#i am Annoyed because my dad opened my door and got pissy at me for being awake when i was quite litterally

[epaily]

assignment finished :)

[idontcare4urmom]

wrong || matt sturniolo

stepbrother!matt x fem!reader

summary: where your dad found a new woman on his life after one year of your mom's death,so you are forced to live all together after a lot of pressure,but what you didn't know yet is that her son is a total temping being that will send you over the edge..in many ways.

warnings: smuttt,unprotected sex,not proofread,porn with plot,dirty talk,eating out,pet-names,suggestive,scratching,tits sucking,etc.

a/n: my first language is not English,this sure has some grammar or other errors so i am sorry<3

."🎀".

"what the fuck you mean we have to move in with her?" you were basically shouting on your dad,and you weren't sure if you were more annoyed at the fact that he had moved on so far already or cause he didn't even cared to ask you if you acknowledge with it.

"i told you too many times that this is a very big and important step to me honey,besides her place is absolutely flawless,you will love it" his words only made you angrier,but you decided not to push it anymore since you knew deep down it would be waste of time,he had made his decision.

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

the days passed quickly,and you found yourself holding your suitcase in front of a captivating building that would change a part of your life for many years,at least your dad did not lie,it was trully more than luxurious,so with a deep sigh you walked until the doorway with him,your anxious levels on high.

after a few knocks the door opened to reveal a surprisingly tall,appealing woman standing there,with brunette silky highlights and a pretty good enough shaped body,the sight made you furrow although you could tell why your father had fallen for her.you were caught off guard when you were the one she even pulled into an embrace first and seemed in general eager to meet you.

"oh sweetie your dad has told me many things about you,i am Lana,come in,come in" you didn't had much time to process because she was pushing your hand gently inside,your eyes widening as you took in the house with your eyes,it was for sure bringing vibes of a cozy,modern place.

you didn't want to be in your normal pissy mood for the reason that she was treating you politely for now,so you made a small comment "wow,the decoration is really nice"

"oh thank you,i want you to be comfortable and feel welcomed here,you can go check the guest room that will be your own,is down the hall,if you need any help just call out my name" you nodded a little and began making your way towards the apparently new space you will probably spend most of the day at.

but,without realizing a sudden unrecognized human figure appeared in front of you while making it's way to another room,making you leave a small yelp from your lips "who are you?"

the blye eyed boy raised an eyebrow once he heard the question,letting a sarcastic laugh as he spoke "very ironic for someone to ask when they are the one in my house" oh? well he had sure attitude for the few seconds you had met him. you were about to say something in response even so he continued, a sheepish grin forming on his lips when he examined your presence through his dark eyelashes "wait..you must be my stepsister"

"huh?" was the only word you could express,you were incredibly confused--who was he? "i am Lana's son, Matt,no one informed you about me?" it was like he was able to read your thoughts,it only creeped you out more.

"no..my father must forgot to announce your existence to me" the words snarked out of your tongue as you were trying hard to act sassy,but for a disguise,cause shit the more you were observeting him the more perfect he got.

he had the necessary amount of beard to sense in case he ever trailed kisses down your body,his blue orbs seemed like they could stare deep into your soul yet in a enjoyable way,and hell those fingers were too distracting for no reason,especially with those silver rings that were practically begging for attention.just any of his facial features were ideal--however you weren't supposed to fall for him,it would be wrong.

you snapped out of your thoughts when there was a sound of a familiar voice snapping across the end of the hall,approaching the both of you excitedly,even though she was addresing specifically to you "i see you guys met,sorry darlin' i forgot to have a quick chat with you about that i have a kid..anyway he may be a pain sometimes but i am sure you will get along well with him"

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

two weeks have passed,and she was completely wrong.every day the urge of smashing a bottle on top of his head is only increasing,he would suddenly barg into your bedroom searching for his own belongings,asserting that he often lost things by accident since he is being here from time to time--why? his set-up pc is on your area for years now.

despite that,his own bedroom is just a few steps away from yours,you have been struggling with sleeping peacefully cause he would blast music on his speaker at 2-3 am,you are almost confirmed that he must be doing it on purpose--and it doesn't end here,there is worse.

you are aware of a guy having 'needs' so the occasional echo of moaning could be heard to you from the thin paper walls,you swear that it's music to your ears and you feel like your mind is sabotaging you.he is annoying,that though didn't stopped you from having a weird desire rising in you for him,a pang on your chest with guilt for possessing the most unholy fantasizes whenever he would roam around in just a pair of sweatpants.

with all this being said,you produced a baffling bond with Matt,signs showing that he is on the same page as you,which leads you to today.laying down on your bed with your phone on your hands,stressfully ignoring his presence a few meters away.him entirely concentrated on his screen computer playing--God knows what--video games,with the controller on his hands.the silense more than unbearable.

you were determined to prove to yourself that maybe you can spend some time with him,you took advantage of him not wearing any headphones and lightly tapped his shoulder,pointing towards the black console afterwards "can i try?" you anticipated for his response,silently hoping that he doesn't mind.

Matt was kind of surpised by your request,nevertheless he had finished the round so he nodded "umh..sure" he slid off from the gaming chair while handing you the controller,your fingers barely brushing with his yet enough to make your head spinning.

you rested your body on the mesh fabric as he sat on the bed,and with a glance of the buttons you were clueless of the task in hand,not having any idea on how to participate in the online game.luckily,he noticed the confused look written on your face so he came next to you and started to make a fast learning lesson,

he taught you how to jump,how to run,how to kill,and other features you require to have in case of a proper match.as he did so,you caught him taking a few glimpses of your chest--it's not like he could help it,your crop top was exposing a certain amount of your cleavage,making it hard for him to focus.

a devilish smile curled to your face when you noticed,feeling bold enough to adjust down the shirt such as leaving only your breasts covered--matt could feel his heart beat raising,the temperature of the room turning thick once he stopped talking.

"can you show me how to jump again? i don't think i get it" you spoke,a hint of suggestiveness leaking from your tone--and he didn't want more than just to devour you right there, your father and his mother had left for shopping,so you were both totally alone which sent shivers down your back,

the tension bloomed into a insufferable feeling between the two of you,causing your breath to hitch around your throat,especially when you felt his fingers starting to touch yours fully in attempt to answer your previous 'request'.a hushed gasp breaking out from you when there was a unexpected hand gesture tracing your thigh in a agonizingly pace--screw this.

with a smooth shift of your face and waist you palmed his cheeks,bringing his lips to yours into a fiery dance.he didn't hesitate to shove his tongue in your mouth,impatiently exploring your taste before nipping down your bottom lip,eliciting a moan from you that get's shallowed against him,

the sound you made vibrated through matt's whole body,landing directly straight to his core and he could feel his jeans growing tight around his crotch,he didn't ever remembered himself getting hard from just a making out session--he craved more,he needed more,and so did you.

his hands started travelling their way to your stomach,crawling upwards until he squeezed your nipples over the fabric of your top and reaching to lift it up, "is this okay?" you nodded desperately at the question,he didn't wasted time by taking it off over your head,unclasping with one motion your bra afterwards to shower your bare chest with open-mouthed kisses,

your hums of approval soon turned into whimpers when he wrapped his mouth on the flesh of your left breast,swirling his tongue around it while his hand pinched the other between his free fingers,he repeated his actions by giving the same treatment to your right one after.

with a loud pop he pulled away,slowly reaching under the gaming chair so he is on his knees,his eye pupils half-lidded and fluttering over your face before he yanks off your shorts with panties,exposing your already wet dripping pussy to his hungry gaze,

"fuck you are soaked,how long have you been dreaming this? have you been waiting for me to finally pleasure you sweetheart?" you could him mutter cooing through gritted teeth,licking at your thighs in a intractable speed as he itches towards the arching spot in between your legs,lavishing his attention there as he made a long stripe up on your clit,making you buck your hips against his face shamelessly,

your nails found his hair,gripping and tugging on it for support,dragging a hiss from his mouth as he began to lap on your juices like you were his last meal,you started riding his face while whining pathetically,the obsence resounds filling the room as he continued to satisfy you.

his index finger rubbed your entrance,letting you shaking for more and barely hearing his gagged whispers "you taste so fucking amazing,such an intoxicating cunt",your lower abdomen started quivering into the familiar knot,reminding you of your approaching release,making you clench uncontrollably around his mouth,

"come on,finish all over face baby" matt sneered out when he sucked on robs of your pre-cum, your lips forming a perfect 'o' shape in the same time you swirled your digits on his roots so his head is forced to be still there,with a long pornographic moan you erupted,spurting thick,white jets that made your legs glistening.

after pulling away he swooped you into his arms,carrying you bridal-style on the mattress of the bed,him laying down firstly before grasping your sides stronly,helping you to be on top of him as he guided your hips so you can push against his clothed erection,the sensation maddening for the both of you.

your still sensitive heat grinded back and forth,feeling his cock poking under you so your hands progress to tug the zipper of his jeans down,sliding them down along with his boxers to his ankles in a way of exposing his throbbing tip,you usually didn't liked how dicks looked but matt's was different; a needy tenderness to have it deep inside you,he adjusted with ease the head down your folds,and with no doubt you sinked down on his length.

a unbidden squeal slipped from you as he grunted repeatedly,his grunts turned into loud groans of pure filthiness as soon as you started bouncing yourself,your tight walls squelching him, sending him closer to the edge even though it hadn't passed a minute of you riding him,his back arching forward which gave you the opportunity of scratching down the skin of his behind shoulders,

"such a good girl,fucking yourself on your stepbrother's cock, such a whore f'me" his words actually made you feel pitiful yet encouraging your movements to speed up their pace,his hips thrusting up to meet yours so he can pound into your hole frequently, "c-close" you panted out,your second orgasm increasing through you as your walls clinged around him,the actions driving matt insane "going to fill you up,do you want that? do you want me to cum inside you?"

you miserably sobbed in bliss and let a ''hphm'' of approval,before you knew it matt had busted,his climax exploding extremely hard into your pussy,following suit after him with your head throwed back and stopping after a minute so you can pull yourself out of him,both of you being a panting mess,

"that was incredible" "i am never letting you to even enter my room again"

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evelyn speaks!! thank you so much for 250 followers jixijcmjg,my last post with Matt got more than 800 notes likeee insane,thank you ALL for the support it means everything xoxo🤍🤍

tags! @writtensturn @pixiespax @verywonderlandpolice @itsnotmariahh @user9383738392 @monroesturnns @badussybumper @nwlluvsturnsstars17 @shadowthesim

[bookishjules]

So I am rereading TMI after almost 10 years and my adult brain is processing small details that my middle school brain did not! I never realized how much Izzy has Jace’s back through the first three books especially. I’m on COFA now and Jace is having his dream about stabbing Clary but right before, he wonders if Izzy is the one knocking on his door to bother him. That got me thinking about that sibling pair. We get parabatai scenes between Alec and Jace but I would love to know what Izzy and Jace get up to as a duo? Their one-on-one conversations seem like such a mystery lol and I know you’re an Izzy enthusiast so if you have any headcanons about this please share 🧎🏻‍♀️🧎🏻‍♀️🧎🏻‍♀️

i have so so much love for jace and izzy's relationship, but you're right, we really don't get much in terms of content for the two of them. which honestly?? tragic. not only do they top the shadowhunting charts, but idk there's just something about how the two of them function in life that would breed such great comradery imo like there's a reason they tried something romantic at one point, yk? they're so similar and they both hold the other in such high regard.. okay i could rant about them for a long time, but let's talk headcanons

jace was always quick to include izzy in any games him and alec would play, even when the latter was going through his 'my sister is so annoying' phase. jace understood what it was like to be lonely and didn't want to be the cause of izzy being forced to find some way to play on her own (or with her baby brother) when there was a perfectly good game she could join in on

the two of them did occasionally pull pranks on their older brother too. alec got so pissy about it, but that was of course the best part hehe

along with being pranking buddies, i think they also did a lot of confiding in each other. alec would get more withdrawn (into responsibility, into big brother protector mode, into hiding his crush on jace) and there was just something about a brother that wasn't quite a brother, who wouldn't reprimand you or worry about you or tell mom and dad on you. and of course not having any real friends around kinda made it difficult to have confidants who weren't also your siblings.

so jace was the first to know about izzy's first kiss, and izzy was the first to know about jace's first time.

because jace often felt like he had to look cool and desirable (not sexually just like.. worthy ig) to alec, it was often izzy who he'd open up to. about his past, about how hard the transition to new york was from the countryside, about how left out he felt when maryse wouldn't sing to him etc.

she shared her hair products with him and he would read to her on nights when her parents were fighting and it seemed to affect her more than any of the boys.

when he told her the spaghetti story she tried to make spaghetti for him at least once a month. never with positive results, but she was teasing him for his youthful obsession, so he'd tease her about her horrible cooking <3

she shared her hair products with him and he helped her study, since he was already well ahead of shadowhunter standards for their age

i feel like they're the kind of duo who starts out having a very casual, joking conversation that devolves into hours of deeper shit that they then have to go to the training room to sweat off together

[hargrove-mayfields]

Billy has to stick up for max a lot because of her autism, at school he walks to her class and their afraid of him because just,,, look at him

warnings for mentions of bullying and ableism.

It isn’t easy to make Maxine Mayfield cry.

At least, Billy had almost never seen her shed a tear in the six years he’d known her but maybe two times: once when she was still little, and just learned her step-family was going to move into her house and replace her real dad forever, and once when she was told they would be leaving California. Both times she’d run off to her room and slammed the door before anyone could see, but Billy had noticed. He always did when it came to Max. Had to when he knew damn well how much trouble he’d be in if things went wrong while he was watching her.

Beyond that there were a few teary eyed looks that got wiped away, maybe a sniffle she’d try to cover up by complaining about her allergies, but it was very rare, even during meltdowns, that she’d be full on crying, tears streaming down her face so quickly she couldn’t wipe them away while sobs wrack through her and make her shake.

So Billy knows first thing that something is very, very wrong when she’s already at his car after school, her face buried in her balled up jacket and doing exactly that. He can hear her from outside the car, so he sighs and knocks on the window before he yanks the door open, but Max doesn’t even flinch, just curls up tighter in the passenger seat and ignores him.

That’s a bad sign too, the fact she isn’t even trying to hide it from him, “What’s a’matter Maxi?”

“None of your business.” She snaps at him, voice thick and wet with tears. It’s unfamiliar seeing her like that and it makes Billy feel tense ang guilt even though he didn’t do it this time, so he tries, “Come on. It totally is my business. You get tears on my leather seats n’the salt’ll stain ‘em up, and you’ll be the one to clean it up.”

All it gets from Max is another heavy sob, instantly hitting him with a pang of regret for trying to be light about this, “Shit. M’sorry, Maxi. Didn’t mean it like that. Just tryin’ ta make you smile.”

“Well it didn’t work!” Max sniffles, throwing her jacket on the dash and finally turning to look at Billy, face flushed red and tracked with tears, her bottom lip still wobbling, “I’ll never ever smile again..”

“Why not? I know it’s not just because of your dumbass brother.” Billy sees a twitch at the corner of her lip, the slightest hint of a smile at him insulting himself, and he counts that as a small win, a sign he’s getting at least a little bit through to Max, so he prompts her again, “What happened at school today, Max?”

Her gaze drops to her lap, and she shrugs her shoulders slightly, stiffly, as she mumbles an explanation, “Remember how I told you about that boy, who's mean to me and my friends?”

“‘Course I do. I never forget anythin’ you tell me.”

Max wipes her nose on her sleeve, and corrects him, “Except for when you forgot I told you I had AV club and you came in the school looking for me and then you got stuck talking to a teacher for like, three hours after I was done.”

“Yeah, well that was one time. N’I was already havin’ a bad day when you told me, thank you very much.” He encourages her, his face serious though their tone is light-hearted, “Keep goin’, what’d this kid do now?”

Again Max’s features close off, and she tries to lie, “He was just.. Well it was my fault.. I-I don’t know.”

“Max. I need the truth.”

Talking fast, like she’s fighting against her thoughts, she makes him promise, “Promise me you won’t do anything dumb, first.”

Billy lifts a hand from the steering wheel, “I won’t. Cross my heart, Maxi.”

At this point, in the silence that builds while Max wills herself to speak, Billy starts to drive, since it’s clear he won’t be going back into that school. It isn’t lost on him the way Max takes a deep breath, out of relief that he meant it when he said he wasn’t going to be dumb and march back in there.

Quickly, once she’s ready, she explains, “Okay. Well he kinda sort of told me that I was annoying ‘cause I laugh too much, and I told him it was just a stim n’that I couldn’t help it but he said that made me a baby and I told him I wasn’t and he called me a retard instead and I was already stressed so I started crying like a dumb baby and he laughed at me and none of my friends said anything or helped me and I just.. yeah.”

All Billy can do is raise his eyebrows, has about a hundred and one pissy and angry things he could say, but he doesn’t utter a word, because he doesn’t want to make Max more upset than she already is.

Clearly just the change in his expression spooks her though, because she insists, sounding like she could cry again at any second, “You promised me!”

He puts his hands up sort of defensively, though he has to grab the wheel again when the car veers, swallowing his anger to tell her calmly, “I didn’t even say anything. I promised I’d be nice and I’m gonna keep that promise.”

She nods hesitantly, more to show trust than agreement, so Billy continues, “But Maxi that’s.. bad. Why don’t you tell a teacher or some shit?”

“Yeah, like they would even do anything. They already hate me for being in their coed classes.” Max mumbles the last part, looking away, “They’d probably rather Troy beat me up so I wouldn’t be bothering them anymore.”

“Tell me you’re being dramatic.”

But Max just shrugs again.

“Fuck, I hate this fucking place.” Billy tears his eyes from the road to look Max in the eyes as she says it, even knowing she can’t return the gesture, “You know you don’t deserve to go through this shit, Maxi?”

“It.. is kinda my fault though.”

He lashes out, just a little, hearing her talk like that about herself. Because it’s not fair that a thirteen year old girl looks at herself that way, yeah, but also because he knows it’s in some ways his fault too, and their parents for the way she’d been brought up, and the shit she'd been around that she even thinks to say shit like that.

He hits the palm of his hand against the rim of his steering wheel, rather he goes to before he catches himself, slowing it before it really hits, tapping it more than anything, “No the fuck it isn’t. It’s nobody’s fault but the assholes that make it into a problem. And fucking Neil’s for dragging us to this close-minded little spot on the map. I hate this fucking town”

“Oh.” Is all Max says.

Billy waits, but he can see she doesn’t know what else to say, so he sighs, “Look, I made my promise to you. Can you make one for me now?”

Max looks confused, “Okay?”

“Promise me that the next time somebody says some shit to you, you stand up for yourself.” Max scrunches up her face, like she immediately disagrees with that, but Billy insists, “Look, I don’t care if you’re crying like a damn baby or you can’t even talk while you do it, just don’t let ‘em walk all over you like that again.”

“I’m not fighting anyone, Billy. I’m not.. like you.”

“That’s not what I said. I said to stand up for yourself. It’s different.”

“Yeah right. How am I supposed to do that?” Billy knows that some asshole had to have said that to Max, that for whatever bullshit reason she couldn’t stick up for herself. Damn kid can’t catch a break in life, so he tells her, at this point not sure if this is even advice or just him ranting at Max, “This kid calls you a slur again, tell ‘im at least you got the diagnosis. Make him feel like he’s the stupid one. And if a teacher ever pulls some shit about the way you learn, tell ‘em you’ll go to the board of education and personally get their asses fired. Your mom would fight for you.”

“No she wouldn’t.”

“Then dammit I would. Your friends would if they understood. I know Sinclair would kick ass for you.”

Max’s toughness finally cracks- she learned that from him, to put on that hard exterior and fake it- Billy's determination stronger than her stubbornness. She looks up at him with a look in her eye that says he’s said all the right things, “You really think so?”

“No shit. Big brothers know all about this kind of bull.”

“I guess.” Max smiles just a little, and tells him matter-of-factly, “But you’re not that kind of big brother. You’re too cool.”

“Hell yeah I am.” Billy hums proudly, adding with humor in his tone, “But it’s even more cool to be nice to your little sister than it is to be an asshole. Remember that one.”

Max nods, listing it off on her fingers, “Stand up for myself, but don’t be an asshole, and Billy's secretly a big softie. I think I got it.”

“Good. Now out of my car, shitbird.”

Giggling in that way that says she knows she got him, Max swings open her door and runs into the house, leaving Billy to watch after her. He turns off the car but doesn’t get out, trying to bury his worry for her under his expression, not because he didn’t care, or even because he didn’t want her to know, he was long past that, but because he was worried what would happen if Susan saw his concern.

She’d weasel the truth out of Max if she knew something was up, and somehow, despite her promises, Neil would find out once he dragged his ass back home from the bar later tonight, and then it would somehow be Billy’s fault. He just hopes, if Max lets slip about the bullying, she at least doesn’t get too mouthy and mention the part where she was crying.

That was a Friday when that all went down, so Billy has the weekend, which thankfully does not include any snitching, to decide what he’s going to do about it. It’s not like he was ever going to go beat up on any tweens anyways, but he promised Max he wouldn’t be dumb, and he knew that meant no passive aggressive bullshit either. At least not while she could see him.

Because that ruled out like, half of his options, he’s still kind of clueless on what he’s going to do that next Monday morning when schools back in. He’s sitting in the middle school parking lot, fingers twitching against the steering wheel without a cigarette to busy them with, waiting for 7:30 on the dot when Max always goes in.

