her weight from foot to foot. She crossed her arms then uncrossed them again, glancing about the room in search of something to occupy her. With a charmed smile, Dani nudged the back of Jamie's hand with her own and Jamie blinked at her in confusion.

Dani bowed her head just slightly — that was all it took — to whisper in Jamie's ear, "Bored yet?"

Jamie had gone very still and from this angle Dani couldn't clearly see her expression. She could feel the warmth of Jamie's skin against the tip of her nose, and Jamie sucked in a breath. And then Jamie was turning her head, so that they stood close enough for Dani to count the new freckles splattered lightly across her cheeks.

Jamie arched an eyebrow at her as if in a challenge and murmured, "Half asleep already."

Jamie's grin was infectious. Dani could feel her own smile broaden, could feel the graze of their fingers, knuckles slipping past one another as she curled her hand. There was a warmth pooling in her chest, branching out against her ribs in a rush that was familiar and heady. The same feeling that stung Dani every time she allowed her eyes to follow a pretty waitress, every time she caught herself staring at a woman’s mouth, a woman’s hands, a woman’s knees, the drape of cloth across a woman’s shoulders. For a single mad moment Dani imagined closing the distance between them and kissing her, and the image sent a jolt of heat down her spine that was so startling she lurched back, breathless.

Jamie was watching her with a furrow in her brow. “You all right?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Dani said. “Yeah, no, I’m - I’m fine. I - uh -” she swallowed past a sick feeling welling up in her throat that just wouldn’t go away. “Excuse me. I need to -”

And feeling as though she were sinking down into the floor with every step, Dani slipped away, head down, eyes locked on the ground at her feet as if in a dream, as if sleepwalking. Her heart hammered against her ribs like it was trying to beat its way out of her chest. The tips of her fingers trembled. Her skin felt as though it were trying to slip off her arms like a pair of gloves. Dani tried to keep her breathing calm and level, but with every step it came short and fast, building up an all too familiar burn in her chest. 

Dani rounded a corner and pushed open the clearly labelled bathroom door. The door creaked shut behind her. Standing before the center sink, every gasp of air a flicker of embers in her lungs, she twisted at the taps with shaking hands until water streamed into the sink, flecks splashing up along her forearms as she plunged her hands beneath the spray. The cold was shocking across the pulse at her wrist. She scrubbed her hands together then shut the taps off in order to grip the sides of the sink so hard the porcelain edges dug into her palms. 

Leaning her weight against the sink, she struggled to get her breathing under control. She squeezed her eyes shut and focused on every inhale, every exhale, her chest hitching until — slowly — she felt the pressure ease like a fist uncurling around her sternum. Dani leaned back, hands loosening against the sink until they slipped free and fell to her sides. She opened her eyes, half expecting someone to be standing behind her — she hadn’t checked the stalls, had blindly rushed in — but the individual stall doors were open and empty. 

There was only her. Panicked and tired, hollow-eyed and blotchy-cheeked. 

Her breathing had settled, but her hands still trembled. She raked them through her hair, and the water clinging to her fingers left honey-darkened trails in their wake. One hand dropped back to her side, but the other rubbed at her damp cheeks and below her eyes before following suit. 

She couldn’t want this, she thought faintly. This couldn’t be her, this person she hardly recognized. Smudged mascara around her eyes. Hair a slumped mess around her ears and shoulders. Her lungs no longer burned, but still Dani felt like she was only seconds away from losing that morning’s breakfast into the sink. Intermittent drip of the tap. The world was blurry at the edges as if the mirror was choked with steam, and Dani had to swallow down the hot threat of tears behind her eyes again. 

Outside, she could hear the clamor resume. Young strident voices called out and the chaos of jumbled footsteps dispersed as the librarian’s presentation ended and the kids were all released to explore the premises as they pleased. Inhaling deeply, Dani steadied herself in the mirror. Her reflection squared her shoulders and her jaw. She yanked a paper towel from the wall dispenser and tidied up her mascara until she merely looked fresh-faced and not like she’d been on the brink of a total collapse, life crashing down around her ankles. Movements jerky, Dani crumpled up the paper towel and threw it away. 

She couldn’t want this. She couldn’t want Jamie. 

[fandom-imagination-ss]

Clark Kent imagine

Author note: I cannot remeber writing this..and since i haven’t wrote anything for a while. I figure hey why not!!!!! So Sorry if it doesn’t make sense LOL 😂😂 I will be posting more soon promise.!!

Did i proof read: .... I honestly dont remember writing this soo.. you BET your tooth i didn’t proof read

Rating: fluffy!

Fandom: DC

God your such a big Dork!”

Laughing loudly your sides hurt , Clark just tripped and slide right into a lamp and somehow managed for the shade too be on. His head. You reached over helping him chuckling softly tracing your hands over his broad shoulders making sure he wasn’t hurt. Those Hurting Clark was physically impossible. You still worry.

He chuckled softly saying sorry, you just laughed giving him a quick kiss on the shoulder as you shifted too move too your sofa.

Loving Superman had it’s perks and downsides, the biggest one was that Loris Lane was Furious that you “stole” her profit. Clark always said that Louis never abused their relationship too get articles or too gain more popularity. But she was literally the Only reporter in the entire City that Had Full access too the most talked about man in the entire world.Getting raises left and right when She got a “in-depth “ conversation with Superman and ally he deets on a attack. Whatever way Clark spelt it out. You hated that she abused her relationship for gain at work. It felt wrong. She was literally Sleepign with the subject too information.

It didn’t help that your relationship with her was tense even before you knew she knew about Clarks double life. You were one of the few humans too know about Clarks ability before he became Superman. You grew up right down the road from Clark, same grade, best friends all thru school. Clark would show off his powers too you when you were younger and you were the only one outside he’s family too know. After he left and ran off too find himself you stayed and helped his mom and then Superman arrived and you reconnected with your oldest friend and you moved toot he city after a awful breakup and you just always were around. And Louis hated it. You tried too be friendly towards her. But once Clark discovered she was In bed with lex Luther. (Right in the middle of the Act.) he was furious And heartbroken and he broke up with her and you were secretly glade you didn’t have too pretend too be friends with her anymore.

Dating the man of steel happened so naturally you can’t even remember when it started or how it started who made the first move it just felt Right. Clark was smiling cupping your face looking at you “what you thinking about?”

Poking his stoumch you look up at him grinning, “how I’m so lucky too have my Dork.” He chuckled reaching over kissing your head. “I have too go surveillance with Bruce you be alright tonight?”

Nodding your head weakly. You were use too having too share Clark with the world. Honestly how can you complain when he’s Saving the literally world?

“Oh Ask Bruce How The Hell do you connect the light too the speakers? Too do that flashy thing.he’s instructions Suck!”

He chuckled saying okay.

He walked off. As you grinned excited too have the apartment too yourself. You walked over too your room getting out of your Jeans and into Shorts and a shirt of clarks you always steal it had he’s favourite football team. Making dinner for you, and a dessert. You grabbed your Tablet (making sure too put sticky tack on both lenses after reading how easily the cameras’ are hacked you always put Sticky tack on it if your gonna watch something in the tub.