At this point, he’s considering just ditching with her to go get ice cream or something so she doesn’t have to face any bullies today, but his epiphany comes in the form of watching Jonathan Byers walk the littler one all the way to the front doors, his hand protectively hooked through the handle on the kid’s backpack. When the clock ticks the right time and Max opens her door, he knows what he’s going to do, and he turns the car off.

She freezes, can tell he’s up to something. “What are you doing?”

“Nothin’. M’just walking you in.” She glares at him in response to the smug smile he wears, so he swears, “Honest. I got basketball today. No way I’m missing that shit ‘cause I fought some little kid.”

“You’re lying.”

“Can’t I just be nice to my little sister?”

From the look on her face, she’s still skeptical, but it's enough to get Max to agree to it, grabbing her bag from the backseat and mumbling, “Whatever. Just don’t embarrass me.”

Billy chuckles, giving Max a head start towards the building before he follows, “Hey now, I thought just yesterday I was your cool older brother.”

“Cool older brothers don’t walk their sisters to the door.” She calls it over her shoulder, and Billy can’t help but tease her more, correcting her in a sing-songy voice, “Who said I was stoppin’ at the door? I’m walking you all the way to your class.”

“Oh god.” Max stops walking, but Billy keeps up, this time pulling ahead enough to call back to her, “Come on shitbird. Don’t wanna be late.”

“I hate you so much.”

“Yeah, right. You love that I would take the time outta my morning to do this for you.” He props open the door for Max with his boot, pretending not to notice the way all the little middle school kids at their lockers turn to gawk at them, letting her shove past him with her face flushed deeper than the color of her hair in embarrassment.

Pulling on her backpack straps, like she’s trying to physically make herself smaller, she mumbles, “No, I actually hate you.”

He almost feels bad for embarrassing her, but that’s the other part of his job, and he reminds her of that, “Good. There’s some more advice for ya, little sisters should always hate their big brothers, or he’s doing something wrong.”

They get a little ways down the hall, Max’s confidence going up just some as the shock wears off and people start to turn away, but Billy hardly notices. He doesn’t even come close to being bothered by eighth grade politics anymore, and if he’s intimidating the poor kids, well that’s exactly what he’s there for.

When he’s met with a particularly harsh glare from some snob nosed brat, who happens to remind him a lot of one Tommy Hagan, he bumps into Max on purpose, and announces louder than he needs to in hopes the kid’ll know he was looking for him, “That the little asshole s’been givin’ you trouble?”

Glancing nervously between him and Billy, she nods, “Yeah..”

Billy just nods, a cross between acknowledgment and judgement, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“You said-“ Again Max panics, but Billy cuts her off this time with a simple assurance of, “And I didn’t do anything.”

Her eyebrows knit together, realizing that that wasn’t a lie, “I.. guess you didn’t.”

“What’s your first class anyways?”

“We report to the cafeteria before first period.” She informs him, leading him that way, but he hooks two fingers through the strap on her bag to stop her, “Not gonna happen, Maxi. Being shoved in a tiny room with three hundred other kids makes you feel all ‘meltdowny’ I think was your exact word. So you’re not doin’ that anymore. I just decided.”

“But that’s against the rules.”

“Yeah, so’s me bein’ in this building during school hours, but nobody’s saying shit to me, are they?”

Max narrows her eyes at him then, and he knows he said too much, that he’s been found out, “That’s your plan isn’t it.”

There’s a crooked smile on his face he can’t hide as he plays innocent-like, “What is?”

Max pushes him a little and he pretends to misstep while she accuses him, “Coming into school and being all intimidating so nobody will bug me anymore.”

“Pfft, yeah right.” Billy denies again, getting nothing but an eye roll in response at first, but when it’s clear it’s he’s not going to give up and admit it, Max does, glancing shortly over at him, “Well thanks anyways, Billy.”

She adds, realizing he’s wandering with no idea where they’re going, having never been in the middle school himself, “My first class is in B-18.”

“Which one is’at?” He asks, just curious, but Max deflects the question, giving a short, “It’s taught by Mr. Clarke.”

Just from how quiet she is, Billy can tell that she's hiding something, “Max. You seriously don’t even know what class you’re in?”

“No I don’t, okay?” Max stops in the middle of the hallway, ranting at her brother, “It’s already not the same as my old school, and then they moved my schedule all around again after they decided I didn’t qualify for special ed, so now I just go where I’m s’posed to, and I know my teachers better than my classes.”

“And you didn’t tell anyone, did you?”

“No. There’s nothing anyone can do so it doesn’t matter.” Her tone implies she thought a lot about it, maybe even wanted to, but decided not to.

Billy insists right back, these past two days feeling like he’s constantly petitioning for Max to trust and rely on him, “Oh I could do somethin’. You know I could.”

“I do. But I don’t want you to. Sticking up for me is enough.”

That’s what makes Billy understand. The firmness in her voice says everything she needs him to hear: Max doesn’t want Billy to do for her what she can handle. This is bigger than just being the older brother. This is her setting boundaries, asking for help without wanting to be controlled. That’s something he never really got how to do, being raised by a dictator and all, but it’s something she needs. Sometimes he forgets that.

He doesn’t say anything else, just lets it sit while Max takes him down some stairs to the right room. She stops outside, scuffing up the dusty marble floors with the toe of her Chuck Taylor’s, “Could you.. stick around for a little bit in case he says something?”

Billy clicks his tongue, remarking, “I dunno. I got a class in a few..”

But his sarcasm falls short with Max, which, that’s his bad for not realizing that it would, and her face falls, “Oh, well I guess I can just-”

“Was just funnin’ you shitbird. I don’t give a fuck about my classes.” Max grimaces in that all too familiar way of uncertainty, so he promises, “I’ll be right out here. Go talk to your teacher, ‘n if he says some shit to you, remember I only promised not be stupid about the bully.”

He at least gets a smile for that one, before Max rolls her eyes, “You’re not fighting my science teacher, dummy.”

“Whatever. Just get in there, brat.”

He can see Max holding back a smile as she listens, bounding into her classroom with another quick glance back at Billy to check that he wasn’t lying and going to walk away.

Billy waits until the door fall closed to lean against the row of lockers opposite it, watching her through the little meshed over windows. By now, he’s pretty well versed on what arguments with angry authority figures look like, and the conversation between Max and her teacher is not one. He still stays though, just because Max asked him to, but maybe, just maybe a little for himself, a reassurance that the second he leaves shit isn’t going to get worse, and Max’ll have at least someone other than her equally as nerdy little friends behind her.

Then they both turn and give him a little wave, Max and her teacher, an acknowledgment to Billy that this new routine was indeed going to work out. The way the school district had handled everything else, he wonders if the guy even knew Max wasn’t like his other students until now.

Still, seeing that, Billy gives a half nod in response, and decides his job is done here, at least until tomorrow when he does the same. Max’ll get used to it, and his hope is that the little bully brats won’t. He’ll just have to keep them on their toes.

Which is exactly why, while on his way out, Billy has to break his promise to Max, just slightly, and do something dumb. He finds the Troy kid again, and waits until the little punk is at his peak to knock him down a few pegs.

He’s complaining about some teacher, which is pretty typical for a thirteen-fourteen year old kid, but the other things he’s said to Max make it not as relatable, not as innocent. So he does what any logical, mature adult would do, and scares the piss out of him.

Billy waits until the kid gets a laugh from his troop of assholes, and slams the locker door beside him shut, uncaring of who’s it was. All eyes are quickly on him, all too wide against too pale faces. It’s too easy.

“What are you little shits whining about over here?”

The one in charge steps forward, trying to be tough despite the way he has to practically bend backwards to look up at Billy’s face, “None of your business. Did the freak send you after us to scare us? It ain’t gonna work.”

“Oh I’m not here to scare you. I’m just here to give you your final warning. We’re past the point of intimidation. Matter of fact, next time I have to come here.. it won’t be looking so good for you.”

“You’re lying.” The kid accuses, despite the obvious doubt written behind his features.

Billy can work with that.

“I might be. But I’m still an authority figure over your sorry little asses, and if you don’t start respecting that..” He bends down a little further, still nowhere near the kid but making his whole troupe flinche back, and drops his pitch, “well, I can’t promise what’ll happen to ya, but unlike your teachers, I don’t play by the rules. You got that?”

Straightening himself back out, Billy pretends to start walking away before he adds, “Oh, and if you pick on my kid sister ever again, I will know. Just remember that, uh, Troy was it?”

The kid nods dumbly, literally vibrating with something like fear, and Billy can say he’s pretty satisfied with that. He pats the kid on the shoulder, a touch so gentle it wouldn’t’ve hurt a fly, and notably couldn’t get him in any trouble, but the little shit scampers off, three other puffy head bullies trailing after him.

Everyone sees it happen, Billy with his nasty smirk and his distinguishably high-schooler way of carrying himself, Troy running for the hills in the other direction. He leaves feeling like his point has been thoroughly proven.

It isn’t easy to make Maxine Mayfield cry, but it’s even harder to get away with it, and Billy knows it won’t be a problem from now on.

[dotthings]

After 15.07 ended I had to sit there crying for about ten minutes, marinating in my Dean feelings. So that’s how things are going here.

[[MORE]]

Dean sure is drinking a lot. Oh sweetie. Sure he’s fine. He’s just fine. Perfectly fine. It’s not just Cas weighing on him but Cas is gone yet still out there. But away from him, and he’s feeling alienated from Cas, and Dean’s got this existential crisis about the meaning of his whole life, and he’s just not fine.

Domestic Sam and Eileen cooking together in the bunker kitchen and acting like they’ve been married for 15 years or so I CAN’T EVEN. Those moments of domesticity are important to give this story texture. It’s never going to be all about cooking in the bunker kitchen being adorable but these are complex characters with layers and whole lives and soft marshmallow centers underneath their harsh, monster-hunting shells and I LOVE IT.

Dean likes Eileen (and she made bacon, thus winning a thousand points) and the only point during these scenes Dean showed really any lightening of his burdens was seeing Sam and Eileen together and teasing Sam about her. He just wants Sam to be happy, and Sam is worried about Dean, and oh my heart *squishes them*. “That’s progress, right?” Sam tells Eileen all hopeful, because Dean went out on a hunt. Oh Sam, honey, Sam you know better than that but you want Dean to be okay as much as Dean is posturing to be okay so you’re trying to roll with it. Dean fleeing from his life into a hunt isn’t really a good sign though.

When Dean finds Lee, it’s the first time all season we’ve seen him all the way through happy. I’m not sure I’ve seen Dean look that kind of happy well...ever. My heart is SHATTERING HERE. It’s like this is the Dean that could be, if circumstances had been less brutal, if the monsters, and heaven, and hell, and God himself, had been less brutal, if his mom hadn’t died when he was four, if John had been well...not the way John was to him, and even with all that, the capability is still in Dean, that sense of joy in being alive, in being open.

This ep is kind of underscoring how important different kinds of relationships are. No matter how much I love the relationships of Team Free Will, none of them can be all the things for each other, even if it’s three instead of just two. Eileen and Sam’s rapport shows it in this ep and Dean’s rapport with Lee shows it. It doesn’t mean Cas and Sam are less important to Dean. And I think Dean and Cas really belong together and are suited, if they can climb over being their own worst enemies, and Sam and Dean are Sam and Dean, but Dean and Lee have their own thing too and it BREAKING MY HEART SEEING THIS.

Oooh Eileen makes her move and Sam seems interested and—-LOLOLOL Cas cockblocks Saileen.

Sam is so damn pissy about Cas not getting back to him I am loving it.

“Yeah, I got better.” This should be a crest on a stone shield over the bunker door at this point, everyone in it died at one point or another...but then they got better.

Cas IMMEDIATELY demanding “Where’s Dean?”

He’s so put out that Dean isn’t there akdlfjkl;asjg;lahf even though Cas doesn’t want to talk to him right now. WHERE’S DEAN. The song of the Castiel.

Dean assuming that Lee probably died after they lost touch because “I mean that’s how this usually ends” is the most hunter most sad thing ever.

But no he didn’t die, he retired and bought a bar, he’s living Dean’s Rocky’s Bar dream and everything hurts.

So Eileen realizes that whatever Sergei is planning to do about Sam’s God bullet wound is a bad idea, while Sam and Cas jump right in because they just want to get Chuck and of course it goes badly. This is peak Team Free Will dumbassery. Eileen is such a reasonable, sensible voice here but it doesn’t stop them.

Cas finally calls Dean on purpose because Sam is hurt, I mean nothing brings bickering husbands together like mutual worry over one of their kids. Also Cas is so distressed about Sam, maybe he wants Dean there, it’s almost not quite a flip on Dean praying to Cas needing Cas there personally when he’s scared for Sam.

“If you don’t help me tonight I will find you and burn you alive.” Fierce Cas protecting Sam. I’m all tingly.

So Dean asks Lee “who’s going to kill the bad guys”

“Somebody else” says Lee.

At first, Lee’s ideas about retirement sound like not a completely terrible idea, there is more to life than hunting, and maybe Dean should have the chance to explore that. Oh and it sounds like this friendship with Lee was something Dean had while Sam was an Stanford and I have so many thoughts on that, those years are left unfilled in by canon, we can only surmise and piece together. The idea that Dean was fully lonely the entire time, completely lost without his brother...maybe not so much. Much as it was also hard on Dean having Sam leave him and John behind so completely and I’m sure it hurt. But here’s the thing, they spent years apart, and both had their lives, and this look into a friendship from Dean’s past, while Sam had Jess...interesting. Again, gee it’s like more than one relationship in people’s lives matter.

Eileen looking after Sam who is suffering from a wound “down to his very soul.” Eileen’s worried little face. Cas’s worried face.

Okay okay I knew Lee could turn out to be evil, I knew that, I still shouted NOOOOOOOO. Figured ahead of time this ep could go one of three ways. 1. Djinn dream and Lee wasn’t real 2. Lee is real but good 3. Lee is real and was a friend but turns out to be a betrayer or a monster or dies (ooh fun times we went with a triumvirute on number 3)

I was actually getting annoyed at Cas for trusting Sergei in the first place but then Cas, the tactician, the smart ruthless angel, is holding a captive over Sergei. He knew Sergei might screw them over all along and was prepared.

Eileen pinning Sergei angrily up against the wall by his throat, threatening him for Sam’s sake. SAM THIS ONE IS A KEEPER.

Also Eileen reminds me a lot of Cas. They can both be soft but have this ruthless streak, this warrior fury that comes out.

Oh welp here we go, Lee let the darkness eat his heart. He wasn’t turned into a monster, and he doesn’t do it for greed, it just...ate him up, all he wanted, after his trauma, was some peace but there are costs too high and he gave up what was good about him to get some minor good fortune, his dream bar.

“If evil like that exists int he world, guys like you and me, we aren’t ever going to win”

“No one’s innocent”

“Are we owed a little happiness”

“Good or bad, the world doesn’t care. No one cares, Dean.”

So while Dean is facing this existential abyss about whether anything he’s done, all the trauma he’s gone through, had any meaning, because he found out God was outright manipulating events around him his whole life, on purpose, for entertainment, there’s his old friend, someone Dean clearly connected strongly with and cares about, spilling his own abyss out onto the table in front of Dean and the abyss in Lee is a lot darker and danker and rotted than Dean’s, and Dean’s the one who has to contend with actual freakin’ GOD screwing him over, personally, his whole life.

“Well I do.”

This is probably where I started crying during the episode, because of Dean. Because of all the trauma, all the losses, all the unimaginable horrors he’s faced, including his own inner demons, and he never gave up and he never lost his caring for the world and for others. He often doesn’t care much about himself but he never stopped CARING. And his spirit and his heart are as fierce and butt-kicking as his monster-fighting and hand-to-hand combat skills (I so enjoyed this bamf Dean fight scene) and that is why I love Dean SO SO MUCH.

*pauses to cry again*

“I am you. That woke up and saw the world was broken.” But Lee doesn’t know that Dean knows the world is broken. He knows eactly how broken the world is, how literally broken, that it’s just one of Chuck’s many drafts, and how uncaring Chuck the creator really is. It doesn’t get more world-breaking than that, and Dean knows, and IT DIDN’T BREAK DEAN. Lee’s projecting, he just can’t understand how someone who is like him, who’s witnessed horrors like what he’s witnessed, isn’t broken the way Lee is. But Dean is Dean, he isn’t Lee.

“Why do you care so much Dean?”

“Because someone has to.”

Oh hey because I haven’t made this post painful enough yet with Dean analysis, let’s take a look back at 2.20 What Is and What Should Never Be (transcript courtesy of superwiki)

“All of them. Everyone that you saved, everyone Sammy and I saved. They're all dead. And there's this woman, that's haunting me. I don't know why. I don't know what the connection is, not yet anyway. It's like my old life is, is coming after me or something. Like it like it doesn't want me to be happy. Course I know what you'd say. Well, not the you that played softball but... "So go hunt the Djinn. He put you here, it can put you back. Your happiness for all those people's lives, no contest. Right?" But why? Why is it my job to save these people? Why do I have to be some kind of hero? (begins to cry while talking) What about us, huh? What, Mom's not supposed to live her life, Sammy's not supposed to get married? Why do we have to sacrifice everything, Dad?”

But Dean is way past this, he’s gone through that stage of questioning and come out the other side. He tells Lee nobody owes him anything. He isn’t owed a reward. He just cares because he does and that’s...well, that’s kind of how life is. As fans, we talk about what our favorites deserve, and of course they deserve some peace and happiness. But that’s not always how it works...still they can keep hoping and we can keep hoping for them. The story isn’t over.

Whereas Lee, when he asked those questions about “why us, why do we have to be the heroes” came out the other side completely broken and corrupt.

The way Dean’s eyes went dead inside when he had to stab Lee. Like a light went out in Dean as Lee died. The contrast between that and his light-hearted pure joy at seeing his old friend again. JUST STAB ME TOO OKAY

Oh my goodness Dean’s return to the bunker and that awkward awkward face to face with Cas and neither of them seems angry any more even but there’s so so much negative space between them and Dean seems like he wants to maybe bridge the gulf but now Cas shuts Dean out, cuts him off, and walks out of the room, a flip on what Dean was doing in eps 1-3 to Cas. And the STARING oh my god the staring. Despite their problems, despite everything, Dean and Cas have a powerful bond and bonds don’t have to be trouble free and perfect to be good ones. They’re going to fix this, if they can climb over their walls and their issues and find their joy together. Because they are both worth it. They are also similar. No matter what’s been thrown at them, how much suffering, how much trauma. Cas, like Dean, keeps getting back up, and hasn’t lost his caring. “Too much heart was always Castiel’s problem” and it’s actually Dean’s problem too and by problem, for them on this, we actually mean great big asset.

Both of them, Cas last week, and Dean this week, undergo something separately that shows them why they have to get back into the fight, and not run away from everything (or each other, I think, that’s tacit). “If I stay here nothing changes” Cas said in 15.06. Cas was able to prove to himself, for himself, that he could save people, that he wasn’t an entire failure, and Dean went through an experience in 15.07 that jolted him to connect with his own sense of caring again, to feel the meaning in who he is and what he does, and how much he cares. Despite Chuck’s nonsense, he still cares about everything, so much it hurts.

[mingjue]

another sangcheng cuddling bit :) set in early nights, but this wont be in their version of it i think

(requested by @adhdgays )

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

Arguing with his older brother was probably the most mentally draining thing Huaisang could go through. Both of them were stubborn. Both of them hated admitting they were wrong-- especially Mingjue, even if they knew they were wrong. Once they got a story or point they believed, they stuck with it even when proven wrong. It was annoying and tedious, but the one thing he could be thankful for was Mingjue refraining from yelling at him.

He’s gotten close though, if slamming the front door so hard it broke the metal frame said anything.

Nie Huaisang always took the bullet train straight to Lotus Pier right after these fights. Sometimes he would text Jiang Cheng to let him know he was coming-- sometimes he didn’t. He wanted to talk this time, because sitting in a train for two-ish hours being left to his thoughts wasn’t the best.

Jiang Cheng had been asleep when he texted him, so his reply came late. He didn’t mind. He actually felt a little bad waking him up so late. At the moment it was pretty much 1 am, anyways. But Jiang Cheng started texting him back, starting a small conversation. 

NHS: i’m gonna be there in about 15 mins i think JC: o i should.  come pickbu up then NHS: nonono i can walk bby NHS: u’re too sleepy :/ JC: nah JC: it windyas hel right now i don t wan u getting sick. NHS: u literally can’t type rn i’m walking. it’s a ten minute walk anywyas shut up JC: :(

Huaisang bit back a smile at that.

JC: if yu get sick in going to thro ubback to qinghe i caNNOT get sick NHS: i’m gonig to get you sick >:) JC: no. ffs

The smile finally broke through, and he covered his face with his hand instinctively. 

-

Nie Huaisang entered the home as quietly as he could, locking the front door once again behind him. After . . . Zixuan’s death, Jiang Yanli and her son was living with Jiang Cheng. He didn’t want to disturb them.

He took off his jacket and put it on one of the jacket hooks, kicking off his shoes at the step, but kept the bag he’d been holding-- he packed a bag intending to stay tonight, and tomorrow night. 

Not particularly being fond of how dark it was, he didn’t linger there for long. He made his way to the hallway of bedrooms and went straight to Jiang Cheng’s. Even if he didn’t need to, he knocked before opening it.

“Why should I not attempt to beat Mingjues ass right now,” He was greeted by a slurring voice coming from Jiang Cheng, who shut off his phone and tossed it to his nightstand.

“Because he’s probably twice your weight,” Huaisang hummed-- and suddenly tears pricked his eyes. He shut the bedroom door behind him, letting his bag fall to the floor before he walked over to the bed. He fell onto it beside Jiang Cheng, pulling the half asleep man into his arms to nuzzle the back of his neck, “It’s kinda my fault the argument happened anyways.”

Jiang Cheng hummed and settled against him, hands gently gripping his.

“What happened?”

“I . . .” His voice finally wavered, the guilt he felt when he first boarded the train hitting him immediately, “You know how he’s been having these like . . . breakdowns more frequently?”

“Yeah.”

“We were already arguing about that, right,” He hugged Jiang Cheng tighter, “And he was getting pissy about me wanting to talk about it in the first place, because Lan Huan’s been bothering him about it, but it all escalated--” He furrowed his brows and blinked at an attempt to hold back tears, “God-- basically I told him he’s acting like dad--” Jiang Cheng muttered a quiet, ‘oh damn’, “--and I was getting tired of dealing with him.”

Nie Huaisang flinched with a guilt-ridden sob and buried his face into Jiang Cheng’s neck. At that, he turned in Huaisangs arms to hold him in a tight hug, so his head was now at Jiang Cheng’s chest.

“. . . That,” Jiang Cheng paused, “You’re right to be annoyed with him, baby.”

“I shouldn’t have said that,” Huaisang cried, “Our dad was a piece of shit.”

“I know.”

“A-Cheng I made him cry.”

“Oh.”

They both stayed quiet for a moment. Huaisang nuzzled into Jiang Cheng’s chest while he slowly rubbed his back.

“Is he still at the house?” Jiang Cheng asked a few minutes later, gently kissing Huaisang on the top of his head.

“He left before I did.”

“And he isn’t on good terms with Lan Huan right now.”

“I don’t know.”

“Hm.” 

Both of the men flinched when there was a soft knock at the door.

“Yeah?” Jiang Cheng grunted, then the door silently opened.

“Are you alr-- oh!” It was Jiang Yanli. Nie Huaisang turned to look at her but immediately turned away again-- he was still crying, “I didn’t realize A-Sang was here, sorry.”

“No you’re fine, did we wake you?”

“A-Ling woke me first, but you’re fine,” She paused, “There’s leftover soup I can heat up for you two, if you need.”

“Shijie, it’s almost two AM.”

“I don’t mind.”

Huaisang sniffled and brought a hand to his face to rub at his eye, “Thank you, I don’t know if I can eat right now though.” Jiang Cheng hummed in agreement. 

“Alright,” She stepped out of the doorway, “Be sure to get sleep, okay? Goodnight.”

Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng said goodnight in unison as she shut the door. 

“. . . Your sister is so nice, A-Cheng,” Huaisang mumbled, “Mingjue would smother me in a hug before telling me to get over it, then never talk about it again.” Jiang Cheng scoffed in a laugh.

“At least he’d hug you.”

“Yeah,” He frowned, “. . . I hope he’s okay.”

“I’m sure he is,” Jiang Cheng backed away to look at him, “I don’t think anything could really fuck him up this late.” Huaisang hummed.

They were quiet for a little longer. Eventually, Nie Huaisang prodded him to turn back around so he could hug him from behind again, poking at his chest and belly to tease him as he did. 

Before he could really get settled though, he huffed upon realizing he left his phone in his jacket pocket.

“I need to go get my phone,” He said, “In case Mingjue texts me or something.”

“He can text my phone.”

“He’s not going to, you know that,” Again he sniffled before placing a kiss on Jiang Cheng’s neck, just below his jaw, “I’ll be right back.”

He went to grab his phone as quickly as he could so he could rush back to Jiang Cheng’s room. As he did, he unlocked his phone, and sure enough there were texts left by Mingjue, and surprisingly Lan Huan.

NMJ: where are yuo. NMJ: Sangsang. NMJ: are you at Wanyin’s. NMJ: if you are asleep text me when you wake up ok. NMJ: or call me. NMJ: im sorry.

LXC: Do you know where your brother is? I can’t get a hold of him. Sorry for texting you so late :( LXC: Never mind, he showed up at the hotel. I hope you’re doing okay! :(

Huaisang frowned. Mingjues were sent just a few minutes ago, but Lan Huans were sent almost 20 minutes ago. Entering Jiang Cheng’s bedroom once again, he went to text Mingjue.

NHS: i’m at jcs da-ge

“He texted you?”

“Yeah, him and Lan Huan.”

NMJ: good. NMJ: im with A-Huan right now. NMJ: lunch when you get back. ok NMJ: ? NHS: ok NMJ: ok. goodnight Sangsang. NHS: goodnight

Huaisang sat down on the bed, “I think he’s going to act like nothing happened.”

“Don’t let him,” Jiang Cheng grunted, “Obviously you two have shit to talk about.”

“Yeah,” He sighed deeply and turned off his phone, setting it next to Jiang Cheng’s, “He wants to go for lunch. I’ll talk with him about it then,” As he spoke he turned around and laid next to him, once again pulling him into his arms. He nuzzled him before pressing a few more kisses along his neck-- which made Jiang Cheng raise his shoulders at being tickled, “Can I stay tomorrow night?”

“You can stay as long as you want,” Jiang Cheng grabbed his hand, “It’s stupid coming from me of all people but don’t try and avoid talking to Mingjue.”

“You’ve always been a bit of a hypocrite A-Cheng.”

“Oh fuck off,” He chuckled. Huaisang leaned over and kissed him on the corner of his lips with a small smile.

[dammit-stark]

i am OBSESSED with royalty aus

fun fact: red, white & royal blue by Casey mcquiston is actually my favorite book (tied with Emma by Jane Austen, obviously) but anyway this was heavily inspired by the plot of that book so I hope you like it! - p.s this turned out to be like 1.8k words soooooo here it exists now okay

DROP YOUR FAV AU IN MY ASK BOX (OR JUST ANY IDEA IDC) AND ILL WRITE IT FOR YOU :)

...

“We’re supposed to hate each other,” Tony insists, head hanging off the side of his bed, his feet cushioned in the onslaught of pillows by the head board. Nat sits criss-cross applesauce in his peripheral vision, flipping through a magazine, “It’s not my fault he’s a pompous ass and we’re star-crossed nemeses.”

Nat stops flipping to look at him under an arched eyebrow, “Star-crossed, Tony? Really?”

“Oh, shush, you know what I am. We’re total opposites. My dad got elected by the people into the greatest country in the world, and he was born into the crappy inbred monarchy whose ass we beat centuries ago.”

Nat doesn’t look up from her magazine this time, “Didn’t your dad fund his campaign with the millions of dollars he got from his inheritance?”

Tony pauses. In the silence, he can hear the blood rushing to his head. He chooses to ignore Nat’s logic, “I really don’t think that’s relevant here.”

Nat gets to the last page and the flimsy pages clap noisily together. She points an accusatory finger at him, “I don’t care if you think he’s the Loch Ness monster, it’s a royal wedding and you’re the first son of the United States. You’re gonna have to suck it up and be on your best behavior.”

“Oh, no, Nat,” Tony coos sardonically, still hanging upside down, “Are you afraid I’m gonna embarrass you?”

With a complete straight face, she throws her magazine at him, and stands so she’s towering above him. He has to stretch his neck to look at her.

“Yes, she says. I absolutely am. Now, what do you want on your pizza? I’m hungry.”

As it turns out, Tony isn’t humanly capable of staying on his best behavior at the royal wedding. He definitely embarrasses Nat, and maybe, sorta, totally causes an international incident in the process.

“It’s not my fault,” He tells Nat on the jet back to the States, still hanging somewhere in the precarious limbo between disastrously drunk and world-endings hungover, “He started it.”

Nat just glares at him, “I was standing right there, Tony. I watched you push him first.”

“I-“ There’s not much point in arguing, “Yeah. Dad’s gonna be pissed, isn’t he?”

Nat sighs, a long, never-ending sigh that makes her sound decades older than she actually is. Tony has that effect on people.

“Don’t worry about your dad, Tony,” She tells him. This time, she’s flipping through a classified file folder instead of a dime-a-dozen tabloid edition, “We’re gonna fix your mess, as per usual.”

Tony can feel the hangover rearing it’s head over the drunkenness, and he sinks into his chair, eyes closing, “You’re the best, Nat. Thanks.”

Nat rolls her eyes as Tony falls asleep, “Yeah,” She murmurs under her breath to herself, “Damn right I am. Dumbass.”

It turns out that Nat’s solution to Tony’s antagonistic little international incident is to make it seem like the whole The-First-Son-Just-Pushed-A-Beloved-Prince-Into-His-Brother’s-Wedding-Cake thing seem more like a frat boy-esque ribbing gone bad. Tony hates the plan, and he tells Nat as such.

“This is a horrible plan. It’s not gonna work, and it means I have to spend an entire weekend with Prince Pissy Pants.”

They’re on the private plane again, flying back to England to fix Tony’s mess.

Nat rolls her eyes, and punches him in the shoulder, “Get over yourself, Stark. If you don’t want to hang out with your so-called nemesis, then stop getting drunk and pushing people into wedding cakes. This is your own fault. We’re fixing your problem for you. Get over it.”

Tony rolls his eyes, but otherwise consents, “Whatever.”

Nat passes him a file folder.

“What’s this?”

“The Prince’s interests. Study it. Learn it like it’s the back of your hand, and then study it even more. If you get caught in a lie, Stark, you’re beyond dead.”

He gets two lines in before he tears narrowed eyes away from the paper to suspiciously meet Nat’s expression, “Did he get one of these about me?”

“Yep.”

“What was in it?”

“Your interests, Stark.”

Tony does not envy whoever got assigned that task. He wonders how accurate it’ll be. He obediently reads through the Prince’s interests among an uncharacteristic silence. Nat almost thinks he’s grown up until he breaks said silence with a snort.

“His favorite book is Great Expectations? Nerd.”

When they land, Tony remembers why he pushed the prince in the first place. Yeah, the alcohol did half the work for him, but- something about the Prince’s stupidly perfect, absurdly handsome face just makes Tony want to start shoving people into cakes. Surely other people have the same urge.

“Mr Stark,” The Prince says as greeting. He doesn’t even offer a hand for Tony to shake, just smiles with his hands folded together, “It’s a shame these are the circumstances that you-“

“Yeah, yeah, you’re very polite, I get it. Prince Steve here to save the day with his antiquated, impeccable manners. Yippee-kiy-yai.”

Tony counts it as a win that he sees a flicker in that smile, but it crests back to sparkly perfection with a blink of the eye. There are cameras. Tony sees Nat out of the corner of his eye, glaring beside a distinct row of security, somehow looking the most intimidating of all of them. He smiles back, pasted and ridiculous and spiteful, his whole body tensed and relaxed at the same time.

He smiles winningly for the cameras.

Later, at the hospital, Tony wonders how Mr Prince Perfect can put on such a facade, even with sick kids. Because that’s obviously what this is. He watches from across the room as Prince Steven kneels beside a sick kid’s bedside, smiling kindly, and talking to the little girl with her baby yoda doll tucked into the crook of her arm.

It’s not until Tony has completely committed to his eavesdropping that he realizes there aren’t any cameras around to capture Steve’s amiability. That’s the first moment Tony thinks oh, maybe this guy isn’t as fake as I thought he was.

“You totally wouldn’t be Han Solo,” Tony interrupts because he’s totally an asshole and he knows it (that’s the different between Tony and Prince Stick-Up-Butt, he at least owns his assholery), “You’re a textbook Luke Skywalker if I ever met one, Prince.”

Steve’s responding grin is surprisingly left-leaning, and the kid in the hospital bed is giggling.

“Are you gonna try to tell me that you’re a Han Solo then?”

“Actually, I-“

“Because you’re not,” Steve’s totally serious except a slight twinkle in his eye, one forefinger tapping against his own knee as the little girl sits enraptured by the ridiculous conversation occurring just above her, “You’re Anakin through and through. Not in a bad way, just-“

Tony doesn’t mean to come off as truly surprised as he really does, but the way he shuts his mouth immediately gives him away, “No,” He says, “You’re right.”

Steve’s lips punch off at the corners in an amused, vaguely self-satisfied way that makes Tony want to soberly push him into another cake so expensive you need to take out a mortgage to eat a slice. Before Tony can needle him back, the prince is smiling back at the kid, a gentle hand on her arm. Huh.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Wendy. Thanks for talking about Star Wars with us.”

And like the smug bastard he is, Steve gracefully stands from her bedside and leaves the room. Oh no he won’t. Tony follows, angrily.

That’s how they end up in a near-empty hospital hallway together. And subsequently, it’s also how they’re pushed into the closest nearby maintenance closet by the nearest secret service operative, tripping over themselves and invisible equipment alike as they’re safely hidden away. It’s also how they end up on the floor, joints every which way, elbows menacing and in all the wrong places as they cajole violently among the brooms and buckets.

“Your elbow-“ Tony grunts, “Is in my side, Steve.”

“Yes, well, my elbow wouldn’t be in your side if your elbow wasn't in my shoulder.”

“Get your shoulder out of my elbow!”

“Why do you hate me?” Steve cuts him off, a hiss in his voice. Ooh, Mr Perfect Prince can actually get angry. Exciting.

Tony takes a deep breath. Or- as deep of a breath as he can take without drawing attention to their tight little maintenance closet/hideout.

“You’re not real. You’re fake. Everything you do has been trained into you, it’s annoying.”

“I feel pretty real to me, Stark.”

“You just- it’s a persona. You’re a persona. And the whole world blindly loves you for it.”

In the dark, Tony chews on his bottom lip- a chronic bad habit of his.

When Steve responds, his voice is low, even lower than it necessarily needs to be to keep attention away from their location. He can’t tell in the dark, but Tony thinks his head might be bowed. He can practically hear the thoughts in the prince’s head. But then again, they’re physically close enough, practically spooning ridiculously on the ground, he might as well tap directly into Steve’s mind they’re so close together.

“Do you think I want to be a persona, Tony? Do you think I did this to myself? I’m still me, I’m just- guarded. It’s not up to me. There’s a lot more to the world than my place in it.”

Tony’s quiet. It’s a much more real answer than he’d expected. He’d half expected the prince to spit on him or something, dig his elbow extra far into Tony’s side or something. Instead he gets this vulnerable little morsels of honesty, and Tony has nothing to say.

“I-“

Tony’s cut off by blinding light. Nat whips the door open.

“Ew, what are you guys doing on the ground? Why are you spooning?”

Steve hurried to his feet, cheeks visibly red, “The threat?” He demands, and Tony’s surprised Nat doesn’t demand a full sentence like she usually does, the cocky bastard. She nods succinctly.

“A false alarm. However, we’ve deemed it safest to move onto the next event.”

“Great, thanks,” The Prince says, and moves off down the hall, disappearing behind twin EXIT doors.

Tony’s still on the ground when Nat swivels back to look at him, a smug smile on her face.

“You hate each other, huh? Is that what you’re calling it nowadays?”

Tony rolls his eyes, “Oh, shut up, asshole, and help me.”

But he hadn’t had to tell himself deflect, deflect, deflect, and he’s pretty sure something about being stuck in a children’s hospital maintenance closet changed his feelings on the guy. Something about it.

As Tony walks to his next event, he has to push to keep the prince out of his idle mind.

When he departs for the United States hours later, Tony leaves the prince with his phone numbers.

“To corroborate our stories or whatever,” He tells Prince Steven, though he’s sure Nat isn’t convinced, “So we don’t have to keep going between these losers.”

Prince Steven accepts the offering with a smile, and Tony gets on the plane, leaving Britain behind him one last time. 

[llamamicrowave]

My Big Family on AO3

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25871098/chapters/62862025

Summary:

Jojo sibling AU Stands still exits. Jonathan has a slightly stronger version of hermit purple. And to compensate for such a weak stand he and Joseph learned Hamon. Johnny and Gappy are their cousins who live in America. Ships in tags

Notes:

Pure cringe. Beware..

Chapter 1

School Sux PT.1Chapter Text

Ships (Minor but exist)

-JonaErina (The only important one)

-Joseph x Suzi Q x Ceaser (Leave me alone)

-JotaKak

-Very minor GioTrish

-Jolyne x Ermes

-GyJo

Jonathan POV

Hi! My name is Jonathan Joestar! A little about my self? Well, I'm 26, I have 4 younger siblings that I take care of since my father is always working. But it's fine I love taking care of them! I have a girlfriend, her name is Erina Pendleton and I'm planning to propose to her soon! Please don't tell her that, or any of my bothers, I don't want them to roast me for being a softy again.

Even though I am the oldest I can't be there some times, so when I'm not there my brother Joseph is in charge. But Joseph sometimes can be... How can I say this without sounding rude? Stupid? Immature? Idiotic? Well, yes to all of those.

Since Joseph can be a bit dumb at times, dad gives responsibly to Jotaro. He's pretty chill but sometimes can come off as rude. It's all a fake though, he loves marine life (especially dolphins lol) and when he was ten he told me he wanted to be a Marine Biologist! So in short, he's a dork.

Then there's Josuke and Jolyne the twins. There the youngest in the family. Josuke is the oldest by a few minutes. He's a goofball but can be serious if needed. Like if someone insults his hair he could go as some might say, Apeshit.

Jolyne, our only sister. Her personality is much like Jotaro. She just says whatever she wants, whenever she wants. I can't really say much about her since I'm being blackmailed by her and Jotaro. They're so alike it's scary.

I know I said I only had 4 siblings but there's another I didn't mention. 3 years before Joseph was born my father adopted a "friend" of his's son, Dio Brando. Dio was, excuse my language, a dick ever since we were kids. He ran over my dog Danny with one of his "friends" cars. As soon as Dio turned 18 he moved to Italy to become a lawyer. But that wasn't the last time I saw him.

While in Italy Dio, had a child with a woman he didn't even know. That woman neglected her son and allowed her husband to abuse him.

"She would leave days at a time and leave little food for him." I looked at the toddler sleeping in his arms, he had black hair and a cute bowl cut. "He's only a kid, he can't survive like that," Dio said to me.

"..."

"I can't let him have the same childhood as me." he looked dead into my eyes. I finally understood where he was coming from torturing me all these years.

"..." I stayed quiet.

"But I'm not taking care of this kid."

And now he lives with us! His name is Giorno Giovanna-Brando-Joestar. He is only a year younger then Josuke and Jolnye. And that's my family!

And remember when I said my dad works a lot, that was a lie...

He died on Jotaro's 11th birthday. He and my stepmother were hit by a drunk driver. Jotaro blames himself for the crash. It's not his fault though, he had no control over it. He was only a kid. I'm sorry to drop this on you now but with my father's death made me like a father figure to them. Dad would be proud.

Ages,

Jonathan- 26

Johnny- 22

Joseph- 20

Jo2uke- 19

Jotaro- 17

Josuke- 16

Jolyne- 16

Giorno- 15

Narrator POV

Jonathan woke up first as normal and recapped his schedule,

Ok, so I have to make breakfast, Make sure they're ready for school, go to work, and meet up with Erina, and? What else do I have to do? ...Oh yeah! Take away Joseph's phone for getting arrested yesterday! Next time he should, you know, not try and run over his WHEELCHAIR BOND COUSIN! Goodness, I got angry again, sorry about that.

Jonathan arose from his bed and began his morning routine. He showered, washed his face, brushed his teeth, and got ready for the day.

He then started to make breakfast for his big family.

Joseph likes bacon with coffee.

Jotaro likes toast with coffee.

Josuke likes eggs with juice.

Jolyne likes yogurt with coffee.

And Giorno likes vegan pancakes with tea.

Oh yeah, Johnny, and Gappy and/or Jo2uke are staying with us! I wonder what they want? I'll just make them eggs.

A door opens from upstairs. Giorno walks out from his room to the bathroom to get ready for school. He liked waking up before the rest of his family.

When Giorno was done getting ready he walked down the stairs, and greeted Jonathan as he sat down.

"Good Morning, Jonathan."

"Good Morning! Did you sleep well?" Jonathan asked.

"Yeah, I think s-" He was cut off by a door slamming shut. Very loudly.

"Must be Jotaro. Jolyne must have gotten in the bathroom first." Giorno commented.

Jonathan laughed. "I guess so."

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Good Morning, retards!" Jolyne came prancing down the stairs.

"Jolyne, that isn't nice," Jonathan said sternly.

"You're right, Joseph isn't here right now." she sat down. Jonathan sighed. saying nothing back to her, defeated.

"Where is Joseph anyway?" Giorno asks.

Jonathan scoffs, "I told him to be awake at 6:00 sharp."

"Why 6:00?" Jolyne asked

"That's his punishment for trying to run over Johnny yesterday."

"Ohh yeah! I remember now!"

"Your next line will be, 'The things he'll do for 20 bucks,'!" a voice from inside the pantry spoke.

"The things he'll do for 20 bucks- JOSEPH!" Jolyne yelled.

Joseph popped out of the pantry fully dressed and looking proud.

"I've been up since 4 am!" he said proudly.

"Did you have another nightmare?" Jotaro said sarcastically walking down the stairs.

"Yes actually, Ocean Man!"

"What did you say?" Jotaro asked sternly. Even though Joseph was 3 years older than him they were about the same size.