Getting the Tub ready you started binge watching a the musketeers. When you finished having a relaxing bath you got into your cloths again and watched it on the tv. The actors were Hot as Hell. And the voices. Melting! Clark had that affect on you. He’s voice was smooth and deep and Hot. Those every aspect of your boyfriend is Hot.

You looked around realizing the place was empty as you went too the freezer as you pulled out your container of Icing. Before retuning too the sofa and warming it up as you had your spoon from your ice cream and mixed it as you watched tv. An hour passed when jumped gasping at some scenes. Then you heard the deep chuckle of your boyfriend.

“what are you doing?” You turned looking at Clark seeing him in his uniform as you had a spoon sticking out of your mouth as you spoke, “I’m- what are you doing here? I thought you were going too be late?”

“I came too check on you- what are you watching?” Getting up as you grabbed the icing container as you spoke, “Mustkeers.- what- aren’t you suppose too be hanging with a bat?” He chuckled walking over pulling you into a deep kiss it was unexpected as he pulled back as he spoke, “good icing.” You laughed hitting his softly as he grinned holding your head. “You smell nice.”

“had a bath with my good stuff.” He chuckled softly rubbing your cheek with his thumb.

“thank you.”

“For. Bathing?”

Clark chuckled kissing your forehead as he spoke, “No for being you.”

“thank you?”

He kissed you again before dashing off as you got ready for bed.

Standing in the shower in the morning getting cleaned you turned seeing Clark standing in the bathroom smiling as you spoke ‘what?”

Seeing him pulling off his Shirt, which even after a year of dating. Still left you breathless seeing him shirtless. He was curved and caved from the Gods! It still took you back that he was yours. That this guy. Who looks like a god, has powers As if he was one. Was your you giggled seeing him quickly undress and Joining you in the shower. Quickly pulling you into a deep Kiss,

Perfection can only last for so Long.

It was wrong place at the wrong time. You were In a Church helping your friend choose a location for her wedding when a machine came Crashing into the Chapel destroying it. And the impact flung you backwards and you were pierced thru the stoumch by a pipe it slipped thru you like butter. You were pinned too the wall as you looked up seeing Lex Luther appear from the robotic machine he laughed loudly seeing you.

Superman arrived instantly you saw him just in time too loose vision from loosing so much blood. You heard him screaming No! As you drift.

Clark Dashed over too you seeing you impaled and pinned too the wall. He’s screams broke windows of the church as he fell down onto his knees realizing that you were gone. The girl who Never treated him like anything then a boy. The boy she has known her whole life. Who once learning about everything about him. Simply asked if she kissed him could she get the ability too be super strong. The girl who use too help him practice how too control who would sneak over too play with him. Who was his first kiss. The women who idea of a fun night in is. Watching a fantasy show and be bare legged and as comfy as possible. Clark felt his soul breaking seeing you. The Girl he was going too marry.have a family with.

“Opps.”

Luther said giddy seeing Clark in so much pain. Before Clark could find the strength too move. Luther dissapeared.

Clark screamed NO. You were gone..

Weeks passed with No sighting of Luther, Bruce ended up going toot he funeral, so did Diana , and Berry who you once meeting the flash instantly wanted too bet that Clark was faster. And you and him would have in debut conversations about Harry Potter. Wonder women was close with you also. You worked in a museum , and she would telly you stories a bout the greek gods. And the Amazon women. Cyborg was amazed a girl of this time. Couldn’t figure out how too do anything technical. You were as clueless as a 80 year old man trying too make a call on a smart phone.

Arther arrived toot he funeral with the others as he stood up too talk.the funeral was beauitful, and the wake was Sad. Clark’s Mom invited all the justice league too her house. Where Clark was staying since Luther has been MIA.

“when I first met that feisty women. She asked if I could really talk too whales and asked what they liked talking about. Then she told me I this insane theory of whales being fictional. Apparently that girl lived on the coast for two years. And Never saw a whale.Clark took her too my dads lighthouse and I got a few too pop up too show them off. I never seen a happier person in my life. She acted like a kid on Christmas Day .she was- something special.”

They all chuckled as Clark was silent holding his hands tightly as Diana stood up. “When I first met Y/N. she was covered head too toe in dirt and Mud. She was playing football with Clark.- She looked like the happiest girl in the world. I knew excatly at that moment she was madly in love. I remember looking like that at Steve. She asked me too help scare Clark it was- apparently her mission in life too scare him Once.-“ Diana went quite Seeing Clark was stiff. She knew excatly how he felt. Hallow inside with going thru the motion.

Bruce was about too speak when the front door opened. Seeing Y/N covered in dirt. You stood in the front entrance covered in dirt wearing the dress you were buried in. You coughed loudly as Clark Rushed over too you griping your face tightly, “how- How is this possible?”

“what the hell happened?”

Everyone looked at each other stunned as Diana heard a fast beating sound.

“Y/N? Is that you?” Clark was crying too hard too hear anything as Diana stepped over as she kneeled down pressing her ear too your stomach.

“it’s a heartbeat.”

“WHAT?” Gasping loudly as Clark was too stunned too take any of that information in. But your ears were working. “Shut up no it’s not! I- I was. In the church wasn’t I when that bastered- how- I woke up in the graveyard what the fuck! Is going on?!”

“how did you get out of the grave.. you were just Barried this morning.”

Rolling your shoulders you shook your head, “I woke up up above ground.. I wans’t- you buried me? What the Hell why!” You hit Clark as he gripped your face tightly as he spoke, “you scared the Shit outta me! How- I don’t understand you were died.”

You rolled your shoulders, “Don’t look at me! The last thing I remember was being in the church.. what- what happened?”

“you died..But I think your baby protected you.”

That’s when Clarks ears started working as he turned too wonderwomen. “Excuse me? Baby?”

“Oh Boy..’

[haravath0t]

A Christmas Wish - Day 1

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Filipino!Reader

Warnings: fluff, an immense word count, a talk with the mom??

Hello, everyone! Finally, we have Day 1 of A Christmas Wish! I’m so happy I found a way to extend the Christmas Spirit well into the year through this request! We are uncovering a huge tradition that means a lot to me and my family as Filipinos! Many of the Filipino community are Christian/Catholic, so this particular tradition will be based on the Christian Christmas tradition for the sake of the plot and its personal meaning! I hope this is something that can be understood between author to reader! I promise, the religious aspect of this particular tradition will not be as emphasized as other parts of the culture that I will introduce! Happy readings my lovelies, and to all my Filipino readers, pasensya kung mali ng English translation ko. Ang hirap naman talaga mg translate eh 😅😅😅 huhuuuu

(italics indicate flashbacks! english translations are provided and the pictures of the foods are attached in the bottom!) 