"He called you, OCEAN. MAN! O-C-E-A-N M-A-N!" Josuke called from the upstairs bathroom.

"Fuck off." Jotaro sat down. "Langage, Jotaro!" Jonathan told him.

"Joot, you seem more pissy than usual, are you on your period?" Jolyne asked smugly.

"Jolyne, I'm not in a good mood and I want you to know I will not hesitate to choke you out and then feed it to your simp."

"Anasui is not a simp!" Jolyne defended.

"Funny, how you knew who I was talking about without saying his name."

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Have fun at school!" Jonathan yelled at his younger siblings.

"Yeah, fun and school don't mix well," Jolyne yelled back.

Joseph usually carpools with Ceasar and Smokey. Jotaro drives him and his friends to school with Jonathan's car. (Jonathan drives there dads car to work). Jolyne caught a ride with her girlfriend Ermes. Josuke walked with his friends Okuyasu and Koichi. And Giorno either walked by himself or ride with his older friend Bruno, today he was alone with his thoughts.

Joseph POV

"Ugh, collage sucks!" I groaned. "Suck it up buttercup It's only the beginning of the year," Ceasar said, reading a book.

Asshole.

We were in the library supposed to be studying but I got a bit distracted. See Suzi Q was also in the library, by herself. Nobody around her, the perfect opportunity to ask her out, but this blonde bubble-blowing bitc-

"Stop staring at Suzi, it's starting to get creeping now," Ceasar said still looking at the book.

"And why should I?"

"1. We should be studying, and 2. Your so small no girl wants to date you." that asshole wrote something in his notebook.

I. Was. Annoyed to say the least. I mean it's true, BUT YOU DON'T SAY IT! So I did the only rational thing, put him in a headlock.

Good thing the library was empty except for a couple of people who were used to our bullshit by now.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU BUFFOON!?" Ceasar said, or at least tried too.

Ha, get rekt, bitch.

Jotaro POV

"Ugh, I hate school."

"Can you stop being edgy for 5 seconds?" Polnareff asked.

Dick,

"Can you guys stop arguing and actually help!" Avdol said while he was doing the science assignment, I don't know why. Fucken dork.

"Kakyoin is literally sleeping!" Polnareff wined.

"Kakyoin has had a long day."

"Yeah... what are we talking about?"

"So, sleeping beauty is finally up," I say.

"I know you meant that as an insult but I'm taking it as a compliment, Aurora was fabulous!" Kak laughed like the maniacal little gay shit he is.

"Aww, you guys are so cute!"

"Polnareff focus on the experiment!-" the test tube cut him off, by exploding.

"..."

"Finally something exciting," I said because it was fucking epic.

"I mean this would not have happened Joot and Kak weren't flirting with each other."

"Wtf."

Josuke POV

"Math is hardddddd."

"It's not that hard, Oku."

"Bullshit."

"Okuyasu, you should probably pay attention to my lesson instead of complaining." our math and gym/Hamon teacher Lisa-Lisa said to my friend Okuyasu, and trust me no one wants to get on her bad side, the last person to do that was Joseph, he still has nightmares, and he graduated.

"Yes, Josuke?"

"Is this going to be on the test?" I ask so I could know what to remember.

"Most of it will. But if you're asking me if you should listen in class or not, the answer is yes." it felt like she stared into my soul at that list part.

The bell rang

Lunch finally! Freedom at last!

"Your homework is to study for the quiz I'm giving you on an undisclosed date!"

Giorno POV

I walk over to bleachers outside of school where my friends (And Abbacchio) usually eat.

"Hey, guys." I quietly say. Right now there is only, Bruno, Abbacchio, Mista, and... Trish. Anyways as soon as Fugo and Narancia get here the peace will be ruined. Right now Bruno was talking to Mista and Trish about some party this Friday, and Abbacchio was on his phone with headphones on.

"Hello Giorno, how was your morning," Bruno asked.

"Eh, it was fine. Jolyne almost got ORAed."

"What else is new," Trish said drinking her mineral water. Wow shes really pretty, what?

"SUP BITCHES!" Narancia ran up to the bleachers with Fugo following behind him, sighing. Well, that was fun while it lasted.

[littlesweetchurro]

New to heroes Pt 2

After a month, Xochi tried again, but this time with a small paper cut on her lap. She noticed that she wasn’t healing. Then she ran up to her brother and cut him with the paper “What the fuck is your problem hair ball!” 

“Shut it, I want to practice using my quirk” 

Xochi’s brother didn’t say anything because he had seen how much this meant to her. He saw the day she accidentally killed the dove. He saw his little sister feel like the most distinguishing vile thing to walk the earth. He knew he had to be careful with what he said to her, he didn’t show it but he loved her and he didn’t want his words to hurt her. He knew the power words had over a person, a philosophy that all his family followed.

“Ugh-- fine,but make it quick, I have a date” He said.

So Xochi looked at the small cut on her brother’s arm, the small tinkling of blood, almost inspired her to make sure her brother stayed as handsome as he was. With a deep breath, she brought her hands up to her brother’s skin and let out a diamond colored light. The light was almost holographic, but in that second, her brother’s cut was gone. Both of their golden eyes were open in astonishment, the cut was really gone. “Not bad, hair ball” he said, but they both knew that he was proud of her.  

This is how Xochi began to progress, she would spend months working on paper cuts. Then after getting a handle on how much energy she needed to use and thinking of what she was healing, her quirk began to bloom. She realized that she needed to know how much energy to use and to do that she needed to heal, she needed to recall her mother’s anatomy lessons. Instead of reading story books or watching TV, she would lose herself in medical textbooks. 

One of the few things she enjoyed doing with her brother was exercising. She found out that after she started running with him, she was able to use her quirk longer and the light was usually lighter. (The lighter the color the more effective it is). “ Get lost fur ball, you are so annoying” he would say to her as he slowed his pace so she could keep up with him. 

“Fuck, why are you always following me around, go read a book, you nerd” - brother

“ Yeah, yeah, so where are we going?” -Xochi

“That’s none of your fucken business, now get lost” said his brother as they stopped at the local health center. “Hair ball, go and ask about the gymnastic classes” 

“HUH?! I don’t think splandex looks good on you and your big ego”

“Shut the fuck up and go ask” Xochi just kept looking at her brother, she thought he had a screw loose since his quirk is X-ray vision like dad’s except he is able to amplify his vision rage. Curiosity got the best of her, her brother always had a foul mouth,but today he was extra pissy--which meant he was nervous. Xochi opened the door, and in that instant she saw her. A beautiful girl with short purple hair. She had such an amazing smile, she seemed so nice. But then she realized why her brother was nervous, this girl had an amazing body. She was tall and well-built. She was wearing a tank with some spandex shorts that showed her toned muscles. 

Now it made sense why her brother was suddenly interested in gymnastics. 

“ Well, like you said I should go home and read that book, since you know I am such a nerd”- Xochi

“Where the fuck do you think you are going, I told you to go ask about the classes, and be sure to bring back a flyer”

“HAHA, oh yeah, what do I get out of it?” she asked with a smirk on her face

“ I swear hair ball if you don’t go and ask I am going to---”

“Going to what, huh, big guy, oh yeah I am so scared of you and your threats when you can’t even go talk to a girl” Xochi waved her hands in the air in a mocking way. 

“ Fine,  what do you want?”

A triumph smile decorated Xochi’s face.

“ I want you to pay for my gymnastic classes”

“The fuck you mean--- I ain’t paying for your stupid classes”

With that said Xochi started to walk away, when she felt a tug on her arm, “Fine hair ball, just go and get her info” 

“That’s what I thought, Mr. ‘I am going to-’, pshh take your empty threats elsewhere”

With that said, Xochi walked into the community center and ever since then she’s been in love with gymnastics. 

 Like her older brother Xochi displayed exceptional memory, although with her she could remember a great amount of information using musical mnemonic devices.  For example when her mother was teaching her the names of the bones of the wrist Xochi would sing “Sally Left The Party To Take Cathy Home”.That way she was able to remember the eight bones very quickly. She loved to listen to music dance along while trying to remember all the bones of the body. At some point she even made a silly dance to help her remember the leg bones. It look like a weird version of a shamee. 

Since they lived in a small coastal town, no one questioned when the couple wanted to home-school their daughter. With their eldest going to University, the three of them focused much of their time finishing Xochi’s education. With exceptional memory and the time spent educating her, she was finished with her high school education by the time she was 15. Her father thought it would be a good idea to get her started with her university education. Since Xochi knew she wanted to be a doctor, she enrolled in the medical program. To her surprise she had already learned most of the material they taught in the introduction courses. Her father was able to pull some strings so she could take an exam that would demonstrate where she was academically. After the results came back, they placed her in her third year of undergraduate degree.  

Living with her family in a small town was an adventure. Although she spent most of her time studying, Xochi loved having fun. She had a very adventurous spirit, unlike her parents who liked to stay home. She loved to experience life. So when she had time the young girl would bargain with her neighbors.

“ If you teach me how to ride a motorcycle, I’ll get rid of your skin rash” she negotiated with her biker neighbor.

“ Pshh-- fine” he said without putting up a fight. Although they both knew that she was going to heal that nasty rash either way. And like that Xochi was able to learn all kinds of things, from driving to singing.

The next year flew by, Xochi was able to complete her bachelor’s when she was 16.

 As she prepared to enter her master’s program, her parents told her it would be a good idea to spend some time with her grandma in the mountains. Xochi was thrilled with the idea. She loved her grandma, and she was always open to the idea of learning something new. 

Xochi’s grandma was a well-known herbalist, using her quirk she was able to identify the property of plants and flowers. Using her knowledge of chi channels, she was able to cure most ailments. The townsfolk from around the town where Xochi lived and the villagers from her grandma’s village all agreed that it would be best to keep the women’s abilities secret. You sorta needed to know someone to get in, kinda thing. Xochi thought how it was kinda like a secret society (think White Lotus from Avatar) where exclusivity and privacy were most honored. The locals knew that if others were to know of their abilities, it wouldn’t take too long for ill-willed people to come look for the healers.

The next month Xochi set out to live with her grandmother. The way there was arduous, but it may have been due to the fact the Xochi had zero map awareness. She was not only clumsy, she was easily distracted and got lost frequently. Once her brother had to go look for her in town because she got lost. If it hadn’t been for the nice older gentleman, she would have been bear food by now. Once they got to the secluded village, Xochi thought she would be living with her grandmother, but to her surprise she had her own European-looking cottage. Looking around she noticed how out of style everything was. Her cottage looked like it belonged in Italy, not in the middle of nowhere in Mexico. The whole village had a…. Unique style. Everything was uncoordinated, with unique shaped buildings and odd pairings of colors. She thought she had stepped in a Dr. Seus book. Apparently there was a man whose quirk let him build anything he imagined (as long as he had the materials). 

As her life began to settle down, she appreciated how calm everything was. The life here was more quiet, not that it was loud in her town, but here everything seemed to move slower. She studied under her grandmother. Her grandmother was her inspiration, she thought all the good this woman has done for so many people only using plants and flowers. Xochi never really thought much about herbology. Her focus was on medicine, it wasn’t until she saw her grandmother heal a man’s pulmonary embolism (a condition in which one or more arteries in the lungs become blocked by a blood clot) by using a combination of turmeric and ginger to help act as blood thinners which help break up the clog. Then applying pressure to the femoral vein in the infraction of the lung. Xochi’s world opened up, she realized how much she needed to learn. She burnt up the midnight oil learning about plants and herbs. She learned that by applying a little of her energy to the herbal medicines or teas, it seems to increase their efficiency and potency.

 The most nerve racking part was treating patients. At first she was nervous, but she remembered what her mother had said and she found a new confidence in herself. One by one she started to treat patients with all sorts of ailments. Her confidence began to skyrocket, she naively thought she was ready for anything. It wasn’t until she met a little girl that had a congenital heart problem. Xochi knew she wouldn’t be able to cure the child, but she could try to ease her pain by blocking the nerves around the heart.  Everyday she would spend around an hour in the morning and afternoon trying to ease the little girl’s pain. She would place her hands at the back and front of her chest and send a miniscule amount of energy to the nerves.

Having more experience with her quirk, she was now able to use it as a form of an echocardiogram. She could tell that the heart was chronically damaged and she wouldn’t simply be able to use her quirk to go in and fix the damaged tissue. For her quirk to work she needed at least some healthy tissue. It was useless to use her quirk on something that could not regenerate itself naturally. She thought of her quirk as cell restoration, she in a way helps cells restore or build themselves with the use of her energy. She sat in her chair going through all her medical books, thinking of a way to help this little girl. But alas she found nothing, at least not without a hospital and a cardiologist. The longer she wrapped her head around it the more she thought that she needed to push herself. “ I can’t completely heal the heart, but if I am at least able to heal the aortic valve, the left ventricle should have more blood flow”. With that in mind, she made a plan, she set out everything she needed. She gathered the plants that would help the little girl relax. Xochi had also learned how to block the nerve signals from the body to the brain-- a sort of anesthesia. With that she practiced over and over how to block the nerves with one hand. Now that she had mastered it, she was ready. She would block the nerve signals with her left hand while her right hand would go in to fix the valve. One of the ways she had learned to use her quirk was projecting her quirk on her finger tips, making them look like spiderwebs shooting out of her finger tips. She was able go directly into the organ without having to cut the patient. Doing this was extremely exhausting, it drained her energy so quickly, so she had to work fast.  When the day came, everything was going according to plan, she was right on schedule. As she began to relax one of the arteries in the valve erupted, causing the blood to block the passage to other parts of the heart. Already exhausted Xochi had to find the bleeding artery and cauterized it as soon as possible. Her breathing became intermittent, she felt herself drained. She kept trying to find the artery, but then she felt a hard strong grip on her shoulder. It was her grandmother. She ignored her and kept looking for the artery, now there was blood everywhere, making it harder for her to see. Sweat was dripping off her by liters, she started to lose sensation in her legs and her finger tips. Then she was yanked off the lifeless body of the little girl. She couldn’t register what had happened. She knew the girl had died, and there it was,  feeling like a monster. 

The next few days Xochi kept going over and over what had happened, she still couldn’t process it. The more she thought about it the more she felt like a monster. Once again her quirk had killed. Nothing passed through her mind except that. Days turned into weeks, she didn’t leave her cottage, she wouldn’t eat. The life in her eyes was gone. Every time she closed her eyes she could see the little girl smiling and laughing, thanking her for making her better. The sound of her thanks resonated in her head like a heavy drum. “ She thank me for saving her and I killed her”. It wasn’t until one sunny afternoon she heard a knock at her door, she had learned that if she ignored them, they would go away. “Who wants to be with a monster?”, I am only going to hurt them”. The knocking did stop “thank god she thought”, looking at the ceiling she didn’t realize someone had opened her door. She left herself being pulled into a hug. It was the little girl’s mother. Xochi couldn’t believe it, to the point that her mind went blank “MONSTER, MONSTER”. Then she felt a soft hand on her cheek, with a broken voice the mother said “ Thank you, you don’t know how happy you made us” without sound Xochi opened her mouth to say “What?”. Her heart felt like it was going to break, but the mother continued “for the last weeks that Lucia was with you, she was able to smile more. We knew she didn’t have long, that’s why we decided to go through with the procedure. No offense, you are so young and talented, but you aren’t God. There is a man where we live that has the ability to see a person’s lifespan. He is old and he says he is never wrong. He told us when Lucia would die. So we came to this village looking for you, because we thought it would give Lucia a pain-free ending, we never intended for you to save. It was selfish of us. We just wanted Lucia to be a kid again. And you gave her that.” Xochi leaned against her chair, speechless. She couldn’t process what was happening. “... You are thanking me, but I...I….”. With a kiss on her forehead, she parted ways. A kiss on the forehead meant a way to say thank you, I hope you stay safe and find happiness. The mother’s words kept sounding on Xochi’s head. She layed down, hugged her pillow and cried herself to sleep. As she was sleeping she remembered her mother’s words “with great power comes great responsibility”. When she woke up she touched the spot where the mother had kissed her. When her fingertips touched her skin, she felt like the anchor was cut off and she was finally able to swim.

This tragedy was the most important moment in Xochi’s life. She learned that her quirk could heal, but you can’t fix something that is not meant to be fixed. It was not only her stamina and energy she had to consider, but also her patients. There was something as too much. She realized that the moment she pushed a little extra on the aorta, it was too much for the little girl’s body. By putting extra energy into a body that is not used to it or has undergone trauma you can offset other things. That’s why the artery burst, the extra energy from her quirk was too much. She also learned that you cannot save every person. She learned that hard truth that every doctor has to face at some point in their lives. She also learned that she needed to learn how to cope with loss. As she was getting ready for the day, she heard a knock… on her ceiling. As she stepped out she was a raven with a letter. It took her a second to process “Ahh that’s right, the old man’s quirk lets him send messenger ravens” As she bent her arm so the raven could rest and she could retrieve the message, she smelled sterilizer “mother”. She undid the note attached to the raven’s black. The note read: “ I heard what happened from your grandma, and oh my sweet daughter how I wish I could give you a hug, but I can’t. To lose patients is the life of a doctor, although it is hard you must learn to look and move forward. Every health physician goes through what you are feeling, a feeling of inadequacy of failure. Remember mija, to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived; this is to have succeeded. You may have not saved her life, but you made her last moments pain-free. I will not tell you to forget about it, you should always remember this feeling. Make this a learning experience and become stronger from it. I love you, take care”. Xicho took her mother’s words to heart, from that day on she learned to be more careful  and she learned the fragility of caring for someone. 

A couple of weeks later Xochi went to visit her parents. She loved to hike, but god damn how she hated using maps, so she didn’t. She practically had to beg one of the elders to escort her down the mountain. She felt so nostalgic, she felt like everything was a little more vivid. She took in her parent’s faces, the small crevices that time was leaving. She ran up to them, hugged them and gave them a kiss on the cheek. Ever since Lucia’s passing, Xochi was more appreciative of what she had. She wanted to hug everyone she knew. She enjoyed the physical contact of hug. After Lucia’s mother hugged her, she realized that a hug can really change someone’s day. Every since then she would greet people with a hug (which was the norm where she lived), but she never let go first. This made for some long hugs, but she realized it was because they needed a hug. And hey, who can say no to a nice warm hug. After hugging her parents for what seemed for hours, they let go of her.

Her father said” Honey, we heard tales of  an elder woman that has a quirk similar to yours”

Xochi’s face grew so bright you could swear that was her quirk, human lightbulb.

“No way?! Really where is she? Can I meet her?”

“Mmm no that’s the thing, she isn’t easy to track down. She is always on the move and doesn’t leave much of a trail. The only proof we have of her is the people who she has helped” said her mother.

“ Fuck-- well then how does that help me?” Xochi asked.

Her father grunted in clear disapproval of her foul language. “ Well there is an organization called the White Lotus that works with her, for her, I am not sure. The point is that they are the ones that lead you to her. Similarly to how your grandmother meets people”

“ Again, okay, that’s nice, but how do I meet her?”

Her mother let out a sigh “ The White Lotus contacted us a few months back, apparently, Medusa, the healer woman wants to take you under her wing. Again your grandmother has very strange connections. She told this Medusa woman of your quirk and she became interested in teaching you”

“ NO fu--- way, that’s great, so when is she coming? Am I going to her? That’s so cool someone with a quirk like mine can help me!”

“Thank you for not cussing, but that’s the thing she said you would have to wait 2 years to train under her. Apparently she is under surveillance or what not from villains. Listen me and your mother know that this is very dangerous, but we also understand that this could really be a great opportunity for you”

“ So I have to wait 2 years, it doesn’t seem too bad, then I could go back to school and officially become a surgeon!”

“Did you purposely ignore the fact that she is being chased by villains”

Xochi stood with her hands in her hips “ Well I better learn to kick ass too”

After a long discussion, they decided that it would be best for Xochi to study under someone that understood her quirk, knowing that it had great potential. With that set, they went to bed.

Xochi tried not to think too much about it since a lot could happen in two years. A week later she set out to the mountains.

Xochi eyes slowly opened as she became irritated by the warm yet bright sunshine hitting her eyes. Waking up was by far the worst part of her day. She missed the soft feel of her pillow against her face. The warm cocoon of blankets she built over night had to be disassembled. Fully awake, staring at the ceiling she pondered if she could just stay in bed all day. That’s when she heard her abuela yell “¡A darle que es mole de olla!” She was never a particularly big fan of her grandma’s idioms. She whispered to herself, “yeah yeah, there’s always a lot of work that needs to be done right away” as she rolled her eyes to no one in particular. 

With a sad goodbye she told her bed “I’ll be back, don’t you worry”. Thinking of being back in bed gave her that extra bit of motivation to get dressed. She always wore simple clothes. Since she worked with dirt all day it made sense to wear earthy- tones. She wore brown pants, they were easy and flexible to move in. She wore a hooded cloak that protected her against the sun. She had to wear wrist braces because pulling those damn Mandrakes was a bitch. Her boots were made of leather, everyone in town had the same pair. They were the one thing in town everyone had in common. Those damn ugly boots were the equivalent of “a little black dress”. 

As she finally set out to get dressed, she stared into the mirror. She had olive-brown skin with large golden-amber eyes. Her eyes regularly reminded her of those scorpion necklaces that tourists always like to buy on their first visit to Mexico. As she looked upon her naked body she saw that she had gained a little more weight, but she didn’t really care. She had a pretty nice hour-glass figure. She wasn’t all skin and bones. Since she worked out, either mountain climbing, running or practicing gymnastics, she had built some muscle on her. She knew that with her quirk she needed to have stamina, so working out became a part of her life. She loved the way she felt after a hard workout. Her family always taught her to be proud of her body. Body-shaming wasn’t really a thing, so she never thought much of her figure. Her parents were pretty liberal when she was growing up. They would tell her that whatever her body was, it was perfect. Because her parents were so open-minded they also talked freely about sex and sexuality. Xochi grew up completely confident in her image and her sexuality. Sex unfortunately had been on hold, as old men weren’t her thing. She found that to relieve her sexual tension, she would just have to work out a little harder.

She had thick-black eyelashes that made her eye color stand out even more. She had plump lips with a naturally pink hue. Then came her hair, it was wild, at times she thought the thing had its own will power. She had thick-wavy hair that swept to her waist. “ To comb or not to comb, that is the question” she squinted at her hair, pounting. With a swift motion of her hand she put the comb away and grabbed her hair band. She put her hair in a messy lower bun. Slathering sunscreen all over her face, she was ready to start her day. 

As she stepped away from her cottage she was greeted with the delicious smell of coffee and bread. Growing up her family had instilled in her the belief that you couldn’t start the day without coffee and bread. As she joined the older villages at the communal table, she noticed a new face. A very short- light skinned woman with a gray bun. She wore a simple blue dress with a pink shawl over her shoulders. She had deep set smile lines that gave her a sense of warmth and welcomeness. Seeing new faces wasn’t a commodity for Xochi, given that with her quirk nearby villagers always sought her out for help. However this nice-looking lady was definitely not from around here. As she sat at the table, she kept feeling like this lady was staring at her as she dunked her bread in her coffee.So Xochi starred back and offered her coffee soaked bread to the old woman, which made the old lady laugh. She then proceeded to introduce herself. 

“ Hello young lady, my name is Chiyo Shuzenji. I am an old friend of your grandma’s” She said in Spanish.  

 “ I am Xochiquetzal de la Luna, nice to meet you”, which she returned with a kind smile. Xochi was honestly not surprised that her grandmother had a Japanese friend, when she was younger she travelled all around learning about different plants from different countries. Which is why she was so insistent on her dad learning multiple languages. Which then caused a rippled effect, her dad made her and her brother study English, Japanese, Aztec and of coarse Spanish. They were a multi-language family. Most of the time they either spoke Spanish or English. Xochi thought about her rusty, never used Japanese and Aztec. She was brought back to earth from her thoughts, when her grandmother spoke in Japanese “ You see, Chiyo here is a pro-hero with a healing quirk. Most of the time she stays in Japan, however there are times like these that she travels around the world, helping others”. Xochi tried to recall her Japanese lessons, listening was easier than speaking it, and writing and reading  were almost impossible. She knew heroes existed, but she never paid much attention to any of them. Since her town was so peaceful, crime was never really a problem. Of course she knew that being a hero was a job, but again it didn’t really seem to interest her. She was more focused on healing others, or really anything else, just not heroes. 

“That’s nice” was all she could say.

“ My pro-hero name is Recovery Girl, I help heroes when they get hurt fighting villains” RG

“ How does your healing quirk work?” asked Xochi.

“ Well, you see I can accelerate the natural healing process with a kiss. The thing is that I am able to control how much healing they receive, in order to prevent them from feeling fatigue. From what your grandmother has told me, your quirk can heal as well. But you see with my quirk, it is dependent on the life energy of the recipient. The literal opposite of yours. Mary (Xochi’s grandmother) has also told me that your quirk has great potential, you just need a little more experience.”

Xochi just nods her head, unsure of what to say, unsure of where this is going. She is intrigued by the fact that Ms. Shuzenji can control the amount of healing she can do.

Recovery Girl goes on “ Mary also told me that you have already finished your BS, that’s quite the feat for someone so young. She also told me that you been an excellent student and have already mastered the herbology and treated a few of your own patients”

“ I am not sure where you are going with this lady, I would rather you just get to the point” Xochi said impatiently.

Recovery Girl laughed, “ I see you're as impatient as Mary. Yes, let’s get to the point. I want you to come to Japan with me and work for me” As soon as she said that Xochi began to interrupt “oh thank you, but you see---” 

“Oh yes Medusa, I know she is going to train you in two years. I actually think that’s a wonderful idea, her quirk is very similar to yours, I really do think she will be able to help you. But in the mean time, why don’t you come with me. You could also enroll in a University to help you with your studies”

“Well first of all, I am starting to think you guys are all in some secret illuminati society, since you all know each other, but yet no one seems to know about you. And second when do we leave?”

[bapyess1r]

Amphetamine

WARNINGS: cursing, age difference, fluff, angst

CHAPTER 9

Talia’s POV

“Tali… look at me.” He said as I spun around in the passenger seat of his boat. I avoided his gaze when he approached me. He stood between my legs and cupped my face with his large hands. “Baby, I-”

“I know… And I understand…. Doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it.” I replied. I stared at the water a while before getting the courage to look him in the eyes. They shone rather brightly from the sun. He shot me a smile so handsome it made my heart wrench.

“You have so much here to keep yourself busy until I get back. You have the band at your disposal, you have classes to teach, you’ll have the keys to the house so you can use the punching bag in the backyard if you ever want to hit something…” he began to list all of the things to keep me busy and I took a deep breath to keep myself from crying. “I’ll be back before you know it. It’ll be like I never even left.” He said. I sighed, resting my hands on his wrists as he pulled my head to his.

“How long is this one?” I asked, nonchalantly.

“Two weeks at best. And if anything changes, you’ll be the first to know. Okay, sweetheart?” He said slowly, kissing my lips and then my temple. “Now let’s enjoy the rest of the day, hm?”

I remembered that day. Sam had gotten a call from his pal Chloe. I never met her but I remembered her from his stories. They were on a job in India. He agreed to do some recon and be her decoy for her in her search for Ganesh’s Tusk. When he told me about it, I couldn’t even imagine how a journey like that would go. I figured it had to be the most adrenaline fueling thing. I couldn’t wait until Sam would tell me I was ready to accompany him but I also didn’t want to die so I would stay behind and train my hardest until that day.

I had woken up earlier than usual. It was 7:00 am. We would usually jog around this time. The sun had barely come up yet so I put on my jogging gear and threw my hair up in a ponytail. I readied my iPod for running music when I noticed my Godfather sitting at the kitchen table, tapping away at his laptop. He smiled at me and I approached him with a hand on his shoulder. “You’re up early, Goddaughter.” He said placing his warm hand over mine.

“Usually am. Sam and I go running around this time. Just because he’s gone that doesn’t stop me.” I said with a slight frown, patting his shoulder. I leaned on the side of the table as we continued to chat.

“You’ve been hanging out with him a lot lately.” He said, continuing to write his report. I hadn’t really told my Godparents I had been seeing Sam in the romantic way. Not that I didn’t want to, it just never crossed my mind to tell when things got serious.

“Uh… yeah.” Was all I could muster.

“I hope he’s treating you right.” He said suddenly, surprising me. “I’ll kill him if he doesn’t.”

“You knew?” I laughed nervously.

��I’m on the force for a reason, Talia Alyssa. Just like I know you’re trying to train to go with him on his next job.” He told me, his eyes never leaving the screen. “I can’t say I’m too happy about it.”

“Well it’s not for you to decide. Matter of fact, I don’t think it’s any of your business-” I mumbled, fidgeting with the tangled earbuds in my hands.

“So what do you expect me to tell Dave and Delores if anything happens to you?” He said, glancing at me a moment. I flinched at the mention of my parents. “‘Oh uh hey Dave, your daughter- my Goddaughter is out traipsing the globe with an ex-convict, want me to tell her to send you a postcard?!’-”

“It’s too early for this bullshit…” I chuckled, shaking my head in an annoyed fashion as he tried to pick a fight. He was always like this. I was the apple of his eye until I did something he didn’t approve of. Then he’d berate me into years. He always knew just what to say to blow my mood. I tucked my earbuds and started to head for the door.

“We’re gonna have to talk about this some time, Talia!” He said running his fingers through his short sandy blonde hair.

“Yeah- well it doesn’t have to be now.” I said numbly, raising the volume on my music as I walked out the door. With that, I began to run.

I pushed myself during my morning workout, all the way to the hill where Sam and I would stop to watch the sunset. My Godfather had found a way to work my nerves again and I laid out on the grass to call the one who could soothe my restless mind. My mother. The phone rang and rang for a while. It was still early so she could’ve been sleeping still. But when she finally answered, I almost wanted to cry. “Mommy…” I choked. Hot tears ran down the sides of my face, mixing in with the sweat. I sobbed softly on my end.

“He did it again, huh?” I heard her sigh in annoyance. “I’m gonna have a talk with him because he’s been doing this far too often and I'm not okay with that.” She rambled. “What did he get all pissy about this time?”

“I fell for an older man and now I’m suddenly training to travel the world.” I blurted. I was afraid of how she’d react.

“How old is he?”

“42…” I mumbled.

“That’s not… awful. It’s a little older than I’d like but you’re approaching 30 in a few short years-”

“My thoughts exactly. And he’s ridiculously handsome and funny. And he’s so smart… he’s a historian slash….collector of antiquities….” I began to gush about him to her.

“A historian? Wow! Your tastes have certainly changed.”

“He’s not like the stuffy kind though. He’s… different… And I’m learning a lot really! He specializes in Pirates...”

“Well that’s good! And you’re traveling the world now?” She asked, sounding impressed.

“Not yet but I’m training for it…”

“You have to train to get on a airplane?” She asked and I chuckled. My mom was adorable.

“No, mama. His work requires a lot of scaling and… hiking…” I lied. I knew if I told her about the guns and such she’d disapprove. And I’d never hear the end of it. “I like to say I’m dating Indiana Jones.” I smirked. Just as I stood up to go home, the sun rose above the clouds, painting the skies orange and pink as I heard her positive laughter on the other end.

“Oh lord… When do you get to go?”

“When he declares me ready enough. He’s away on a job right now so I’m doing solo training in the meantime…” I began to start down hill.

“Where do you think you’ll go?” She asked me as I decided to walk home instead of run, to spend time on the phone with my mom. I told her everything about him. Laid it all out on the table. Even about his jail time. The short brief version that Sam had given me so she knew it wasn’t his fault.

I concluded my conversation with my mother at the docks where I had my morning smoke. “You’ll talk to dad about it right? I don’t want Godfather James to go blabbing to him about me dating an ex-convict half my age.” I said rolling my eyes.

“I’ll talk to him. We all know he’s been prone to spinning the truth a little…”

“Thank you!” I sighed in relief.

“So other than this situation… you’re okay?” As she spoke, I noticed The Morgan rocking gently on the waves as it was docked and smiled to myself.

“I can honestly tell you that I’ve never been happier.”

“Good. I’m glad. It’s been a long time coming.”

“Yeah it has… Well I gotta go now. I’ve got a lot to do today…”

“Alright, monkey. You need to call me more often. I don’t know what’s goin’ on down there, yknow? I love you.” She said in her motherly voice.

“I know. I love you too, ma. Talk to you later.”

With that, I hung up and started on my fresh pack of cigarettes. As I placed one between my lips and lit it, I received a voicemail from an unknown number. I furrowed my brows as I hit play and pressed and let it play out in my earphones.

“Hey, darlin’, it’s me…” it began and I ceased all movement. I could hear Sam’s raspy Boston accented voice loud and clear. “I miss you so so much and I wish you were here with me. You’d love it. The grass is green, the water is the clearest blue, and the flowers are...small and purple but uh… vibrant nonetheless.” His voice almost brought me to tears. I missed him so much. He’d only been gone a week but it felt like forever. “The job is going as planned. Might’ve hit a snag for a second but we pulled through.” He sounded tired. I hoped he was getting enough rest. “Now, just because I’m not there right now, I hope you’ve been training and taking care of yourself. Um….” I heard him blow a raspberry on the other end and I chuckled, finally taking a drag of my cigarette that had just been burning this whole time. I could just hear him smiling on the other end, wherever he was. “I can’t wait to get back to you… I’m gonna video call you tonight so be near your laptop, mmkay? I gotta go now. Um… take it easy, be safe driving if you go anywhere, have a good class if you’re teaching today, have a successful rehearsal….. aaand I’ll talk to you soon, sweetheart. Drake out!” I smiled to myself, cringing at the last bit. He could try so hard to be “cool” sometimes when he didn’t need to be. But I liked it. It made me laugh.

My day was dreary to say the least. I taught a kids ballet class and a teens hip hop class scheduled for this morning and this evening. It was hard to pay attention all day and it made classes a little rough today. I wasn’t on the ball. When I came home, I sat in my car to roll a blunt and smoke for a little bit. I stared at Sam’s empty house and sighed. I wanted him back home, that’s for sure. I missed his hugs, his voice, the corny jokes, and the way he smelled. Whilst I sat there, stoned out of my mind, I had a thought. I quickly tapped out the blunt and grabbed my dance bag before running to Sam’s. I let myself inside and I fought back a sob. Feeling embarrassed about it I made my way to his fridge and stole the bottle of scotch he was always drinking. I never saw the appeal in it but he always looked damn good drinking it. I popped the top off and took a sip before sealing it and placing it in my bag. Then I made my way to his room. It smelled like him. Cologne, cigarettes, and beer. I opened up his closet to browse his range of tee shirts and bold Hawaiian prints before my eyes landed on a black crew neck sweater and a dark plaid button down shirt. Immediately I snatched them and a random blue graphic tee off the hangers. “Well shit, hun. Maybe you do have some taste.” I said to myself. On my way out, I grabbed the blanket we used to wrap up in when we watched TV and one of his books from his shelf. The one I always tried to read when I came over but he would always scoop me in his arms and tell me how good I looked reading. Almost always ending up in sex so I could never continue. Smirking, I tucked the thick book under my arm and turned to leave.

That night after my shower, the first thing I put on was Sam’s plaid shirt. As I sat on my bed, I turned the TV on and dried my hair, setting up my laptop for Sam to call. I went downstairs to ask my Godmother if she needed any help with the kids but she told me she was fine so with a disappointed look I said my “okay” and returned upstairs with snacks to keep watching TV. I changed the channels a few times when I didn’t like what came on. That’s when I stopped on a channel playing Raiders of the Lost Ark. I chuckled as I grabbed my snacks from my mini fridge and the bottle of scotch. I was actually enjoying myself and for once didn’t feel like shit. That’s when I heard a ping from my laptop. It was a message from Sam.

Cap’nDrake: You awake, Princess?

I cackled at his username for a moment before responding.

Tali_Sc0res: Your username is ridiculous.

Cap’nDrake: Well I’m not changing it.

My laptop let out a little twitter as he requested a video call. Immediately, I got up to close my door and mute my TV. I adjusted my hair and let his shirt hang off my shoulder a bit before answering. Suddenly, he appeared on screen from his desk, his upper body covered by a thin white tank, reading glasses perched at the bridge of his nose, cigarette smoke exiting his nostrils as he ran his fingers through his wet hair. The scar above his eyebrow that always seemed to get reopened was covered by a bandage but other than that, he seemed fine. I smiled brightly as I watched him put away some maps and close up some books. “Heya, sweetheart!” He grinned warmly as he pulled the glasses from his face. I pouted a bit as he did so as he bit his lip, taking in my entire appearance. “My god, you look delicious- is that my shirt?!” He asked, narrowing his eyes to get a better look at me.

“Maybe.” I replied as I scrunch my face and take a large sip of scotch.

“You raided my house?” He chuckled, rubbing his hand across the stubble on his face. “That miserable, huh?” He could read me very well.

“Honestly… I think I’m handling you being gone pretty well. Today I just… My Godfather pissed me off early as hell in the morning and I really just wanted to be with you.” I sighed, thinking about the conversation I had with him this morning.

“What’s little Jimmy bitchin’ about now?” He didn’t sound worried one bit as he took a drag of his cigarette.

“He found out about us and he didn’t hesitate to tell me how much he didn’t like it.” I said, taking a long sip of scotch, the burn feeling much better than my current emotions.

“Aye aye! Take it easy, sister. That stuff’s not cheap.” He nagged through the screen. I chuckled through the bottle and put the cork back in it, sitting it on my nightstand next to me. “As for James,” he made a face acknowledging the pettiness of my Godfather. “Don’t let him get to you. He has a tendency to lash out when things don’t go his way. He’s a little bitch like that.” He said in an unconcerned tone.

“Trust me I know. We’ve butted heads almost all my life. He’d get mad if I was on the phone too long or if I wasn’t interested in something he was talking about…”

“Listen, I’m sure he means well.” He reached offscreen and brought a beer to his lips before placing it back down.

“He called you an ex-convict.” I told him and he burst into laughter. Literally loud and boisterous, slapping his knees and clapping. I chuckled to myself as he found amusement in my Godfather’s comment. He spoke when he finally calmed himself down enough.

“Jesus, James! Tell me how you really feel.” He giggled.

We continued to talk for a few and he told me all about what he’d seen in India. The landmarks, that statue work, the puzzles they found all over the place. He spoke of how he was leading Chloe’s competitor on a wild goose chase by lying that he was a Hoysala expert. Only he could get away with something like that. The mouth on that man was talented in more ways than one. Then he asked me how things were going on my side of the world. “I have a dance recital comin’ up. The kids get to show what they’ve learned then the other teachers and myself do a dance too.”

“Now we’re talkin’!” He beamed at me. “When?!”

“Would you even be back in time?” I sulked.

“Hey, now. Pick your head up, sweetheart.” He said. I lifted my head but took my gaze to a random corner of my room, giving an annoyed huff. “Look at me.” I tilted my head and brought my eyes to the screen. “I’m gonna be there.” He stated. “I’ll be sittin’ right in the front row so save my seat, sister!” He grinned. That made me feel good. That meant he might be home soon.

“I will.”

“Now, I can’t stay up with you for too much longer but would you do me the honor of granting this… poor old man a favor?” He said dramatically clutching his heart through his shirt. I gave a flirty smirk and adjusted myself to sitting back on my heels.

“What do you need?” I mewed.

“Would you sing for me?” He asked. It was such a pure request from him that I blushed, covering my cheeks with the long sleeves of the shirt.

“Really? You want me to sing?”

“If it’s not too much trouble, doll.” he looked at me longingly and I couldn’t stop myself from becoming a blushing mess. “Now I know it’s not selling out a stadium or anything but it’s one fan who’s really missed hearing your voice… Song of your choice of course.”

I rolled my eyes with a laugh as I reached next to my bed to pull my acoustic guitar from its case. Sitting the guitar in my lap, I thought long and hard about what to sing for him, briefly checking the tuning of the strings. Without much preparation, I began strumming the chords and plucking the strings to Strange Land by Niki. He sat back in his seat and closed his eyes, lighting another cigarette and taking his beer in hand to relax as my voice carried through the laptop.

Here for the nosedive

Whatever you need

And I'm savin' all the bold lines

I'll say 'em while you sleep

You're sleepin' on the wrong side

And I'm turnin' endlessly

Screamin' for my lifeline, lifeline, life

Ooh, continental drifter

Still, I'm the hero of my hometown

Now I'm all laid up with you, sentimental trickster

Maybe in another lifetime, lifetime, life (oh)...

“Wow… it’s almost like I’m hearing you sing for the first time all over again.” He said with a sentimental tone. He gave me a genuine smile.

“Goodnight, Sam…” I sang softly. He reached out to touch the screen for a moment and gave a small smile.

“Goodnight, sweetheart. I’ll be home soon…. I love you.” He said before terming the connection. My heart skipped as I stared at the black screen. ‘Did he really just say that to me?’ I thought with a smile as I put my guitar away. I spent the rest of watching Indiana Jones with a goofy look on my face.

[epaily]

assignment finished :)

[sophieelisaa7]

New Year’s Eve:

Dean Ambrose/OC angst/fluff

“Yeah okay. So I’ll meet you at the strip? Okay then see ya soon, bye.”

“Who was that?” I said as our daughter spotted her dad, reaching for dean stretching out of my arms. He took her and bounced her a little kissing her head.

“Roman, meeting him and Seth in about 15 minutes.”

“Don’t you think it’s a little last minute and I thought you’d stay in with us it’s our little ones first New Years.”

He shook his head and rolled his eyes.

“That was before roman called and I mean it doesn’t really matter that much does it? She’s a baby she won’t remember it so...”

“That’s besides the point it’s still her first what’s gotten into you? And I’m not too sure I’m happy with you going out so last minute you know how worried I get even if I would of known a week in advance I’d still be panicking about you, especially with all these baby hormones. It’s because I do love you yanno.”

You could sense him getting annoyed now.

“You’re my girlfriend not my mother so stop. And I don’t even get what the problem is we went out last year.”

“In case it slipped your mind we do have a baby now. Yanno the little girl in your arms looking at you with so much love and admiration for some reason why I don’t know right at this minute because something has crawled up your arse. I thought you’d grown up a little bit and understood that she’s a main priority and she needs time with you just as much as she gets time with me. You mean so much to her, me. Please babe.” I sighed. “Stay?”

“I just want ONE night to myself. With my friends having some drinks having fun. We used to have fun REMEMBER.”