You opened your eyes excitedly, a big smile forming on your face as you remembered a particular memory from yesterday that really made you so happy: 

You, Steve, and your family had finished putting your luggage in the trunk of the van, squeezing themselves in either of the two vans. The driver was now hours in on the road, the chaos had died down as your cousins who decided to join yours and Steve’s van were asleep. The city was long gone, as the buildings had now become hills and green fields, passing by small little towns and provinces. The once crowded and traffic highways turned into a wide empty road. 

Contrary to your cousins who fell back asleep, you were wide awake, not only from the jet lag, but also from your excitement. You were sitting in the middle of the back row of the van, earphones plugged in your ears, listening to the familiar tracks of OPM (Original Pinoy Music) and 70s/80s hits that you were familiar with from your karaoke nights with your parents. Steve was seated on the window (something you recommended him to do), looking as the green grass and hills passed by. Steve couldn’t help but smile, this was something that was so new to him, but it was something you saw as a reminder that you were actually back with your family, back in your roots, back home. It was simple. That’s what he liked most. 

“What do you think so far? We’re still a bit far from the hotel and their house, but we’re about more than halfway home,” you ask softly. Steve’s eyes left the window as he instead looks at your lovely sparkling eyes. He couldn’t help the smile that forms on his face as he easily recognizes the excitement on your face. “I already love it, doll. I really do. I can’t wait to have you and your family show us around.” He says softly yet with sincerity. You smiled excitedly and took an earbud out of your ear, kissing his cheek before you put the earbud in his ear, making him laugh. “Y/N, doll, what are you doing?” He asks softly as his eyebrows furrow. You giggle as you scroll through your list of songs that you had downloaded on your phone. “Oh, I figured… well.. If you want, we can listen to this playlist? We can try napping?” You offer, the excited smile turning in a shy one, tints of pink being apparent on your cheeks. Steve’s smile only grew as he kissed your forehead. “Yeah, I’d love that, sugar. What’s the type of music in this one?” He asks softly, securing the earbud into his ear further. “It has some Filipino music and some 70s and 80s songs that my parents love… I listened to them all the time growing up,” you reply with a smile, choosing the song “I Think I’m Falling in Love” by The Boyfriends, smiling as the familiar opening notes are being played into yours and Steve’s ear. Steve’s eyebrows raise in surprise when the music plays but smiles as he lets the tune settle into his ears. Steve subconsciously wraps his arm protectively around your body, “C’mon honey, get comfy, yeah?” You did not think twice as you lean against him, resting your head against the crook of his neck, a big smile on your face reappearing as his familiar scent fills your nostrils. A deep chuckle is felt underneath your body. “Feelin’ better?” He asks softly, resting his cheek against your head. “Mhm, much better.” You sigh happily, closing your eyes as you feel his fingers comb your hair. You smile as you drift off to sleep, hearing the lyrics “I think I’m falling in love, something’s telling me so”.

“You do realize wherever you’re goin’ I’m goin’ right?” He asks with a smile, as he swallows a piece of pandesal. “This is so good by the way,” he adds before you speak up. “I know, but this thing takes place at 4 AM in the Cathedral, Steve! That’s early! “Okay, but we go to different time zones for missions, sweetheart. This is not new, we’ll be fine, you know me,” he responds, chuckling, “besides, we can sleep in after everything.” “Fair point,” you giggle, finishing your milk and throwing the plastic cup away. You kiss Steve’s head and hug him from behind. “Well… I can’t thank you enough, honey. You are doing so much already. Thank you. My family likes you already, I’m sure” A comforting hand rubs your forearm up and down before a soft pair of lips meets the back of your hand. “I’d be very happy if your family does. Their opinion of us matters to me too.” “How’d you even know about us going to mass today?” “Your Tita Joy mentioned it actually last night over dinner, asked if we both were going to Simbang...Simbang Gabi?” Your heart leapt at the sound of Steve saying something in Tagalog, a giggle erupting from your lips. “Goodness, Steve, you’re so adorable. Come on, we gotta get ready if we’re going to the Cathedral by jeepney.” You say, kissing his head before you get your clothes from your suitcase to head to the bathroom. 

“Yes, ma’am,” he chuckles, playfully saluting you before he follows suit. 

Steve was quite happy he tagged along with you, for the town was wonderfully decorated with parols (Christmas lanterns) and a nativity scene in front of the Cathedral. Not only that, he loved seeing you focused throughout the service, watching as you were alongside your family and practicing your tradition. It was truly something beautiful to see in his eyes. 

Now, you and your family and Steve were outside of the Cathedral alongside other churchgoers, the town now starting to busy itself as the dawn arrives. There were now many food stalls outside, serving coffee and tea as well as wonderful foods to pair with the Christmas season. These included, bibingka, puto (rice cakes), suman, pandesal, and so much more. “Teka lang, Nanay, kukuha ako lang pagkain para sa atin lahat,” (hold on, mom, I’m just going to get some food for all of us) you say to your mom, her nodding in response. “Oh sige, anak. Sama mo ng Tatay mo! May pera s’ya!” (Alright, take your father with you! He has money!) She responds as you disappear in the crowd to get your guys’ share of good food. Steve only smiles at the interaction, watching as you go ahead with your father to one of the food stalls. “She’s like a kid, isn’t she?” Your mom says to Steve causing him to jump a little and only nod in response. “Yes, ma’am.” She playfully groans and waves her hand to him dismissively. “Oh, please you’re gonna call me ma’am? No, Tita will do for now,” She chuckles, making Steve relax in relief, not realizing his body had been tense. “Oh, Okay Tita.” She smiles and gives Steve a thumbs up and a nod of approval, which makes Steve smile. “You know, Steve, this whole Simbang Gabi thing is something she always has done since she was a girl. She loved it very much.” Steve smiles at this, imagining a younger you holding your parents’ hands as you make your way in the church. “It makes sense why she was up earlier than me during the Christmas season. I always wake up for a morning jog. I normally hear or see her out and about back home.” Your mom only chuckles, watching you and your father order some bibingka first. 

“Did she tell you what her motivation was as a kid?” She asks, seeing Steve shake his head. “No, I haven’t.” “Ahh, well, there’s this funny folk belief here, you see. If you attend all 9 masses, then you can make a wish and your wish will come true if that’s what God wills it to be.” Your mother explains, smiling when Steve has an “aha” moment and nods in understanding. “I think that’s beautiful,” he says, hands fumbling within the pockets of his jeans, eyes making contact with yours. He smiles even more when you show your beautiful smile before you go back to ordering from the stalls. “You really love my daughter, don’t you Steven?” She asls, looking up at the taller man. “With all of my heart, Tita,” he responds firmly and surely, which eases your mom. 

“That’s good to hear. I love the certainty. She deserves that much you know. She’s been through a lot. And… I can see the way you two look at each other. It makes me happy,” She says, sighing in content. “We’re glad to be able to have you celebrate with us. Goodness, I cannot even thank you enough for letting us fly over with you two.” “It’s not a problem, Tita,” He starts. “Family is important to Y/N, and I hope you know that she talks about you guys constantly. I can’t blame her, you all are very kind and lovely to me. It’s been a wish for her to come here for the holidays.” “Her wish, huh?” Your mom smiles. “Yes, Tita.” “What about you? You’re joining us in these, so do you have a wish?” Your mother presses on, burning through Steve’s eyes with her eye contact. Steve however, was blushing for different reasons. “I do, Tita. It’s ambitious, so let’s see.” “Well don’t be shy, tell me!” Your mom squeals excitedly, motioning to Steve to whisper it into her ear. And so he does, your mom is smiling bigger and bigger and bigger as she hears. 