“You don’t get it you don’t get how difficult I have it when your on the road. And don’t you dare think im making this about you earning for us because I know that and I know you work hard and love you’re job so no I’m not blaming this all on you because I appreciate EVERYTHING you do for the both of us but I wish you felt the same about what I do. I know we used to go out I know we used to have a different kind of fun and I’m sorry I had a baby got fat and tired and wanted to enjoy some family time. IM SORRY, I can’t have the same kind of fun while she’s still so little. I wish we could get a sitter and I wish we could have them crazy nights again where you looked at me with so much love and passion as we did nothing but drink. I’m trying to be an adult and a good mother, it’s hard when I only get you a few times a month and even when I get that I’m in a competition with your friends going out in Vegas.”

I took d/n out of his arms and put her in her bouncer in the living room before storming back in the kitchen for a glass of wine.

“Go. Go out, have your fun get drunk get some skinny models fucking number. Do whatever and I’ll stay by myself with my baby like I do every other day.”

He was speechless. He was still angry but now I could feel his guilt.

“Fine!” And the front door slammed.

I sat back in the sofa with my glass of wine and my baby now giving me a well earned cuddle. I think what hurt the most was that it wasn’t even an invitation for the both of them. There was no “oh babe me and you your mum said she’d have her for the night.” Or anything like that. I missed being asked out. Was I that bad now after having her did he not want to see me dolled up in a party dress anymore. Did he not see me that way anymore? I need to stop thinking this way. We used to have the best times me and him. And I thought he was adjusting to being a dad great. Him and her are like a tag team. Was there a reason he’d rather go out? It definitely wasn’t her so it has to be me.

I let some tears drip down face before quickly whipping them away and realising that it’s his loss. He could really be inconsiderate at times.

“Daddy’s a dick isn’t he baby. we don’t need him tonight my lovely.”

I rocked her slowly as she smiled up at me.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I heard keys rattling outside the front door and took my attention away from tickling d/n. And to my surprise it was my boyfriend with a large carrier bag dragging his feet across the floor. He came and slumped onto the other end of the sofa bag sat next to him.

Baby girl realised his presence and crawled her way to his legs for him to lift her up to which he did so and gave her lots of kisses.

“What happended?

“What? What do you mean what happened? Nothing.”

“You can bull shit me all you want but I know you and I know that if you were out on New Year’s Eve there’s no way you’d be back through that door before 3am. So what’s made you come back?

“Nothing.”

“So no fights, no drunken idiot trying to get under your skin nothing like that at all in the slightest.”

“No, I promise.”

“Then why are you back here and not having your fun.”

“I-i...”

“You what?”

He got up holding d/n and came and sat closer to me with that bag still in hand.

“I felt real shit about what happened. And I missed you.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“Don’t be like that you think I’m lying? Because you know me better than anyone so lying would just be a waste of time. The reason is you. And our daughter obviously. I’m back for my family.

“Why? Why when I’m tired, fat not to mention boring now.”

“Where is this all coming from? You’ve never mentioned anything like this until we had this argument. Is that really how you see yourself? Y/n come on talk to me.”

“What you said made me think-“

“-woah woah I never said or meant that. It’s just -fuck I’m such a dick. I forget how hard it must be for you to be with her so much without any help off me. Call me clueless but I don’t even think of this as a job for you and that might sound stupid and selfish but you getting to see her, cuddle her, kiss her and just look after her every day sounds like a dream. I know I’m doing a job that I love and that is my passion but it’s nothing compared to seeing my daughter grow up every day. And I know it must be difficult for you but I thought not seeing you on the road was hard but having a daughter, it’s a completely different feeling.”

“Then why did you want to go out so bad if you feel that way.”

“Because I didn’t see anything wrong with wanting to go out. I’m sorry I started getting pissy with you, I really do miss us just going out together not even just parties but dates and everything and as much as I love d/n Ive just struggled sharing you when I’m home. I didn’t mean to imply that you were boring or anything because you’re the funniest most spontaneous person I’ve ever come across and it was my angry way of trying to tell you I miss us going out together. Christmas had ended I thought I’d nip out to see the boys. We don’t usually get to do our own thing on the road due to tight schedules. I didn’t want you to question yourself or anything else.”

I looked up him and he smiled and puckered his lips for me to lean into him.

“I’m sorry that I don’t understand and that I’m a bit useless when it comes to her but I love you both with all my heart I promise you that. As fuckin cheesey as that sounds.”

“Pfft your not useless have you seen they way her Ambrose eyes sparkle when ever she looks at you. And not to mention all you do to help me out when your home despite jet lag and all them other factors. You do everything right by her... and me. Even though I did call you a dick head to our daughter. But I love you, I really do. Please don’t forget that”

He smiled and wrapped his big arms round me while I held d/n.

“I love you and if it means anything the night was crap without you. You used to always make the party and I realised I didn’t want to miss babas first New Years you used to always say I was one to realise when it was too late.”

“And 7 years later I’m still right.”

He opened the bag and tipped the contents up side town on the table to reveal all my favourite snacks and beverages. As well as a baby grow that said ‘babas first New Years’

“Am I forgiven?”

I smiled up at him and nodded. “You’re a dick head but god, I love you.”

“I love you too.”

We spent the rest of the evening watching some shit tv and stuffing our faces with our little girl and by the time it came to midnight she was well asleep and we was ready for bed.

We was now tangled in the blankets and it was silent until we exchanged our good nights.

“Happy new year baby here’s to many more with you, our daughter and how ever many more we decide to add in the future.”

He kissed my lips and that was in fact, that.

[tozier-boy]

The losers club Hogwarts AU

I said  I would have done it and I did it. So here’s the first chapter of my Hogwarts Au! Any feedback is appreciated, and if you want to be added to my still nonexistent tag list, just say so!

All We Know

Chapter One Main pairing: Reddie Words count: 2306 Ao3

There was something oddly familiar in the smell of the train’s vapor, Eddie realized as he walked down the Hogwarts Express’ corridor. If he turned his head and glanced outside the window, he knew that he could have spotted his mother in the crowd, waving her arms (and probably elbowing anyone near her) and yelling some reminder about the pills being in the suitcase. But Eddie wasn’t turning his head, and he kept walking fast, praying for the train to leave soon.

It wasn’t like he wasn’t grateful to his mother for all the things she did for him, such as paying for his school supplies and send him treats from home every now and then, it was just that he was about to start his seventh and last year at Hogwarts, and the first years’ parents weren’t nearly as apprehensive and excited as his mom was.

It was embarrassing, and Eddie wasn’t having any of it. Not on his last first day, anyway. He was  17, for Merlin’ sake.

“Did you take your pills, Eddie-Bear? You know how dusty the library is! And your allergy might get pretty serious. Did you remember to pack your inhaler?” “Yes, mom.” “What about your Remembrall? So you’ll never forget to take your medications.” “Yes, mom.” “You’ll write to me, won’t you, Eddie? You wouldn’t forget about your mommy, right?” “No, mom.” “Will you be careful? You always need to be safe, Eddie. Do you promise you’ll always be safe?” “Yes, mom.” “You’re such a good boy, Eddie-Bear. Come give mommy a kiss.”

There was objectively nothing wrong about the whole dialogue. Except that it was entertained five minutes before. In the middle of the platform. In front of everyone. And of course, Mrs Kaspbrak knew nothing about keeping her voice down.

Getting on the Hogwarts Express was the thing Eddie looked forward to the most during his summers. September the 1st had been his favorite day since he was eleven years old, and nothing had changed that over the years. September the 1st meant Hogwarts. It meant friends and classes. It meant he got to sleep again in his cozy, warm bed in the Hufflepuff dormitory instead of bleach smelling sheets and it meant getting away from home. Eddie loved his mother, he really did, but Sonia Kaspbrak knew how to make it hard for him. Eddie didn’t feel like he needed his inhaler when he was at school, but he used it on a regular basis when he was at home. His mom lived in a muggle neighborhood. She moved there with Eddie’s father, since they both believed it would have been a safer and quieter choice, and decided to stay there after he died. Soon enough, she started to blend herself perfectly among muggles. She almost had a breakdown when Eddie got his letter, too afraid that something could have happened to her little angel in the wizarding world. If it wasn’t for the self washing dishes in the morning, Eddie would have believed his mother had lost her powers over the years. “Eddie-Bear! You’re such a good boy! Come give daddy a kiss!” Eddie stopped on his tracks as he heard that voice. He sighed and closed his eyes, feeling tired already. When he opened them again, Richie Tozier’s head was popping out of a compartment. Eddie prayed that he was being mistaking, but Richie seemed taller, which was honestly unfair, because he was already the tallest of the group and it was just inacceptable for him to keep growing like that. His hair, over the summer, had grown wilder and messier,  a splash of freckles still covered the boy’s nose and his front teeth were still a little too big, but that didn’t stop Richie from smiling from ear to ear. His eyes, as usual, looked way bigger behind his huge glasses. “Shut your mouth, Tozier.” Eddie hissed. Of course Richie had listened to the whole conversation he had with his mother, because that was just Eddie’s luck. “That’s it? You haven’t seen me in months and that’s the first thing you want to say to your best friend?” Richie said, in mock shock. “Bill’s my best friend.” Eddie reminded him, rolling his eyes and walking past him into the compartment. Richie brought his hands to his heard and bent in two, whining and moaning in pain. “For fuck’s sake, Richie, sit down and give us a break.” Stan scolded, leaning against the seat and sighing loudly. Eddie giggled and sat down next to him, and the two boys bumped their fists together as Richie sat in front of them, folding his arms on his chest. “You are both so lovely today, aren’t you?” He launched his legs between them, and yes, Eddie could definitely tell that Richie was taller. Eddie wrinkled his nose, but a smile was tugging the corner of his lips. Of course he had missed Richie. He had missed every single one of his friends, obviously, but Richie was the loudest, hence the one you’d immediately notice if he was not around.   Yes, Richie was loud and annoying and obnoxious and his jokes were honestly terrible, but they all loved him immensely. “Am I particularly handsome today? Because you’re staring, Eds.” Richie said, smiling widely. Eddie’s eyes widened and his cheeks turned bright pink as he moved his attention to the window, pleased to see that the train had started moving. “I wasn’t. And don’t call me that, I hate it when you call me that. Eddie is already short for Edward. It doesn’t need to be shorter.” “I don’t know, Eds, you’re pretty short yourself.” Richie said, laughing at his own joke, which only made Eddie roll his eyes and fold his arms on his chest. “Your jokes are getting old.” “Not as old as your mom.” “That’s not even an insult! It’s a mere fact!” “The fact that I bang your mom is a mere fact!” At that point, Stan got up and left the compartment, which didn’t surprise neither of them. Richie was grinning, and Eddie, despite himself, was too. As weird as it might have sounded, he had really fucking missed this. The bickering, the arguing, the awful jokes and the look of absolute joy that would lit up Richie’s eyes anytime he was getting attention. Things were already back to normal, and Eddie couldn’t have been more grateful for that. “Watch your trash mouth, Trashmouth, or there might be a missing student when we get to the castle.” Eddie said, but his smile hadn’t vanished. “You know, for a Hufflepuff, you’re rather hostile.” Richie said, gesturing towards the Hufflepuff’ patch on Eddie’s robes. “You guys!” They both turned their heads at the same time, but Richie was the first one to get up, lifting Beverly Marsh off of the ground and spinning her around. “Miss Marsh! Long time no see! How are you doing on this fine day?” Richie said happily, without putting her down. Beverly laughed lightly, wrapping her arms around Richie’s shoulders and planting a firm kiss on his lips. Anyone who might have seen them, would have thought they were a couple. A power couple, actually. They were both gorgeous: Beverly, with her wonderful auburn hair and her green eyes, and Richie, tall and lanky and with amazing cheekbones. They were both Slytherins, which meant they spent a great amount of time together, and they both had a crude sense of humor and a tendency to ignore whatever rule was given. But no, they weren’t a couple. That was common knowledge. They had been best friends since the very first day at Hogwarts. Inseparable, actually. “Let me down, you giant fuck. How fucking tall are you? Did your folks watered you overnights?” Beverly laughed, reaching up to ruffle his hair as he pushed his glasses back on the bridge of his nose. “Hi, Eddie!” She said happily, leaning down to kiss him on the cheek. “Hi, Bev, did you have a nice summer?” Eddie asked cheerfully. “Horrendous, thanks for asking.” She replied, just as cheerfully, as Richie and her flopped down on the seat at the same time. “How about you?” Eddie shrugged and opened a pack of Skittles, which were always a great hit among those who weren’t used to muggle stuff. “Just as boring as usual, I guess. My mom still thinks I’m a fragile toddler, but what’s new about that? So yeah. Boring.” “He missed me.” Richie said confidentially, elbowing her lightly and making her laugh and shake her head. “Keep telling yourself that, Richie.” Eddie said, throwing a skittle at him and raising his eyebrows when the boy caught it with his mouth. Impressive. “Uh-uh-hello guh-guys!” Bill, already in his Gryffindor uniform, was standing in the doorway, smiling at pointing to his left. “Any ruh-ruh-reason why S-Stan’s buh-banging his head ah-against the window?” He asked, amused, and Richie gestured vaguely with his hands. “Leave him be, Billiam, he’s just being pissy.” He said, making room on his right. “Have a seat! Have a skittle! Why the hell took you so long to show up? Have your feet started stuttering as well?” Bill couldn’t help but giggle, but he choose to sit by Eddie’s side. The two of them hugged each other and Richie rolled his eyes. Bill had been Eddie's best friend ever since they could remember. Bill's parents were muggles, and they lived just next door to Eddie's house. The boys had met each other while playing out in the garden, and they could barely believe their eyes when they both got their letters. Bill even more so, since his parents were muggles. Eddie, on the other hand, was kinda expecting it. Bill had been there when Eddie's dad died, Eddie had been there when Georgie was born and Bill had to learn how to be a proper big brother. “Bill’s got a hug and he barely said hello to me.” He muttered to Beverly, loud enough for Eddie to hear. “Now who’s the one being pissy?” Eddie inquired, smiling smugly, hoping he wasn’t blushing. “Anyway, I wuh-was with G-Georgie. It’s his fuh-first day. He is a bih-bih-bit nervous.” Bill explained shoving a fistful of skittles into his mouth. “He duh-doesn’t want to be a S-Slytherin buh-beacause I’m a Gh-Gryffindor.” Richie and Beverly eyed each other. They hated how people seemed to believe that nothing good could ever came from Slytherin. If you asked them, being sorted into Slytherin, had been the best thing that had ever happened to them. Both Richie and Beverly didn’t come from pleasant families, so finding a new one at school had been more than they could have ever asked for. “Don’t worry, Bill, we’ll keep an eye on him if he’s sorted into Slytherin.” Beverly said, smiling at Bill, who smiled a grateful smile back. Everyone knew how much Bill loved and cared for his little brother and how much he missed him when he was away. “Who’s gonna be sorted into Slytherin?” Mike Hanlon, already in his black and yellow Quidditch sweater, was smiling brightly. He had been working out over the summer, because, Eddie noticed, he was way more built up. Among  the boys in the group, Mike was probably the only one who already looked like more like a man and less like a boy.  “Bless their soul, anyway. Being in the same house as Richie. Hellish.” Mike joked, bumping his fists with the boys and high fiving Beverly. “Ya’ll so nice to me today. I’m moved, I’m touched. Pour all that love on me.” Richie said, flipping them off, and they all laughed. Eddie could feel his heart feel up with joy as he watched at his friends: Beverly’s legs were thrown on Richie’s and her eyes were bright and slightly wrinkled at the sides from all the laughter; Mike was stealing some Skittles from the bag and talking to Bill, who was laughing and clapping his hands together. And Richie, of course, whose smile could have lighted up an entire city. Eddie felt his heart skipping a beat when Richie met his gaze and winked playfully, but ignored it and stuck his tongue out at him. “What did we miss?” Ben, who had grown taller as well over the summer, was grinning, but his gaze was fixed on Beverly. By his side, with a grumpy frown, was Stan, who sat down next to the window, greeting everyone who wasn’t in the compartment when he left.   “Hello Ben, did you have a good summer?” Beverly grinned, shifting closer to Richie to make space for Ben next to her. Ben smiled back at her, slightly flushed on the cheeks, and sat down. Here we go again, Eddie thought, eyeing between Beverly and Ben, wondering if they were going to get their shits together this year. “Hey Ben, we’re going to beat your Ravenclaw’ asses on the field this year.” Mike teased. They had both been in the respective houses Quidditch teams since their second year. Ben was a beater, Mike was the chaser. It had became a bit of a tradition to go to every single Quidditch match together. Even if any of them were playing, they would go and root for their houses. “Bitch, you wish.” Ben and Stanley replied at the same time. “Yuh-you’re not even in the tuh-tuh-team, Stan.” Bill said, chuckling, and Stan shrugged. “But I’m still a Ravenclaw. And I enjoy watching Quidditch so, of course, I root for my house.” Ben and Stan bumped their fists together and Mike shook his head lightly, giggling. “This is gonna be a damn good year!” Richie shouted, cupping his mouth to make his voice louder. As if there was any need for that. “Almost as good as Eddie’s mom’ bl-“ “Shut up, Richie!”

[captainvictoryboat]

Behind The Scenes 4 (6/?)

Author’s note: This whole part is in Jungkook’s POV. It feels likes its been awhile doing his pov so this was really fun. This whole part went over board ad didn’t follow my outline so it was interesting.

Genre: Angst

Word Count: 1730

Summary: Jungkook finally gets to talk a bit with y/n

JK POV

“Why are you so useless?” Rap monster asked Jungkook before he pulled the trigger of his own gun.

Jungkook saw the man in front of him fall to the ground. Deep red soon pooled under him.

“When I say shoot, you fucking shoot!” his leader lectured. “Just get rid of the body. You know how to do that don’t you?” his tone was as harsh as could be. There was a mix of disgust and disappointment as he spoke to him.

“Answer me!” he growled.

“Y-yes!” Jungkook replied, still shaken from the man’s bloody corpse sprawled on the ground.

Rap monster walked off. V however stayed behind. “Dude, what’s with you?” he whispered.

Jungkook remained silent.

“Get your head back in the game bro. Our live on on the line too, don’t forget that. And its not only against these guys, Namjoon can turn on us at any second, don’t give him a reason to do it.”

“Yeah… Yeah I know. It just… I just couldn’t this time.” he choked on his words. It was like he became more of a pussy since the last deal. This was the third time he wasn’t able to take a shot a person. Not since he shot that dad, driving around the dead girls’ car, it all messed with him somehow and he couldn’t go back to his old self.

“Look, just burn the body so we can go. I’m gonna go help Namjoon out, keep him from getting more frustrated. V told him before he walked off the the direction Rap monster went off to.

Jungkook looked over at the body. The clothing was soaked in blood, the room was now filled with a foul smell, the man’s eyes still wide open almost staring at him.

Jungkook forced himself to do what was almost just as bad as having shot the man. “Find a barrel, stuff the body, douse it, light it up.” he repeated the steps over and over in his head as he went though with the order.

Next thing he knew, the body was engulfed by the flames and he was being ordered into the van so that they can go back to the dorm.

He sat in the crowded van packed with the usual crew, he was quiet unlike the rest of the guys who celebrated the small victory. He however, just tried to not think about how this last deal went. It was hard though. Not only because it just happened, bbut because the stench of smoke, blood, and other horrid odors clung to his clothes and filled his nostrils. He couldn’ escape the smell that wasn’t only on him but those crammed around him.

-

“Dude get off” V said, nudging him with his shoulder, breaking him out of his thoughts. “I can’t stand myself I seriously need to shower.” He complained

Some how they were all back at the dorm, the rest of the crew gone as if they were the only ones that were ever in the van.

He slid off the seat. His mind was fuzzy as he followed his hyungs into the dorm. He was the last inside walking into an empty living room.

“Hey y/n!” he could hear v’s voice down the hall.

“Y/n” his tired feet immediately carried him down the hall to her room.

He stood at the doorway, finding V crouched in front of y/n. They spoke in a hush. He couldn’t exactly make out what they were saying but he could have sworn he heard one of them say his name. Their expressions were serious as they whispered to each other. Jungkook couldn’t help but hate the fact that they were just so close to one another. He hated how y/n was looking V in the eye. He hated that they were so into their conversation that they didn’t even notice him standing just a few feet away from .

It wasn’t fair. “Why does V get all her attention?” he thought. Ever since the proposal, Y/n barely so much as looked in Jungkook’s direction. No matter how many attempts he’s made to be alone with her, how hard he tried to start conversation, how he tried to look after and prove that he was there for her, all she ever did was tell him to get away.

Oh but when V was around y/n and V were just the best of friends though. She went to V for everything. As each day went by Jungkook found himself more and more irritated their growing friendship. The more V was around, the less y/n need him, the less she wanted him.

He must have been standing there for a good three minutes and still they didn’t notice him. That’s when Jungkook decided to knock on the door, breaking them out of their bubble. Immediately they stopped talking and swung their heads in his direction. Upon laying eyes on him, neither one of them seemed too pleased.

‘Uh… Well, I’m gonna go take a shower. I’ll make sure to be extra fast so we can watch tv.” V aid to y/n as he left the room.

Jungkook couldn’t help but glare at his friend as he walked passed him.

Y/n stayed at her spot on her bed. She was looking up at him with that same annoyed expression she had the last few weeks.

“I feel exactly how I did this morning. Nothing’s changed.” She said in a groan. She had answered the question he was about to ask.

That drone like tone in her voice was still there. Like her expression, the done-with-life tone was how she answered all his repetitive questions (repetitive because she only let him ask one thing before she pushed him away in frustration). Many times that tone and her annoyed look were accompanied by an roll eye but  right now she didn’t do that… so that had to e a good sign right?