“Oh, susmaryosep! (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!) That’s a nice wish, very ambitious, I like it! I’m sure it will come true. I’m sure.” Your mom exclaims clapping her hands together in pure excitement.  “You...you think so?” Steve asks shyly, seeking for reassurance. “It’s a tough one, Tita. I’m sure you’ve heard the expression “a man out of time” being used on me. It’s a very tough thing to do, you know, to adjust to current events and current society.” He comments, scratching the back of his head. “And you are doing good, Steve. You’re an honest hardworking guy. I promise. I think when the time is right, you’ll get what you wish for.” “Well let’s see, Tita, let’s see.”

FOODS MENTIONED BELOW!!!

Pandesal (bread rolls)

Puto (rice cakes) 

Bibingka

Suman

Permanent Taglist: @world-of-aus @world-of-aus-reads​ @whew-oh-em-gee​ @tomholland-96​ @lordyitsjordy​ @letstalkaboutsebbaby​ @thee-soom-soom​ @lookiamtrying​ @vesper852​ @hailhydra920​ @buckybarnesthehotshot​ @heyiamthatbitch​​ @rodrikstark​​ 

A Christmas Wish Taglist: @faithtrustandrobbiekay​

(If you would like to be included in a tag list let me know via ask! ❤️☺️)

[arlathen]

i’m going to love you as i know how

rosanna x adam (2.5k) -- domestic violence mention cw 

They stumble in, giddy, tipsy. Kat doesn’t bother to click on a light, and at the moment, they don’t need one -- they’re not doing much looking, anyway. Kat crowds her against the sofa, lifts her up on the back so Rosanna has to hold onto her to avoid toppling. Her hands are up her skirt, thumbs drifting along the lace panels of her underwear.

The lace is nice, but the fun part’s in back. Straps and things. Uncomfortable for a night out, but worth it for this ideal end to a night out.

Kat’s lips at her neck, and Rosanna lets out a high moan. It’s a little forced, but she’s learned by now that it gets people going. It’s been like holding her breath, these last few months. Denying herself this. Fingers and toys get the job done on a technical level but it is nothing like this -- like having someone starved for you, and being able to serve yourself up to them. Being wanted. Having someone grateful for your presence and everything you do.

And why had she even bothered withholding? Because of something timid and tender and foolish in her, whimpering out that this wasn’t what it wanted? She’d been led astray by that voice before.

Rosanna pulls back, pushes Kat a step away, and then gestures to another sofa, outlined in moonlight. “Sit,” she says. And Kat obeys.

There’s the rush, there’s the flutter. The way Kat’s looking at her: so, so hungry -- so ready for what happens next. This is what she wants.

Rosanna clicks on a little table lamp by the door, finally, and the room is cast in dim creams instead. And then she undresses. Little black velvet mini dress. She tosses it on the floor in a way that is meant to look carefree but is actually quite deliberate. She doesn’t want to have to spend time searching for it when she sneaks out in a few hours. This is an old dance and she knows its steps without thinking about them.

She takes it slow as she makes her way to where Kat’s sitting. Turns in the right way to give her a good view of a very carefully chosen bra-and-pantie ensemble. Then she climbs into her lap, guides her hands to her hips so she can feel the fun bits -- the straps, the lace, the warmth of her skin where it peaks through.

This is what she wants.

Isn’t it?

From the console table by the door where she’d dropped her purse, her phone rings as if on cue. Rosanna straightens. “Let me just make sure that’s nothing important.”

It’s a little awkward, standing in dull silence in a near-stranger’s living room, dressed down to her intimates. The phone stops ringing as she reaches it, and she wakes the screen.

It’s 11:15PM. She has three missed texts and a missed call. All from Adam. And normally she might pull an annoyed face, snort derisively, toss it back into her bag and get back to business. Right now, she just stares at the messages. The last one, the only one the notification shows, reads, “Where are you?”

“Everything okay?” Kat asks, worry and anxiety high notes in her voice.

It isn’t. This isn’t what she wants. She wants it to be. She wants it to be so badly. This love in bite-sized pieces is so easy to swallow. She barely even needs to open her mouth to take it. And she’d been able to subsist on it for so long -- full up on crumbs. Why, now, does the thought of it make her stomach heave?

Rosanna blinks, shakes her head. “It -- I think so, but this does unfortunately need my immediate attention.”

“Oh.”

“I’m really sorry, honey.” She stands between Kat’s knees and tips her chin up to kiss her. “I’m gonna need a rain check.”

“Sure.”

“I’ll make it up to you. Promise.” And she collects her dress, pulls it back on. In a single motion, she collects her purse with one hand and the heels she’d kicked off by the door with the first too fingers of the other hand, and then she breezes out without so much as a pause.

 Wayhaven has largely not changed since she was a teenager. Especially in the dark, where new signage and missing trees are obscured. The smell of cooling concrete and the feel of dewy grass is the same, and the night symphony is the same, and the streetlamps cast the same orange glow. For a while, walking home, she is almost sixteen again. Tender, timid, and foolish.

She’s peeling the seed out of whirlybird when her phone rings again, and she drops the debris into the grass. Answers it with a curt, “What?”

“Rosanna.”

There’s a half-second of tempest in her at the sound of Adam’s voice. Happiness, longing, relief, warmth -- and then disgust, self-hatred, anger. Flickering back and forth, on and off. Puppy-dog joy and repulsion at the fact that she would feel that way about anyone.

She swallows it down, and her voice remains neutral: “What do you want, Adam?”

“Are you safe? Where are you?”

“Walking home.”

“Where?”

She sighs into the receiver. “Uh, approaching the corner of Maple and Church.”

And the line goes dead, so she walks on in silent dread. She wants to see him. She always wants to see him. The world grows a bit quieter when he’s there, everything still and safe. Her heart leaps at the thought of it. Puppy-dog joy. But she’s raw, now. Fragile and red.

She doesn’t think she could take it, being near him. She couldn’t take the drip-drop from the bathtub faucet at Kat’s -- so like hell can she handle a tsunami. Submerged in everything pouring out of him, all that might-be-love, and then grabbed by the scruff of her neck and yanked back up to surface. Might-be -- is-not, could-never-be.

“Jesus Christ, get a hold of yourself,” she whispers, and stops walking, stands in the shadow of a streetlamp with a knuckle pressed to her forehead. This is the voice of the mother she wishes she’d had. This is the woman who picked a scared teenager off the kitchen floor and sat her on the toilet seat and leaned close to the mirror to patch a split lip and smear bruise cream on a swelling cheek.

And she lies. This woman lies, and she’s a very good liar. She lied to nurses and doctors in the emergency room about stairs and car doors and clumsy, silly accidents. She lied to police officers, hiccuping sobs and feigning ignorance. And she lies to herself, sometimes, insisting this is what you want. But beneath the lies, this is the woman who keeps herself safe, even when it’s warm and the frogs in Cherry Park across the street are so loud, just like they used to be, just like summer nights before this Rosanna ever had need to exist.

One moment, she is alone, gazing out over the street lamps that dot the pavement trails crisscrossing the park, looking a little like the lonesome stars of a city sky. One of the last poems she’d ever penned, before she’d lost so much feeling in her heart that no blood came out when she tried to squeeze it over paper, had been about the stars in the city. Maudlin, clumsy verse. There are so many more stars in Wayhaven, with no light to drown them out. Out on full display with no shadow to shrink in to.

One moment, she is alone, and the next Adam is there. Falling in step beside her.

“What’s so urgent?” Rosanna says. Her fingers clench where they’re carrying her shoes by the heels, a proxy for a clenched fist. From the corner of her eye, she can see him examining her. She probably smells like alcohol. She wonders if she smells like Kat’s perfume. She wonders what conclusions he’s drawing.

“What’s urgent? Detective, you were missing for hours. No one knew where you were -- you didn’t answer your phone -- we thought something had happened --”

She holds up a hand to stop him and, surprisingly, he does. They walk on in silence for a moments, and then he exhales a tense sigh. “I say ‘we’ -- I mean ‘I’.”

“We don’t have to do this tonight.” She swallows, then laughs, weakly. “I say ‘we’ -- I mean ‘you’.”

“I don’t catch your meaning.”

“I don’t have it in me right now, Adam. I just deal with it, normally, everything you say and take back -- every time you --” She sniffs, hard, and scolds herself: you are not going to fucking cry in front of him. “But I can’t do it tonight, okay? So if you’ve got to follow me home, can you shut up and stay a foot away from me while you do?”

And, surprisingly, he does. The five minutes back to her townhouse are blessedly silent. The front room lights are on, the door left cracked. When she pushes at it experimentally, she finds it has been forced open, the strike plate torn out of the threshold. And she tenses, preparing herself to deal with having been burglarized, before Adam clears his throat: “I will have it fixed.”

“This was you?”

“I thought -- I was worried. Your car was here and you weren’t answering --”

She brushes her finger over the latch, and shakes her head at the unexpected fondness that overcomes her. Novel, to be worried after.

“I apologize, Rosanna.”

“I’m not upset.”

The silence between them is heavy as she stands in the kitchen and mixes herself a drink. Adam wants to leave desperately, she’s sure of it. Part of her wants him to leave desperately, too. She wants to curl up on the sofa and cry, and she can’t do that while he’s here. Because it would make him uncomfortable, and she loves him, and she doesn’t want to do anything that would make him uncomfortable. Because she doesn’t know what it would mean if he wanted to stay -- because she can’t remember the last time a hand that wasn’t hers has brushed tears from her cheeks.

“I admit, I thought you would be angrier.”

“I’m sure I will be in the morning. I’m just a bit lost in memory tonight.”

“Oh?”

The clink of her spoon against the glass slows a little as she leans against the kitchen island. “The first time things got bad with my husband, I locked myself in the bathroom. I thought I could just wait until he cooled off and then we could talk.” She taps the spoon against the edge of the glass to shake the last drops off, then tosses it in the sink. “But he kicked the door in. We never got it fixed. It was still broken when I sold the house. So it’s funny, to have another man I love break another door open -- just this time it’s because he wants to protect me.”

She glides over to the sofa and curls herself up on it, and her eyes settle on Adam, tense, stock-still. Love. Not a word she’d meant to say. It feels cruel, to heap something so heavy on someone who has told her time and time again that he does not want her. So she smiles, a little watery and wavering, and shakes her head in an attempt to be casual and reassuring. “Sorry. I’m talking too much. You don’t have to stay. I’m just going to finish this and go to bed.”

She’s holding on to herself white-knuckle. Vicious dog on a short leash. Please go, she thinks. Don’t make me let you see me like this.

She looks away then, down at the opaque peach of her drink, waiting for his silhouette to disappear from her periphery.

“Would you like to be alone?” Adam asks.

Would she?

Forever?

Does she have a choice?

No one has ever wanted her as more than a thing in lingerie. And being a thing hurts now. Prying open her mannequin mouth to take crumbs and crumbs and crumbs in exchange for being touched, in exchange for touching, hurts. They go down like hot ash.

She wishes she could want the cinders. She could never earn love, but lust was a fine enough substitute. In the dark, for a few minutes, it feels like love.

But she’s hollow, she thinks. If she were to beat on her chest, it would ring like a bell. Cold and empty and of no substance. A few breadcrumbs tumble over each other, down in her feet, when she walks -- but nothing could fill her up. And now that her molars have grown together, nothing will.

Do you want to be alone? She doesn’t. She desperately doesn’t. She wants to be something worth love. She wants to be a cherished trinket, held in a pocket, kissed for good luck. Warm to the touch, for being clasped in a hand so often. Plastic is still cold after you skim your fingers over it.

She flinches when his hand comes into view, pulling the glass cupped between her fingers with strange delicacy for a man so strong. He moves slowly, as if she would startle. Or maybe to give her time to tell him to stop.

She doesn’t. Hands free, her fingertips mere inches from him where he kneels before the sofa.

She’d once sat at the kitchen table with mascara running down her cheeks, hands trembling, as she made plans to bring about her husband’s death. She had thought at the time, fatalistically, that she might as well do it, because it wasn’t as though things could get any worse.

She finds herself thinking the same thoughts again. He doesn’t love her. He would tell anyone who would listen -- he does not love her. She is not a thing deserving of love. But he’s there before her, anyway, inches from her open palms. The worst that could happen, if she reached for him, is that he would pull away. Doesn’t he already always pull away? It isn’t as though things can get any worse.

So she reaches for him. She rests her fingers against the fabric of his shirt, over his shoulders, close to his neck. And she hardly even has to pull him towards her.

She expects the leash to snap, for the cracks in the dam to burst. Instead she finds the blood rushing in her ears goes quiet, and the world goes still, and all she can think for a moment is: this is what you want.

[crayonwriting]

02 - Here We Go Again

Summary: Maiko just wanted her good ol’ dad to walk her down the aisle. So, she invited the three men from your past in hopes of meeting him. The only problem was, which one of them is it?

Pairings: Oikawa Tooru x Reader, Bokuto Koutarou x Reader, Kuroo Tetsurou x Reader

Disclaimer: This is based on the movie directed by Phyllida Loyd and written by Catherine Johnson which is inspired by the music of the pop group ABBA.

catch up here!

"My, my, my! Look who we have here!" You put your hands on your waist, beaming at the end of the dock were your friends, Yoshiko—the wealthiest in your group with a very kind heart—and Rika—the noisiest, smallest, and a wisecracking author.