“That’s good.” He said in his scrathy throat. His voice came out so soft, his inside still suffocating from the smoke.

He closed her door and moved closer to her. This was the first time in a long time that they were actually alone. Despite how ugly he felt, he was determined to have a talk with her, to feel normal again.

“I’m surprised that Hoseok and Yoongi aren’t in here.” He said to bring up something that wasn’t her health.

“We had an argument that other day.” She said with slight frown.

“Yeah?” he could help but have a hint of a grin on his face. This was good for him, this meant he could have more time with her and he wouldn’t have to worry about stupid ass Yoongi taking y/n’s attention away from him, turning her against him.

“And why are you so happy about that?” Her voice was suddenly so cold

He was caught off guard. “What?”

Her hands went to her temples. “You know what? I don’t want to talk have this talk with you right now.” She dragged herself to the edge of her mattress and began to maneuver herself in attempts to stand up.

“Let me help” he gently held out his hand to her, only for her to slap it away.

“No!” she protested.

Stubbornly, he tried once more to help her only to get the same result.

“I said no! I can do it myself!”

It was struggle for her, but eventually she got herself on her feet in a labored breath.

“I’m so fucking tired of you hovering over me!” she grumbled

“Well I’m sorry that I’m concerned and want to care for my girlfriend!”

“Shut up!” she growled. ”Don’t be saying that out loud!”

“Oh yeah, that’s because you are my fiancée now!” He said it louder.

“Like hell I am!”

“Last I checked that’s what an engagement ring symbolizes!”

“We aren’t shit alright! That ring means nothing!”

“Exactly! So why are you so fucking pissy at me! I know you are being a bitch about the proposal, even when it changes nothing!”

“Oh now you want to bring up the proposal! That would have been nice before you dragged me out in front of thousands of people and fucking proposed!”

“I would had told you about it in the car ride to the stadium but you were being a bitch then too and wouldn’t let me do or say anything!”

“Is it so hard to say “Y/n we are getting engaged” or “Y/n Namjoon is making me propose to you in the middle of the concert.” No! it isn’t you could have just opened that stupid mouth of yours!” she shouted. “Why don’t you ever take your head out of your ass and use it to think?”

He stepped up to her, getting in her personal space. “You don’t know what’s going on in my head alright!” he shouted back. “You aren’t the only one that-“

“Jungkook!” V’s low voice boomed thorugh the room.

Immeditaely Jungkook shut his mouth.

“What the fuck is going on in here?!?” V’s eyes burned through Jungkook’s skull. His face was a mix of shock and rage. Soapy water dripping from his hair and chin, but he didn’t seem phased by it. V’s faded red shirt was a genuine red from being soaked with water. It clung to his skin in an awkward way, somehow making him look more frantic, more enraged that he really was.  “I could hear you guys shouting from inside the shower!”

“We were just talking.” Jungkook said through his teeth.

V walked into the room, pushing Jungkook back and placing himself in front f y/n. He stood as power stance, ready to fight. “Well you don’t talk to her like that!”

Again Jungkook saw an image he hated to see. V was glaring at him, completely hiding y/n behind him, as if Jungkook was the threat in the room. Jungkook wasn’t the threat, no, it is Jin and Hiro and Namjoon that they were supposed to be defending her from. How could V actually see him as someone that could hurt y/n?

“You don’t fucking tell me what to do!”  Jungkook snapped. “ especalliy when you don’t know whats going on.”

‘So! You still shouldn’t raise your voice at her like that!”

V had a point, Jungkook knew that, he just didn’t want to admit it. Instead of apologizing on the spot like he knew he should, he decided it was better to runaway from the situation. “Fuck this! I’m going too the gym.”

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Did i post this????

deep breaths. He didn't need a damn baby sitter. He didn't need Keith smothering him even though his omega desperately wanted all his alpha's attention. He didn't need his alpha treating him with kid gloves. Quiznak. He really didn't know what he needed, but grabbing the first thing he could off his desk and throwing it helped, and it all escalated from that. Screaming his frustrations out, everything and anything he could pull apart or throw became his victim, until he was standing in a sea of self made chaos. He felt like every part of his quarters had been violated by Shiro's secret stalking, but at the same time, there was no way he wanted to go stay in Keith's. Not with his boyfriend's mother on the castle, and doubly not when he knew he'd probably end up having sex with him, despite the idea of sex making his skin crawl all over again. He'd wanted answers and all he'd gotten was fucked over... again.

 Looking up as the door to his room slid open, he wasn't surprised in the slightest as Krolia stood there. The look of concern on the woman's face only serving to piss him off further

"Nope. No. Not happening. I don't want or need a baby sitter. Go back to Keith and tell him to go jump"

Raising an eyebrow, Krolia casually stepped through the mess, before coming to lean against the wall beside his bed

"Mmm hmm. What do you call this then?"

"I call it "your son is a jerk, and alpha's suck""

"I take it things didn't go well in Shiro's quarters"

"How did you know about that?"

"I have my ways... and I can smell Shiro on you"

Throwing his hands up, Lance shook his head 

"I fucking quit. All I wanted was some answers. That's it. Now I have no idea what to think"

"Well, I think my jerk son is concerned about you and I think I'm concerned about you and him"

Jerk sounded so harsh when Krolia said it. Walking over, Lance sank down on the edge of his bed, before burying his face in his hands

"Krolia. I don't know what to do. I'm so beyond messed up and I don't want to be touched, but I can't tell Keith not to care about me because I want him too... but I'm mad at him for doing his job"

Snorting lightly, Krolia moved to sink down next to him, before pulling him into a hug

"Keith's struggling too. He didn't expect to be forced to fill Shiro's place. Nor did he expect to find out he was going to be a dad"

Trying to wriggle from her grasp, Lance let out a huff

"I know this. Don't you start too. If you're going to have a go at me, can you save it for tomorrow"

"I'm not having a go at you"

"Really?"

"Yes, now stop wriggling around. The Galra don't have alpha's in the same sense as you do, so your omega shouldn't be freaking out too badly"

"I just don't want to be touched. It feels like Shiro is on my skin and I feel so dirty right now"

"You're not dirty"

"You can say that because you didn't see inside Shiro's room. He had pictures of me naked, pictures of me in heat and pictures of him inside of me... it makes me feel so sick and so mad! He was in this room while I was sleeping. While Keith was in here with me! How does my boyfriend not notice when the alpha who raped me just stops by for nightly visits?"

"I don't know Lance. But I do know the stress isn't good for the pups"

"Don't even talk about them either. I am still embarrassed over thinking I was losing them because I was so damn hungry. I feel stupid and fat. I hate how much I'm eating... but if I don't eat Keith gets mad and the pups get mad..."

"I think you look fine. Especially given those are my grandchildren inside of you"

Groaning at Krolia, Lance finally stopped struggling and flopped against her

"I'm 11 movements. If I'm this bad already, what the quiznak am I going to be like later on?"

"Like this, only about a hundred times worse"

"You know, you really suck at this"

"Do I? I can already smell that you're much calmer than when I walked in"

"That's because you used your mum magic on me"

"My mum magic?"

"Yeah. That thing that mum's do when they make you talk, even if you don't want to. Mum used to always make me talk, before we stopped really talking"

"How do you think I feel? I finally found my son again, and now I have two of them"

"Two?"

"You and Keith. And I'm decades too young to be a grandmother"

"Would you prefer to be "Cool aunt Krolia"?"

"No"

Finally feeling a smile forming on his lips, Lance let out a sigh as he looked at the mess he'd made

"I kind of lost my head, didn't I?"

"Just a little"

"I sooo don't want to clean this up"

"Then don't"

"Ha ha. It doesn't work like that"

"Really? You would think will all their advanced technology the Altean's would have invented a castle that cleaned itself"

"You have no idea. Just wait until Coran has you cleaning the healing pods by hand..."

Maybe being pregnant would bring an end to the slave labour that was cleaning the ship? Something good had to come out of getting fat

"Go take a shower, I'll start cleaning up"

"No offence Krolia, but please don't. Shiro stole a heap of my things, so I don't think I can handle not putting it all back myself"

"Alright. But I'm still going to wait for you to shower, and then we're going to Keith's quarters so you can rest before dinner"

The hard edge in her voice told him he wasn't going to win with her on that one. He really didn't deserve Krolia.

 Being alone in the shower proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back. Stripping off his clothes, it was like all he could smell and feel was Shiro. He could hear the alpha's groans, feel him rutting up against as he gripped him by the throat. Scrunching his eyes closed, Lance tried to tell himself none of it was real... Throwing up on the shirt in his hands was revolting, but then the tears started and he ended up sobbing and heaving on the shower floor. At least Krolia had the tact not to come in...

 With his skin scrubbed red raw, and all traces of his mess washed down the drain, Lance found he was too exhausted to move. Sitting on the bathroom floor, he rubbed at his stomach as he tried to figure out how to get out, dressed and fed without moving from the spot he was in. In he end, he had no choice 

"Krolia!"

Appearing in the door, the woman looked down at him with a smirk

"Yes, Lance?"

"I'm stuck"

"I never would have guessed"

He hadn't called her in to be sassed

"Krolia!"

"Fine. No need to yell"

Crossing over, Krolia turned the taps off before lifting him onto her shoulder

"Krolia!"

"I thought you wanted off the shower floor"

"I did. But I'm naked!"

"So? Would you rather I just put you back on the shower floor?"

"No. But you didn't have to pick me up, I just needed help off the floor"

"It's fine. You know what they say... something or other about when your son's future mate's this adorable..."

"Krolia! Stop it!"

Carrying him into his room, Krolia snagged his towel on the way. Setting him down next to his bed, Lance snatched his towel back as he scowled at the woman

"You can wait outside now"

"Are you sure?"

"Krolia!"

Even if Krolia had only been in Keith's life for a few movements, the resemblance between the two... it was frustrating. He just couldn't win with either of them, but he wouldn't change either of them either.

  *

"How's he been?"

Staring down at Lance, Keith felt more than a little jealous at the sight in front of him. His omega was curled up asleep, with head was resting in his mother's lap. The Galra woman gently stroking his hair

"The more he speaks of Shiro, the more I wish I'd run him through with my blade"

That good... right. He hadn't really explained to her the details of why he needed her to track down Lance when he'd called her, only that he was back in the doghouse and Lance shouldn't be alone

"I take it he told you about it all"

"Yes, and a head's up from you would have been nice. What were you thinking leaving him alone?"

"It's not like I wanted to, and I didn't expect things to take so long. That's why I asked you to come stay with him. I had to make sure Pidge and Hunk didn't see what was in Shiro's room. They don't deserve that"

"And what about what Lance deserves? He'd trashed his quarters by the time I finally found him"

Of course he had. Hell have no fury like a pissy omega 

"And it was pretty clear he really didn't want to come back here..."

"You know, when we were first courting, it was kind of corny but I thought of this as our room. A space where Lance could just escape it all. It didn't really work out like that, but until we make sure his room is actually safe for him, he'll be staying here"

"Then shall I use his room? We can clean and sort Lance's things tomorrow, it'll give him something to do"

"Mum... are you sure?"

"It makes no real difference to me, but I don't think Lance would be comfortable with me watching over everything you two do"

The playful notes in his mother's voice had him shocked. He'd had the sex talk from Allura and what? The encouragement talk from his mother?

"Muuum!"

Whining softly, Lance nuzzled his mother's leg

"Don't wake him up. I'd only just gotten him resettled when you came back. He pretty much fell asleep the moment we got here, only to start crying in his sleep and repeating Shiro's name"

Keith sighed bitterly. He knew letting Lance have his way was a bad idea. He wouldn't be surprised if the omega's mental health had taken a major hit

"Right. Well, in that case I'll take a shower and then I'll take over from you. Allura and Coran are dealing with Shiro's room, while Hunk and Pidge are dealing with dinner. Our three guests are going to need dinner as well"

"Have you heard from Lotor?"

"Allura managed to track him down. He'll be arriving the quintant after tomorrow. It's the best he can do. What's the news from Kolivan?"

"Kolivan's going to keep an eye out and let us know if Haggar makes a move to contact anyone in the empire. He's annoyed at losing both of us, but appreciates the fact you're willing to side with them over Lotor"

"Of course I am. This alliance with Lotor has never sat well with me, nor with Lance. I feel like this all an act, and it's only a matter of time before he turns against us"

 Returning from showering, he found Lance awake. The omega now curled up in the far corner of Keith's bed, while his mother was standing beside his desk. Looking to Krolia, he had no idea how things could have changed so rapidly in the few doboshes it'd taken him to shower

"What happened?"

"He woke up and realised he wasn't in his own room. He's a little disorientated, and panicked"

Yeah. Keith could smell as much. Lance's scent was like a neon sign saying "Go away"

"Mum, why don't you head up and see how dinner is going? We'll come up once he's calmed back down"

"Alright. I'll see you both soon"

 Waiting until his mother was gone, Keith dropped his towel and climbed onto his bed, stopping just short of his boyfriend. Getting dressed could wait until after he'd talked to Lance 

"Lance. You ok?"

"No"

"Want to talk to me about it?"

"Not really"

"You know I didn't want to leave you right?"

"It's fine"

"I had to make sure everyone was doing as I'd asked, and make sure Allura and Coran cleaned Shiro's room up so the others didn't see"

"I said it's fine"

"It doesn't sound like you think it is"

Finally looking up at him, Lance looked like he was completely fed up with being questioned, his eyes narrow to the point of nearly being cold

"Keith, just back off. I said it's fine. It's fine. I understand. I just needed some space, but you still sent your mother after me. I wish you'd listen to me"

"I'm just worried about you"

"There's worried and there's smothering. My head's a mess and I need to think"

"Then what can I do?"

"Nothing! Aren't you listening? This day has been one embarrassment after another. First we get back together and have sex without talking things through. Then I get hungry enough to think I'm losing the pups and then we find out Shiro has been stalking all of us because he wanted to know who or what he was. You might think things just magically go back to how they were, and quiznak I wish they would but I need to think, and I can't do that with a baby sitter!"

Wincing, he raised his hands in surrender

"Ok! Ok! Just stop yelling at me. I don't know what to do either. I didn't expect to come home to find you're pregnant or to find that I was going to have to take over from Shiro. So while I understand you're embarrassed over nothing, I refuse to let you wander around the ship on your own"

"Over nothing?!"

Screeching the words at him, Lance scrambled past him. Open mouth. Insert foot.

"Yes. You're pregnant. You have no reason to be ashamed or embarrassed. The only one with any experience around here when it comes to part Galra babies is my mother. Of course we aren't going to understand or know what's happening to you"

"I can never win when it comes to you"

What the hell was he supposed to say to that? Once again he was left standing there while Lance took off. It wasn't his fault he couldn't say the right things to calm his omega down. He had no idea what he was doing, but at least he was trying. All Lance was doing was getting mad at him.

  *

Hunk had pacified his angry boyfriend by the time Keith came up to dinner. He'd gone ahead and made a small nest for the pair of them, though he was still mad at Lance. Well, he was more mad at himself than with his boyfriend. Lance had suffered a huge shock, again, and he hadn't helped things. Crossing to take a seat at the table, he paused to drop a kiss atop his boyfriend's head as he went. They needed to stop fighting and start communicating, and even if Lance was on guard around him, he could still be the bigger person and take the first step

"I see you made him cookie dough again"

"This ones fruit based, so it's healthier"

Fruit based? That didn't sound particularly nice...

"Thanks Hunk. How does it taste?"

Licking at the wooden spatula, Lance nodded

"Really good. Hunk would make a mint if he went into health food production"

Smiling slightly, Keith nodded at Hunk

"That's good. I'll have to keep that in mind for the future"

"Noooo"

Raising an eyebrow, Hunk looked just as confused as Keith was over Lance protesting food

"If he goes into production, that will mean he'll be around less"

"Lance, I'm not buying it. You just don't want to risk going without cookie dough"

Nodding his head, Lance scraped at the side of the bowl

"There's that too..."

"Don't worry, I'll make you as much as you want..."

"Hunk, you don't need to suck up. I've already decided you're going to be the pups god father. Actually, I decided all of you would be god parents. If anything happens to Keith and I, I don't want my family raising them. They wouldn't understand... not like you guys do"

Wait... what? Just when had Lance decided this and why was his boyfriend choosing now to drop this on them all? Of course the team would be the best people to raise their pups, and would be helping too, but couldn't they have talked about this first?

"Aw yes! We get to be the cool aunts and uncles, with none of the nappy changing responsibilities!"

High fiving Hunk, Pidge was clearly thrilled over Lance's announcement

"Lance, baby, shouldn't we talk about this?"

"Why? You agree, don't you?"

"Yes. But are you really sure?"

"It's like Krolia said. This is a ship full of alpha's, and both Coran and Allura are amazing in their own right. There is no safer place for our pups to be than with them"

Deserting his bowl of cookie dough, Lance placed his hands on his stomach

"I decided when I took my Bayard back that I want to fight for a world where these little guys don't have to. I want to be a Paladin and I want to be a good mum"

Something else Lance had decided without him. Letting out an involuntary growl, their friends all looked slightly uncomfortable 

"Maybe we should give you two a minute"

"Yeah, we can go if you guys want..."

"No. Don't. I'll be quiet, I just wanted to tell you guys that before I forgot again"

Looking from Keith to Lance and then back to him, no one knew what to say. Lance however seemed to think what needed to be said had been, and went back to his cookie dough. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Keith sighed to himself 

"It's fine. This is on me. I told Lance I would support anything he decided and he could have picked a better time to say what was he thinking, but it true. The safest place for the pups are with all of you. And as we seem to be making announcements, Lance will be moving into my quarters while Krolia takes over his"

Two could play this game, and he wasn't below stooping to Lance's level

"What? No..."

"Lance, yes. I can't be by your side all the time, so I don't want to waste the time I can be"

Turning bright red, Lance choked on the dough he was eating. Allura rushed to pass him a glass of water, while Pidge's smile only grew

"They're finally shacking up"

"Uh Pidge, he's already pregnant. It was kind of inevitable"

"It's nice though. I knew they'd get back together, but it's nice we're all like talking about stuff. It's all family like"

"That's because we are a family... a big weird family, with a fat omega"

As Lance's eyes filled with tears, Keith looked to Allura. He had no idea what had just set Lance off again, but was quietly sure it wasn't him. Leaning over, Hunk wrapped his arm around lance's shoulder

"Uh Lance? Bud? Wanna maybe tell us why you're crying?"

Instead of telling everyone, Lance lent in and whispered in Hunk's ear. The large alpha nodded as Lance pulled away slightly 

"We'll be back"

"But... what's the matter?"

"It's nothing. We'll just be back, you guys go ahead and eat"

Rising from their chairs, Hunk kept his arm around Lance's shoulder as they left. Keith was itching to go after them, but instead he chose to trust that Lance just needed a little time with his best friend. 

Despite giving it his best shot, and biting his lip as they all waited, in the end, he couldn't take it and looked to his mother, knowing she would have heard everything 

"Mum, is he alright?"

"Yeah. They'll be back soon"

"Keith, did something happen again? Lance's scent was full of sadness and anger when he came up, but I also thought I smelt Shiro, and even now I swear I can smell trace amounts of his scent"

Damn Pidge and her perceptiveness. Looking to Allura and Coran, Keith took a deep breath, before choosing his words carefully

"Lance had a bit of an... episode, this afternoon. With what happened to Shiro, we're all trying to cope with it in our own way, but at the same time, we can't forget what Lance went through. He doesn't understand any of it, and the fact that not-Shiro went after him too... he can't process. This is like the third time today he's taken off, so don't let it get to you. It's not you guys. It's me. I can't seem to be able to do anything right when it comes to him right now"

"You know, he was a lot less moody when you weren't around. Can't you guys just go kiss and make up?"

"Not when we have Haggar on our doorstep and are forced to wait for Lotor to arrive. There's things that need to be done around here..."

"Then let Allura help you. We're a team right? None of like seeing Lance upset"

Placing her hand on his, Allura smiled softly 

"She's right. We can't do anything right now, and if anything come up, we can call you"

"That's not fair on you guys"

"If we work together, it'll be fine. Oh look, your mum was right, they're back already"

 Retaking their seats, Lance was now eating something else, while Hunk picked up his fork

"You didn't have to wait for us"

"It's fine. Everything alright Lance?"

Nodding his head, Lance crossed his legs and placed the bowl he'd returned with between them 

"I suddenly felt really sick, so I asked Hunk if he knew anything that would help with the nausea"

Keith had a feeling that wasn't all there was to it, but still nodded

"Alright. Let me know if you want to go back to our room. Allura and Coran are taking over for the night, so you'll be stuck with me"

Lance frowned as he sat up a little straighter

"No, I'm fine. I mean, you probably have a lot to organise and stuff..."

"We all have work to do, but if we work together, things will be fine"

"What happened to my boyfriend? We weren't gone that long were we?"

"What Keith is trying to say is that he loves you and he wants to hug you and he wants to kiss you..."

Elbowing Pidge mid song, the female alpha glared at Hunk for interrupting her 

"What was that for?"

"Because I'm trying to eat"

"I appreciate the concern guys, but honestly I think maybe I'd like things to keep kind of the way they are. I'm pregnant, not dying. So as long as I remember to eat and sleep, I should be alright"

"Lance..."