The two, who had just arrived, screamed loudly and ran up to you. You met them halfway,  slamming into them in a tight hug. You haven't seen them for years! If you could remember, Maiko was only at least ten years old when they last visited. 

A lot of people getting off of the ferry stared at your group but none of you paid them any heed. You turned to Yoshiko and grinned wide.

“You look amazing, Yoshiko!” You glanced down at her chest which made you stifle a laugh. It was obvious that she had some ‘enhancements’ done to that area. “These are new though. Where’d you get them, huh?” You playfully lay your hands on them, making Yoshiko squeal and jokingly swat your hands away.

“Where else than husband number three!” Rika cheered, laughing loudly.

—

Maiko placed the final pin onto Nana’s bridesmaid's dress for the final adjustments. The three of them were in front of the mirror to see how the dresses looked like when worn. Maiko had found these dresses for sale when she was out with Minoru on the mainland.

“Maiko-chan these are so pretty! I can’t wait to see your dress!” Eri gushed, twirling around in her own dress. Maiko sighed with a dreamy smile.

“I’m gonna have the perfect wedding, with my father to give me away.” She muttered, dreamily.

“Well, I hope the church has a wide aisle,” Nana remarked. Maiko scoffed, pulling at her friend’s hair playfully. 

“I’ll know which one it is when I see them.” Maiko defended.

Just then the door opened and Minoru entered. Nana and Eri greeted him, missing their other friend as well. Minoru chuckled tackling both girls into a hug, making them land on the bed.

“There are pins on the dresses! Please be careful!” Maiko warned, looking at them amused. When they all pulled away, Nana and Eri posed playfully.

“So, how do we look?” Nana asked. Minoru whistled and smiled.

“Wow. You guys look amazing!” He turned to his fiancee, pulling her in by the waist.  “But this one, right here, is gonna be the most beautiful around.” Nana and Eri teased the two of them; Maiko could only blush. She leaned in and pecked Minoru’s lips. 

“What are you doing here?”

“Came to pick up a few props for my bachelor party tomorrow.” He went to the closet and plucked out his needed items—a cowboy hat and his swimming trunks. 

Maiko was amused.

��

“Heave-ho, maties!” Bokuto shouted into the winds. All the while, Kuroo was struggling to re-tie one of the sails that was blown out by the wind, while Oikawa was doing his best to not to get thrown off the boat as he tried cranking one of the cables.

—

You, Yoshiko and Rika rode on your truck to get to the villa. Once there, Minoru was already walking towards you. You waved him over.

“Minoru! Meet these hitchhikers I found at the docks!” Your insult was met by a loud ‘hey!’ and a ‘hitchhikers, my ass!’. You just laughed. You pointed your thumb towards Minoru. “He’s the leading man at the party.” Minoru just bowed at them. He walked closer.

“You must be Rika-san?”

“That’s me.” Rika reached over and gave Minoru a firm hug. He asked her how she’s been, to which she answered with a smile and an ‘I’m doing good.’ Minoru looked behind her.

“And you must be Yoshiko-san. I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Mhmm.” Yoshiko hummed, hugging Minoru in greeting. “All bad, I hope.” The boy just laughed lightheartedly.

“And they’re all true.” You quipped. Minoru saw you struggling with your guests’ luggages and proceeded to help you get them down from the truck.

—

The three of them all sat near the back of the boat where Bokuto was steering. Oikawa sat beside him, staring at Bokuto’s side profile. 

“I think I know who you are.” Oikawa tilted his head. “You’re Bokuto Koutarou. Ace of the MSBY Black Jackals team in Japan.”

“Yep. That’s me.” Bokuto grinned.

“You retired three years ago. Why?”

Bokuto just shrugged. “I love volleyball. I’ll never stop loving volleyball. But...something just clicked one day and I knew I had to go.” He glanced at Oikawa who looked like he was in deep thought. “What about you? Are you a player as well?”

“Yeah. Argentina.”

“Ever thought of quitting?” The suggestion made Oikawa shake his head vigorously. 

“You’re a close friend of Y/N?” Kuroo asked from the sides. Bokuto’s shoulders slumped in the slightest. 

“No. I haven’t heard from her for...twenty years, I think?”

Kuroo was surprised. “Really?”

“Yeah, and then this invite,” he pulled out the invitation from his pockets, waving it in front of them. “Out of the blue.”

“It’s the same for me.” Oikawa mumbled.

—

“Rika-obaasan!” Maiko shouted from the window on the second floor of the villa. The three women had just arrived by the entrance where Maiko was waiting. She disappeared inside the room and ran down the stairs to them.

“Maiko-chan has grown so beautiful!” Yoshiko gushed, breathing a little heavily as the trek up the villa’s entrance was a tad bit high. Rika held her arms out to catch Maiko in her arms. You smiled at the scene proud of how well you’ve done with Maiko.

“Maiko-chan! You get more beautiful everytime I see you!” Rika held Maiko’s face in both of her hands rubbing at her flushed cheeks. The younger woman shook her head. “You do!” Rika persisted.

“I bet you don’t remember me.” Yoshiko called out beside you.

“Not with all that plastic surgery.” Rika muttered under her breath. Maiko just smiled at the familiar banter between her aunts. She ran to Yoshiko, bringing her into a tight hug as well. 

“Of course I remember you, Yoshiko-obaasan! You haven’t changed at all.” 

“I’m so happy for you.” Yoshiko said when they pulled away. Seeing your daughter interact with your best friends made you feel a warm weight on your chest. You couldn’t help yourself so you pulled your daughter towards your embrace, hugging her from behind. 

“My baby, all grown up; her whole life ahead of her.” Maiko just laughed at your words as she struggled to get out of your hold.

“I’m just getting married, okaa-san! I’m not going to be a miko!” ” She exclaimed. She then led the three of you to the back of the villa. Yoshiko and Rika shared amused faces. Maiko showed the same fiery attitude you had during your younger days.

“Just like her okaa-san.” Rika slung an arm around your shoulders, following your daughter’s trail. 

“If she was like me, she wouldn’t be getting married at twenty.”

“Or married at all.” Yoshiko added.

The villa that you owned consisted of small clusters of buildings designed in Cycladic architecture, capturing the beauty of the small island. The small archway, where you just passed through on the side of the main building, led you to a small alley full of locals selling various produce. Somehow, small  parts of the town had merged with the hotel space and you didn’t mind.

“I haven’t put the laundry down before you came!” You panicked, in the slightest, picking up a nearby basket and shoving all the washed sheets and blankets in it. As you hastily tried to tidy up, Maiko walked over to you. She took the basket from you gently with a knowing look. 

You had promised her that you won’t be working too much on her wedding preparations, seeing as only a few will attend. And Maiko has seen you work so hard for the hotel—for her—and the least she could do is make you relax, especially now that your friends are here.

Minoru appeared with two glasses of ice cold water which she gave to your two guests. Rika and Yoshiko took a few sips and for some reason—they didn’t know if it was just their thirst or exhaustion—the water tasted sweeter than normal and more refreshing. Minoru noticed the change in their expressions. A smug smile appeared on his face.

“Good, right?” The women could only nod in silence. Maiko stood beside him intertwining their hands. Minoru continued. “I’m actually designing a website that would showcase everything about Kalokairi. I just think this place has so much potential. But no one knows we’re here.” He glanced at Maiko, pecking her forehead, affectionately. “After that, with proper marketing and advertisements, people will come flooding in.”

Maiko grinned, proud at her fiance. “We just want this to be the ultimate romantic destination. They did say that this was once the site of Aphrodite’s fountain. The Goddess of Love. And if you drank the water,” she gestured to the glasses they held, “You’re supposed to find true love and perfect happiness.”

“Can I take home a bucket of this?” Rika asked. 

—

You entered a small house—still a part of the hotel—which was reserved for VIP customers...if you had them. Rika and Yoshiko immediately admired the simplicity and beauty of it. As they looked around Yoshiko removed her expensive coat and sunglasses, placing them atop the small coffee table.

“I thought you didn’t want a lot of tourists over here?” She asked. You were going about the small space, fixing things that weren’t even misplaced or broken. 

“I don’t want, like, boats filled with tourists. Just...a few more would be nice.” You opened the bathroom door and suddenly remembered the plumbing issue you've been having for a few weeks now. You turned to your friends. “Now, the toilet is…if it doesn’t flush right away, just go,” you made a motion with your hands, “And come back in a while and it should be fine.” Rika and Yoshiko just looked at each other.

You dismissed their looks with a shaky laugh. “Sorry. Nothing really works around here. Hell, I think I’m the only one working around here!” You paced around the room. “I’ve been running this hotel for fifteen years and I’ve never had a day off!” It was starting to feel a little hot inside so you pushed open the nearby window, letting some fresh air in. 

One of the shutters suddenly broke off and fell, almost hitting a passerby who had just bought onions from a seller. You peered down at them, face apologetic. The locals who were within the area stared up at you with blank expressions. They were used to the occasional bang and clang of your hotel falling apart at the seams.

“I’m sorry!” You shouted over. You sighed loudly, turning back to the room. “Where’s a rich guy when you need one?!” You said, exasperated. Your two friends just raised an eyebrow at each other, following you out. 

You went down the steps to retrieve the fallen shutter. The small alley where it fell was filled with local Greek people who hounded you to buy their goods. You recognize some of them who’d offered to help around the hotel and were now asking for payment for their services.

You just nodded robotically, mumbling that you’d pay them soon once you get the money. If you get the money. Yoshiko and Rika did their best to catch up with you. You picked up the shutter. Going around the corner, you stopped by a white door. You twisted the knob firmly before it fell off. Yoshiko winced, realizing how you meant that nothing works here literally.

“If I had a rich man, I’d be able to fix this whole place.” You then scoffed. “If I married a rich man, I’d never work it all!”

Pushing the door a little, it opened. You checked in on the kitchens where your cooks, who were previously sitting down by the table resting, scrambled to get back to their preparations. You eyed them warily. You went inside and got an old bottle of wine you’ve been saving for special occasions. You handed it over to Yoshiko.

“It’s hard to find a rich man to marry.” Yoshiko accepted the bottle, reading the label.

“Easy for you to say, Yoshiko. You’re practically born rich.” Rika countered with a small chuckle.

You just sniggered and shook your head. They kept following as you went around the whole place, conversing with one of your employees, talking about various repairs that needed to be done and due payments to be made. They also followed you into a small shed where you pulled out your tool belt. You buckled it around your waist, picking up a drill as well. 

Your friends could not believe the sight. Never had they imagined your life to turn out like this. Sure, they kept in touch from time to time but they didn’t know that you needed all the help you could get. You stopped in your tracks, feeling their gazes on you.

Turning back around, you just flashed them a smile, grabbing the wine bottle.

“C’mon, let’s go have some fun.”

—

Maiko was lifting some boxes of decorated napkins to help set up the reception area. Just as she was outside the villa, she spotted three tall men curiously looking around. She felt her heart leap to her throat. Could this be…?

“Hi.” She croaked out. The men looked at her. Maiko’s palms were starting to sweat so she kept them in closed fists. “May I help you?”

“Hey there! We’re here for the wedding!” Bokuto’s voice was loud. “I’m Bokuto Koutarou.”

“Oikawa Tooru.” The man beside Bokuto piped up.

“Kuroo Tetsurou.” The other one stated. He eyed Maiko up and down, noticing the bewildered look on her face. 

Inside Maiko’s mind, she wanted to scream in confusion. She was pretty sure that when her father showed up, she’ll know which one it is—call it instinct if you will. But right now, with all three of them right in front of her, she was more puzzled than ever.

“Were you expecting us?” Kuroo asked.

It took a while for Maiko to respond. She did her best to hide her confusion with a beaming smile. “Oh my god, yes!” She said, relief echoed in her voice. It doesn’t matter that she can’t tell which right now. What matters is they’re here and once she gets them alone or spends a short while with them, she’ll know. Right? 

Kuroo squinted his eyes and tilted his head. He pointed a finger to Maiko. “You’re not, Y/N’s daughter are you?” He asked the question which nagged at his mind ever since receiving the invitation. If this girl was your daughter, then that would mean you’re married. But then again, the girl had the same surname as you...would that mean the opposite thing?

Maiko blushed slightly and bowed her head, indicating that she is your daughter. Bokuto stepped closer, removing his sunglasses.

“That’s why you look familiar. You look just like her.” Bokuto ransacked his mind, trying to remember the name on the invitation. “You’re Meiko, right?

“It’s Maiko.”

“Ah, my bad.” He scratched the back of his head. “I used to have a great aunt living on the mainland. Her name was Meiko.” Maiko was about to say something in response but Oikawa cut her off.

“Is it okay if you show us to our rooms? I’d like to get settled in before we see your okaa-san.”He said. He had been getting nervous ever since they’d arrived at the small island. He wanted to see you so badly but he also wanted to put himself together first because he knows that he’d be a mess in front of you.

“Oh! Yes, of course! You can meet her….but, uhm….,” Maiko panicked. She hadn’t thought about where they’d stay. She didn’t want you to know that your exes are here; not until she figures out who her father is. Suddenly, she knew the perfect place they can stay, hidden and away from the villa. “Uh, come this way please.”

tags: @yikes-buddy / @ushi-please / @melodiamore / @akaashi-todoroki / @honeymoneyy / @minty-mangos-world / @ochabby / @paettonissahotcheeto / @chrisrue15 / @cottage-babe2 / @tsukkx / @yashinosakura / @coconut-dreamz / @roseestuosity / @youstydiaa / @shiningstar-byulxx​

a/n: chapter two it is! this was hella long. 2.6k words i think? i also feel that this was all over the place, switching from one group to another. and i’m so, so, sorry if it confused you! i’m confused as well anyways i originally planned to write 2 chapters then do a double posting, but seeing as it’s a certain owl’s birthday today, i just had to post today. 

happy birthday bokuto koutarou! i love you marry me pls

again, i apologize for the errors (grammar, punctuations, story flow) and thank you so much for all the support!