"Keith. It's ok. You sort out what you need to with everyone else tonight"

Lance's calm and casual tone didn't sit right with any of them, it was way too calm and casual after all Lance had said and done. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like whatever his omega was actually thinking, but let it finally drop. 

  *

Face planting onto his bed, Keith was exhausted. No. He was way beyond exhausted. But the moment he hit the hard? blankets, he was scrambling off them as fast as he could thanks to the yelping noise they'd made

"What the hell Keith?!"

"Lance?! I didn't think you were talking to me"

"I'm not, not talking to you. I'm just mad at you. But that doesn't mean you can jump on me!"

"I wasn't expecting you to be in my bed!"

"Your mum said I had to stay here. She wanted to do some training on her own, and I'm not allowed to go back to my room"

Lance had kind of slowly shut down during dinner, before excusing himself. Keith hadn't even had to ask his mother to follow the teen, the woman leaving with just a nod to everyone else. After that, they'd begun trying to figure out how to make all this work. Keith wanted the nights "off" so that he could be with  Lance at the end of each day, but at the same time, that wasn't fair to Allura. Asking her to be on call night after night would only end up with Allura burning out, even if at the moment nothing was happening. Because of how Lance couldn't always control his fears or actions, having him spend nights with Pidge or Hunk in their quarters was out the question, but the pair were happy to stay up and play video games and such on the nights they weren't busy. The plan was to slowly ease Lance into doing as little as possible outside of his duties as Red Paladin. None of them liked the idea of him going into battle, but none of them wanted to tell him no, especially because of how much it meant to him. The omega had well and truly cried enough tears to last a lifetime and a half. Somewhere amongst all their planning, the topic of Lotor's arrival and what they'd tell him came up, and now it was the very early hours of the morning. Hence why he was so exhausted, not just physically but mentally too. Thinking was hard work.

Rearranging himself, Lance pulled Keith's pillow into his lap, before pouting up at him. It was no good. Lance was adorable. Trying his hardest to form words, he had to fight to remember what they were talking about. Oh. He'd jumped on Lance... and Lance didn't want to be here

"It's not that you're not allowed to go back to your room, I just want to make sure it's actually safe before you do. It probably doesn't mean anything, but I'm really happy your here"

"So happy that you squashed me"

"That was an accident"

"How could you possibly miss the big fat lump in the middle of your bed"

Groaning, Keith figured that no matter what he said, Lance would find a way to take it wrong

"You're pregnant. Now move over, I need my bed and I want to cuddle you"

"I can't be touched right now"

"What do you mean you can't be touched?"

Stripping off his clothes and boots, he honestly didn't care where they landed. He just wanted sleeeeeep. Climbing up next to Lance, he rolled onto his side so he could look at his boyfriend as he spoke, his words low and mumbled as if he was embarrassed 

"My stupid omega doesn't want to be touched, but I don't want to be alone either"

"Is that why you're so mad?"

"Maybe... I don't know. But Keith, I don't want to have sex"

Sex was the last thing on Keith's mind... well maybe not the last, but it wasn't the first by a long shot. Snaking an arm up, he awkwardly half hugged his tense omega 

"I said cuddle, not sex. I'm so tired I don't think I could move, even if you wanted it"

"Promise?"

"Yes. Please. I am so done with today, so get down here and let me hold you"

Very slowly, and very carefully, Lance did as he asked. His boyfriend letting him cuddle up against his side, without making any effort to cuddle him back

"Lance. Even if we fight and you're mad at me. I still love you"

"I know... I'm sorry today messed me up so much"

"I'm like 90 percent sure you don't have to say sorry"

"I do. I kept making you mad and then I got mad at myself"

"No, you don't say"

Lance tensed as he went to escape. Sliding up, Keith rested his head on Lance's shoulder so he couldn't escape 

"Baby. I'm joking. Please"

"I can't... my omega is so on edge that I can't tell... every time you say something, I keep waiting to be punished like with Shiro"

"Lance, I'm not going to punish you"

"I know! It's stupid! I'm stupid. Ok. I can't stop myself"

"You're not stupid. I wish you wouldn't talk about yourself like that"

"Then what else would you call it?"

"Stress? Trauma? Confusion? You're not stupid and that's that"

"Then why do I feel stupid?"

"Because you're adorable. Now, can we please go to sleep"

Mumbling something about "not being adorable", Lance wasn't proving him wrong. Not that he could. Every bit of the omega was adorable, even when he was over thinking things. Nuzzling his boyfriend's cheek, Keith pressed a sleepy kiss to it

"I love you baby"

[h-styles-babes]

No Control | Twenty-Nine

Summary: 

Micky Bennett: college student, loyal friend, aspiring nurse, One Direction fan, Harry Styles enthusiast. Her best friend, Trevor, wins tickets to a show in New Jersey with meet and greet passes. Micky expects a quick photo op with the boys and a great night at the concert with her best friend. What she gets a whole lot more than she bargained for.

To read previous chapters, you can go here.

*Please feel free to reblog and send feedback. It’s much appreciated :)*

*Gif is not mine.*

TWENTY-NINE

I sleep in the guest room in Harry’s home that night. It’s a bit of a strange feeling, considering the last time I was here, I was sleeping in his bed, intimately tangled with him, and having copious amounts of sex with him, any of those times which resulted in the conception of the child that now resides in my womb. Which is a weird thing to think about, because our lives could not be any different than back in August. 

Thankfully, Little Bean seems to have calmed down in time for me to go to sleep, which means I fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer than I had the night before. And while I feel more rested when I wake up in the morning, I’ve still got a weird feeling in my chest that things are not as they should be. I suppose my memories of the previous time that I’ve been in this home are making it a little difficult for me to reconcile the capacity in which I’m here now. It probably doesn’t help that my feelings for Harry haven’t really changed since the last time I was here. I can’t exactly act on those feelings anymore, though. 

So, I tiptoe around Harry as he makes some tea for the both of us and tells me that Grimmy wants to see us today. I’m a little surprised that Grimmy knows I’m here, too, considering he hadn’t told his family that I was coming yesterday, but then again, Nick is a little less affected by the pregnancy than his family. I briefly wonder if he’s told his old bandmates about what’s happening, but I figure that if he hasn’t told his manager yet, he’s keeping the information on a need-to-know basis for the time being. I know everyone’s going to be privy to this information eventually, but I’m quite enjoying the quietness of the whole thing so far. I know I have to brace myself for the time when the whole world knows, but I’ll take the peace while I can get it for now. 

As Harry gets some sort of breakfast ready, I head back up to the guest room to change out of my pyjamas. I pull on black leggings that fit comfortably over the bump and a red jumper that is cozy and warm and actually still fits me. I’ve been extremely reluctant to buy maternity clothes, just because I know it’s all going to be over soon enough. I’ve used the hair tie through the button hole trick as much as I can, and I’ve taken to wearing stretchy materials or baggier shirts in order to get through this without buying something new. I’ve also taken a new liking to dresses, since they all fit as long as the waistline isn’t too low and they don’t require me to wear bottoms. I have bought one pair of maternity shorts however, and that was only because the weight I gained in my hips made it impossible for me to wear the pairs that I already own. 

I have a grey poncho thing to go with the outfit if it’s necessary, but I leave it laid out on the bed for now, since it’s warm enough in Harry’s home to go without it. There’s a chime that sounds throughout the house, indicating that there’s someone requesting entry at the gate. Harry opens some app on his phone that allows him to view out onto the camera that’s at the gate, and a little smile quirks on his lips as he taps some button.

“Nick’s here,” he announces. He’s already dressed, as well, and I can smell something good in the kitchen. The griddle out on the stove top and the syrup on the counter tells me that he’s made pancakes, and my mouth waters a little.  

“Have you told him?” I ask as I grab a stack of plates out of the cupboard. I’m a little shocked by my own comfort in getting the dishes in his home, but I brush it off quickly. It may have been a while since the last time I was here, but we had spent a lot of time here, so I knew the lay out of the kitchen pretty well. I didn’t want to think too much into it.

“No, he just knows you’re here. Figured I’d tell him in person, otherwise he’d be yelling my ear off over the phone.”

“So you rather him yell your ear off in person? Where I now have to deal with him, too?” I ask over a chuckle. “At least you can hand up on him over the phone. Can’t do that when he’s in your house.”

Harry pauses as he hears his front door open. “You’re right. I didn’t think this through.”

I laugh as the door closes again, and the house is suddenly filled with Nick’s distinctive voice.

“Is that the lovely Micky I hear? Now that’s a laugh I’ve missed. Harry’s is so annoying. Your’s is like a delicate little chime. So beautiful.”

“Hey!” Harry protests, pouting at Nick as he rounds the corner into the kitchen space. “Made you breakfast and the first thing you do is insult my laugh. Not very nice. Don’t think you deserve pancakes, mate.”

“I’m just kidding, young Harold. Your laugh is adorable. Especially your little cackle,” Nick appeases, patting Harry’s cheek as he walks by. 

I giggle as I place two pancakes on my plate. Nick is approaching me fast for a greeting, and I’m somehow calm about him finding out about the pregnancy. There’s no pressure with him finding out, I suppose. With Gemma and Anne there’d been the anxiety about how they were going to react because they were directly affected by the news. They’re the baby’s aunt and gran, after all. Nick is just the equivalent of a goofy uncle that’s not actually related to anyone, though, so the pressure of telling him is minimal. I know he’s going to take it in stride, maybe rib Harry a little bit, and then go on about how the baby is going to be the most spoiled little thing with Harry as a dad and all his famous friends. Nick is easy, and it’s a relief after how yesterday went.

“Oh, Micky, how I’ve missed your pretty face,” Nick sighs. I’m partly hidden behind the counter, so he’s still grinning as he gets closer. “Look at you, all glowing and tan. What do they put in the water in California? I need me some of it if it makes you look this good.”

“What water?” I ask with a scoff, referencing the current drought the state is in. 

“Ooh, yeah, forgot about that,” he grimaces. “Sun is doing you good, though. Not that you’re not beautiful when you’re pale from dreary old England, but a tan is making you all golden. You tan even better than Styles does.”

“Thanks. Took me awhile to build up to this without burning right away,” I admit.  

“Well, you look amazing,” he decides. “Come give me a hug. Haven’t seen you in forever, babe.”

I see Harry behind Nick, his stance a little stiff at the request. For once, I’m not worried, though, so I round the corner of the island and smile at Grimmy, who’s mouth drops open when he looks me over. 

A startled laugh bursts from his mouth, and his hands automatically shoot up to clamp over it, stifling the sound. I can’t help but laugh at him and his reaction. “Fuck me,” he laughs, dropping his hands to lay them on my shoulders. “Holy shit. Look at you. Gonna be a mumma soon.” He pulls me into a hug, careful not to squish the tummy too much. “You did this, I’m assuming.” he asks, turning to peer over his shoulder at Harry. 

“You say that like I did it on purpose.”

“You shagged her on purpose, right?”

Harry scoffs. “Well, yeah, that wasn’t an accident.”

“Sex makes babies, Harold.”

Nick sounds like a mum, and I am living for it.

“I understand that, Nicholas,” Harry sighs like he’s exasperated, even though there’s a small smile pulling at his lips. No matter how much Nick teases him, I think the ribbing is making him feel a little better.

“This is why it’s easier to be gay. No unplanned pregnancies.” 

“Gay sex!” I exclaim like it’s just dawned on me. “Should’ve considered that sooner. Would have kept me out of trouble.”

“You enjoy cock too much to have gay sex,” Harry argues before realizing what it is he’s said. As soon as he processes the words, his hand slaps over his mouth and his eyes widen as he looks between me and Nick guiltily.

Nick bursts out laughing, leaning into my side. I can’t help but chuckle at Harry’s outburst too, not having expected it from him ever. The only time I have ever heard him utter the word ‘cock’ is in reference to his own and said cock was doing very pleasurable things to my body. Hearing it so casually fall from his mouth is quite humourous, even if he was taking the mick out on my sexuality. 

“You’re not wrong,” I admit with a shrug once Nick’s laughter has calmed to short little chortles. “I was quite partial to yours, as well.” That just sets Nick off on another cackling fit.

“I am so sorry,” Harry urges. “I don’t know where that came from.”

“You’re sexually frustrated, mate,” Nick insists. “Haven’t gotten laid in forever, now Mick’s here in your house, looking all fit and carrying your child. Don’t know if you two are fucking again, but you should be. Can’t imagine your hormones aren’t begging for it, too,” he adds, looking at me.

While he’s not wrong—my hormones have me constantly fired up and begging for some sort of sexual contact—I’m not about to tell Nick that in front of Harry. We may have had sex—amazing sex, at that—together once upon a time, but we’re not in that space anymore. Being pregnant and by myself was bad enough, but now being around the extremely attractive father of my unborn child regularly has made it even worse. The shower head at my flat has gotten a lot of work recently, and I’ve already gone through a new change of batteries on the vibrator I keep in my bedside drawer since Harry re-entered my life. 

“We are not having this conversation.” Harry shakes his head.

“He gets pissy when he’s horny,” Nick stage whispers to me, looking very pointedly at Harry.

Harry flushes a pink tinge as he huffs. “I do not get pissy,” he objects. “I just don’t think discussing our sex lives is great breakfast conversation.”

“It’s only not good breakfast conversation because you’re not getting laid,” Nick protests.

“Yeah, well neither are you!”

Nick opens his mouth to argue, but I cut him off, desperately needing the back and forth to end. My stomach is growling with hunger and I really just want the pancakes and to enjoy my last day in London before flying back to LA. 

“Alright, alright. None of us are getting laid, which sucks, but such is life when you’re an international pop star, a gay man, and a pregnant woman. Now, can we please eat? The little girl is getting hungry, and when the little girl is hungry, mummy is hungry.”

Nick’s face softens as he peers down at me. “It’s a little girl?” he coos. I nod. “Aw, Harry, you’re gonna have a little girl to spoil! Gonna have daddy wrapped around your little finger, aren’t ya?” Nick cradles my stomach as he continues to coo in conversation to our unborn child.

When I look to Harry over Nick’s head, he’s grinning softly, a sort of awed expression on his face as his eyes graze over my stomach. I know how scared he’s been since finding out that he’s going to be a father, but in that moment I see the excitement and love he already has for his daughter, and my heart flutters a little at the thought.

His eyes flick up to mine and his smile widens. I smile back, bottom lip tucked between my teeth. No matter how tough navigating all this may be, I have a good feeling that we’ll be okay.

Nick somehow convinces us to go out and enjoy the relatively nice day in London. He assures both Harry and me that you can’t see my belly when I put on the poncho and keep it relatively closed in the front. So, with that little bit of persuasion, Harry drives us out to the center of the city where Nick wants to do some shopping, and even though Harry says he’s not going to buy anything, I already know he can’t pass up the opportunity if we’re in a Gucci store.

As soon as we’re out of the car and strolling down the street, a small group of girls and what appears to be their mum approach Harry and Grimmy, asking for photos. I offer to take the photo like I’m used to doing at this point, but the mum shrugs me off politely and takes it herself. I stand on the sidelines and watch as Harry and Nick talk to the girls and pose for photos, all smiles, peace signs and thumbs up. I see the girls eyes flick to me every once in a while, and I’m sure the news of Harry and I hanging out together in London will be on Twitter as soon as they walk away. 

We get to the Gucci store without anymore stops, and I have a good time watching Nick and Harry bicker back and forth about what items look good and what’s going to be big this summer, like they’re actually knowledgable and don’t just throw on whatever they think looks good. Nick teases Harry about some of the shirts he picks out, even though he then proceeds to grab ones that look shockingly similar. When I chuckle, they both throw playful glares at me, and I just shrug.

When we finally leave Gucci—Harry having bought five shirts after he very explicitly said he wasn’t going to buy anything—Nick spies a store front and quickly darts across the street.

“Where are you going?” Harry calls.

“Store!” he calls back. “You two stay over there! Go into Coach or something. Micky could use a new purse.”

“Hey!” I protest, looking at the purse hanging from my elbow. “This is Burberry. Trev bought it for me.”

“Fine, no purse! Just go do something!” He disappears into the store, and when I look up at the name of the shoppe, I realize why he doesn’t want Harry and I coming after him. It’s very obviously a baby store, one that is designer, I’m assuming.

Harry shakes his head and wraps an arm around my shoulder to usher me into a cafe. “Want some tea or something?” he asks.

“What tea doesn’t have caffeine in it?” I ask.

“Forgot that you’re not supposed to have caffeine,” he mutters. “Herbal teas. Chamomile and such.”

I nod. “Chamomile sounds good. Better get Grimmy something, too.”

“True. Such a damn drama queen,” he gripes with a fond smile. I go to grab a table while Harry orders, and when he comes to join me Nick walks through the door, an obscenely large green bag hanging on his arm with his just as large Gucci bag, a triumphant smile on his face.

“What have you done?” I ask as soon as he takes one of the vacant seats at the table.

“Figured since I probably won’t see you until after the baby is born, I’d be a proper uncle now,” he nodded once. 

“Buying the whole bloody store was necessary?” I ask, peering at how the bag is pretty much overflowing.

“Well, I had to get things in different sizes, Micky. Babies grow, ya know?”

“You’re ridiculous,” I mutter as Harry comes back to the table with our drinks. 

“What have you done?” he asks as he sees the large bag by Nick’s side.

Once Nick gives the same explanation that I received, we fall into comfortable conversation about what’s been happening lately. I ask Nick how everything’s going with BBC. I obviously don’t get the station in America, and the time difference is too big for me to stay up and live stream it when it airs. I get snippets of it from YouTube videos and on Twitter, but other than that, I’m pretty much out of the loop. 

He regales me with stories of different interviews and ridiculous things he’s seen over the last few months, and both Harry and I are laughing so hard we’re crying at one point. Nick is an amazing story-teller and makes everything ten times funnier just by his own reactions to things. I always knew he had an amazing personality, just from listening to the Breakfast Show and being a fan of Harry’s, but actually speaking to him and getting to know him is so much better than I could’ve imagined. 

I’m wiping away the last of my tears, still slightly giggling, when I look out the shoppe windows, and my laughter immediately stalls.

“Harry,” I mutter. 

He’s still chuckling slightly when he looks at me, a question in his eyes. I nod my head toward the window, urging him to look. When he sees the small crowd of paps waiting on the sidewalk, his face automatically drops into a scowl. “Fucking hell.”

Nick looks over his shoulder to where Harry and I are looking, and, in typical Nick fashion, comes back with a joke. “Jesus. Don’t know why they swarm places like this. I’m not even that famous. Need to get off my dick.”

I choke out a laugh, and Harry flashes a bit of a smile before pursing his lips. “Let me ask the owner if there’s a back way out.”

“There’s only a few of them, Haz,” Nick reasons. “Plus, it’s not like they can’t see you disappear into the back. Whole storefront is pieces of glass.”

“I just don’t want Micky to have to deal with this,” Harry sighs.

“I’ll be fine,” I assure. “Done it before, yeah?”

“Yeah, but you weren’t six months pregnant, then,” he grumbles. Nick gives him a withering look, and Harry groans. “Fine. But stay next to me. We’ll get to the car as fast as possible.”

“Try not to make headlines this time, yeah?” Nick suggests teasingly, referring to the last time Harry and I got caught in a crowd of paps. Harry yelling at the photographer after one had touched me while we were exiting Nick’s party back in August made news in just about every major gossip rag, and I even saw it on TMZ when I got back to the states. The media had let it go pretty quickly, but I wasn’t blind to the comments from fans about how they were freaking out that Harry had called me his girl and I had been spotted with him several times, both in London and in New York. I stopped paying attention, so I don’t know how long all that lasted, but it was sure to pick back up again now that Harry and I were being seen together again.

“Fuck off,” Harry bit out, a smirk softening his words. Nick just cackled a little as he grabbed his bags and helped me out of my chair.

“Stay between Harold and me, yeah? Try to keep you hidden a bit, babe.”

So, as we headed out, Harry walked out first, my hand clutched in his as Nick walked out behind me, hands on my shoulders to keep the paps away from us. They all shouted Harry’s and Nick’s names as we walked by, making comments to Harry about the band’s hiatus and asking who I was. I kept a hand clutched to the poncho I was wearing, keeping the front closed to keep the bump concealed, praying that they didn't get any photos where it was obvious that I was pregnant. I knew it would come out at some point, but I wanted there to be just a little more time before then.

The paparazzi presence isn’t as crazy in England as it is in America, which is one thing that I’m grateful for. There are only a handful of people wielding cameras outside the cafe, and Harry appeases them by asking how their days are and wishing them good ones when we get through them. When someone shouts to ask who I am, he very coldly remarks, “Don’t worry about it, mate,” not even turning to look at who asked. 

When we finally round a corner and get rid of the small swarm, Harry pulls me into his side, arm around my waist. Nick saddles up to my other side, seeming to still protect me even after we made it out of the mess. 

“You alright?” he asks, checking me over with his eyes. 

“Yeah, I’m alright, Harry,” I confirm. “That was nothing compared to how they were in New York.”

My mention of the constant attention and harassment I was getting when I returned to New York after my time in England with Harry last time has him pursing his lips. I’m sure he saw how bad it was online and through videos I know got uploaded to YouTube and Twitter and the like. Not to mention, we’d talk about it back when we were still talking, and he had been particularly furious about it then, so I’m sure his feelings about it hadn’t changed. Like I said, paps in America are a lot more bold than they are in the UK.

“Come, on, let’s get home. We’ve got a flight in a few hours.”

THIRTY