[plaidbooks]

A Glimpse of the Future part 4

A/N: You all have @the-baby-bookworm to thank for this--first for asking for it and second for helping me come up with panicking Sonny (when discussing part 3, she mentioned “that dick game so strong, she’d get pregnant even with birth control”). This is the finale (as far as I know, who the hell knows anymore?), so I hope you all enjoy!

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3

Tags: A lot of Catholic guilt

Words: 1324

Taglist: @the-baby-bookworm @beccabarba @thatesqcrush @itsjustmyfantasyroom @stardust-fray @permanentlydizzy @averyhotchner @mrsrafaelbarba @reading--mermaid @ben-c-group-therapy @infiniteoddball

Shit…SHIT! Sonny was going to freak out! Hell, you were freaking out! You sat in your car, still parked in the parking lot of your doctor’s office after a routine checkup. You ran your hand over your face. How were you going to tell him that you were…? No, maybe if you didn’t think the words, it wouldn’t be true. But that’s not how real life worked. You sighed, pulling your phone out of your purse, calling your fiancé, looking at the engagement ring sitting innocently on your left hand.

“Hey, Sonny, we need to talk….”

 ***************

You knew it was a shitty thing to do, to tell him you needed to talk when he got off work, but to not give him details over the phone. But you didn’t know what else to do, and you couldn’t tell him over the phone. No, this had to be face-to-face, and you couldn’t deal with this alone. Sonny promised to be home as soon as he could, even after you reassured him that you were safe, that you were okay. All that left was for you to sit and wait. You idly looked for houses again; you and Sonny had found a handful that seemed like a perfect fit, and now you were going over them again with a fine-toothed comb.

Finally, mercifully, you heard the key in the front door, Sonny rushing in, looking worried. He didn’t even bother taking his jacket off as he quickly made his way over to you.

“Babe, what’s wrong? What happened?” he asked, brow furrowed, concern lacing his voice.

“Well, you know how I had a doctor’s appointment today?” you started. He nodded, the creases on his forehead deepening. You took a deep breath before the words that would change your lives forever left your lips. “I’m pregnant.”

Sonny stood there, struck dumb, unmoving. He was a statute as he stared at you. “B-but you’re on birth control…how, what—?”

“Those pills aren’t 100%, babe, you know that. And I’m six weeks pregnant…it’s from our engagement night,” you whispered, your face warming as you remembered how Sonny had taken you that night, so that ‘everyone would know you were his’. Well, now they would.

The gears were turning in his head as he sat down on the couch. “Okay,” he muttered, nodding to himself. “Okay…pregnant…wow. You’re…we’re….”

“What are we gonna do, Dom?” you asked, trying to shake him out of whatever trance he was in. It was true that you both wanted kids, that this was a miracle. But you wanted to be married first, have a house. And God only knew how his family would react. You loved the Carisi’s, but all of them, Sonny included, were very Catholic. Having a baby out of wedlock was…less than ideal.

Sonny’s eyes snapped up to yours. “Have you told anyone else yet?”

“No, of course not.”

“Okay, that’s good. We just need to get married now, before anyone knows, before you start…showing,” he said, mind working quickly.

You huffed out a laugh. “Do you honestly think no one will notice how quickly we got married? Or the fact that we’ll have a baby less than nine months after our wedding?”

“Shit, no, you’re right,” he ran his hand through his hair, clearly panicking. “Fuck, I don’t know what to do, babe. I-I need to go to church, talk to my priest….”

He stood to leave, and you reached out, grabbing his wrist. “Wait, Sonny.” He stopped, looking back at you. “Please, just…before you leave, tell me you’re at least happy that we’re pregnant.” You didn’t know why it mattered so much, but it suddenly hit you that he hadn’t once shown any sort of excitement. Which was understandable with the information you had just dumped on him, but it still hurt.

Sonny stepped up to you, cupping your face in his hands. He leaned down, kissing you gently. “Of course, I’m happy that we’re going to have a child. I just…I’m a little confused right now, and I need some guidance, that’s all,” he murmured. You nodded, kissing his palm before he pulled away, heading out the door.

 ************************

It was almost three hours later before Sonny finally came home. This time, he shrugged out of his jacket, hanging it on the hook by the door, and toed his shoes off. It seemed like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and he seemed content when he came and sat on the couch next to you.

“Did you find some answers?” you asked, leaning against his side, his arm draping around your shoulders. His fingers started trailing over your arm, and you shivered happily.

“I did. As much as I’d rather have our children when we’re ready, after we’re married and more settled down, I’m not upset that God has other plans. I mean, you were on birth control and still got pregnant; if this is God’s plan, then I, for one, won’t fight it,” Sonny smiled down at you, kissing your forehead. “Besides, I’m going to be a father.” His voice broke on the word ‘father’, and your heart strained.

You leaned up, kissing him softly. “Yes, you are. And you’re going to be the best father. Not to mention the sexiest father.” Sonny threw his head back and laughed. You waited for his laughter to subside before you asked, “what are we going to tell your parents?”

“The truth. If they can’t accept that, then that’s on them,” he said simply. The panic you felt must have shown on your face, because he added, “I’m sure they’ll understand. They accepted that your family wasn’t practicing Catholics. They’ll be ecstatic to be grandparents again.”

“They’ll think I’m some harlot who seduced their son,” you grimaced. God, were your hormones already making you crazy?

Sonny put his fingers under your chin, forcing you to look at him. “No, they won’t. My parents love you, babe, almost as much as I do. They’re gonna be over the moon, I promise. Just…let me break the news to them first.” He gave you his trademark goofy grin, and you couldn’t help but smile back at him.

“Thank you, Dom,” you whispered, so damn glad that he was the one you were going on this crazy ride with.

“Of course…now, first things’ first! We should come up with a list of names, both boy and girl, just in case, then a list of things we need to buy—”

“Sonny, baby, first we need to decide if we want to buy the house first, or have the wedding. I know you and your family want the full Catholic shindig, at that one church they all got married at—”

“St. Christopher’s.”

“—and that’s going to be a lot of money. We need to decide which is more important; the wedding or a house,” you finished.

Sonny glanced around your apartment; it was modest, not too small. A living room, a full kitchen—a must for Sonny—a guest bathroom, a spare room which was turned into an office of sorts, the master bedroom, and a master bathroom. When Bella dropped off Sonny’s niece, you mainly kept her in the living room, which was kid-proofed. And on the off chance a friend crashed for the night, they normally slept on the couch.

“Wedding first; let’s appease the family. The baby will be sleeping in our room at first, anyways. Then, we can turn the spare into a nursery,” Sonny said.

You nodded. Tears formed, but you quickly blinked them away as you thought about Sonny building a nursery, painting the walls…being a father. Something told you that you were going to be an emotional wreck this whole pregnancy. And, looking sideways at your fiancé, who was already talking about how he’d clean out the spare room, you felt incredibly lucky that he was the one you were spending the rest of your life with.